Speechless

"'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless." (Matthew 22: 12 NIV)

"Speechless" is from a Greek word that means "to close the mouth" as with a muzzle, and then metaphorically "to stop the mouth" or to "reduce to silence," or "put to silence," or to simply "silence" someone.

To become "speechless" is forensic, a result of a person having been brought to a state where he has no justification or lawful excuse to utter, when he is either suddenly caught in a crime, or when standing before a judge to give answer to charges brought against him. It is to be without a "word of defense," without any justification worth legally asserting. To be "speechless" is to be guilty.

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." (Romans 3: 19)

The word "guilty" in the Greek means to be "under judgment" as "one who lost his suit" and in the above passage signifies one who has become a "debtor to" the law and to Lord God, because of sin, and who therefore "owes satisfaction to" or is "liable to punishment from God."

Also, the word "guilty" is intimately connected with the idea of one's "mouth" (speech) being "stopped" or "silenced."

Lord God's law is a "silencer" and a "mouth-stopper." His word convicts and convinces and indicts and puts the sinner into a state where he can say nothing in his defense, where he becomes "speechless." He does not even have a legal advocate, as does the Christian (I John 2: 1, 2), and an attorney who has legal standing in Heaven's court, and certainly he has no credible defense to present.

Though, like Job, who intended, when appearing before the bar of Lord God, to present his legal arguments, sinners find, when they do actually appear before that judgment bar, that they, like Job, can only "put their hands over their mouths" in utter silence. (See Job 23: 4; 35: 16; 40: 4)

"...the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped." (Psalm 63: 11)

"Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous." (Psalm 31: 18)

Sinners ought to learn how to "bite your tongue." To "bite the tongue" means "to stop yourself from saying something because it would be better not to, even if you would like to say it." Instead of offering lame excuses and lies for a defense or justification, sinners ought to simply shut up, and plead nothing but their unworthiness and trust in the worthiness and righteousness of Christ.

Every mouth will be silenced in the coming judgment day. Though men may imagine that they will have all kinds of arguments and reasonings to put to God, as did Job, they will find out that they can do no more than did Job, and remain silent, or like the one in the parable above, become "speechless."

"They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent." (Luke 20: 26 NIV)

"...he had put the Sadducees to silence." (Matthew 22: 34 KJV)

"And they could not answer him again to these things." (Luke 14: 6)

Oh how great was Jesus at silencing his evil opponents and accusers! He left them all "speechless"!

Christians too can have this skill and wisdom. We do not stop mouths with a literal muzzle, as do some dictatorial religions, rather, as Christians, we stop those mouths with the power of the law and word of Lord God, especially when fully attended by a display of the power of the Holy Ghost.

"For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist." (Luke 21: 15 KJV)

"And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it." (Acts 4: 14 KJV)

"For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. " (Titus 1: 10, 11 KJV)

If we are doing the will of God we will be in the "silencing" business; not however in a literal manner, in the cutting out of the mouth of criminals their physical tongues, as is practiced in some countries, but the silencing of mouths by the use of the gospel, by the use of reason, and by the power of the Spirit of the Lord, and by the testimony of a godly life.

"For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." (I Peter 2: 15)

The word and counsel of Lord God to all of us is this:

"If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth." (Proverbs 30: 32)

Salvation is not in our speaking in such a manner so as to justify ourselves, but in remaining silent, in this respect, and when we are called upon to speak, in our defense, we plead nothing but for mercy in Jesus Christ and his death upon the cross.

"Speechless" would make a fitting name for a character in a story like "Pilgrim's Progress."

Friend, I urge you to recognize that you have no justification or reason to speak in you own defense, if you do not have Christ as your legal advocate and his righteousness as your defense.