In yesterday’s blog article, I asked you to imagine that you were following Jesus through the lanes and villages of Galilee. If you were following along, you were present during Jesus’s encounter with the Pharisees on the Sabbath.
In a wheat field, they argued, and Jesus angered them to the point wanting him dead by declaring himself to be the Son of Man, greater than both the temple and the Sabbath.
In a synagogue on the same day, Jesus healed a man. Instead of rejoicing and worshiping God for his healing power, men who claimed to serve God plotted against him.
As you walk along with Jesus, you are part of a crowd of his followers who see more acts of God’s love and healing power through his Servant.
When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known (Matthew 12.15-16).
Imagine that after seeing many people healed, you sit with some of your friends and talk about what’s happened. Someone says, “I think this resembles what we find in the book of Isaiah.”
Then you all begin to compare what Jesus did with what God said about His servant in Isaiah (see Isaiah 42.1-4).
Someone in the crowd quotes from what Isaiah said about the Messiah and the people in your group talk about how Jesus seems to fit the picture.
“Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. (Matthew 12.18)
The discussion may have sounded something like this: Someone says, “Jesus acts like God’s servant whom He has chosen for this task. Just look at what he has done.”
Another one said, “I heard that at His baptism a voice from heaven said that Jesus was God’s beloved Son.”
Still another said, “Well, it’s clear that God’s Spirit is on Him. I don’t know about justice to the Gentiles, but He’s sure bringing justice to people like us.”
A woman in the group chimed in and said, “Did you notice how he walked away from the the Pharisees and didn’t argue with them?”
The man who had earlier quoted from Isaiah remembered something from the prophecy.
“He will not wrangle or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.” (Matthew 12.19)
After he quoted from Isaiah, he said, “I think this is what Jesus is doing. Instead of arguing with the religious authorities, he came here.”
Then he paused and thought, “Oh, there’s something else about Isaiah’s prophecy that is true for us.”
“He will not break a bruised reed
or quench a smoldering wick
until he brings justice to victory.” (Matthew 12.20)
One of the men in the group spoke up, “I’ve been following Jesus since I heard him talk to people on a mountain not too far from here. I still remember his first words and how they gave me hope: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5.3).”
“It could be that what Jesus is doing is for us. We’re a bunch of nobodies, but He gives us the kingdom.”
The woman who had spoken earlier said, “I know what it’s like to be a bruised reed or a smoldering wick. I know what it’s like to be overlooked and oppressed. I am thankful that Jesus has brought us justice and victory.”
The man who knew Isaiah’s message by heart said, “You know, there’s one more thing that Isaiah said: ‘And in his name the gentiles will hope'” (Matthew 12.21).
I finally found my voice and entered the conversation. I said, “If God loves people like us, why can’t He love people like the Gentiles?”
Today’s Application
When I finished studying this passage, I encountered a man with mental health issues. My immediate emotional response was to shy away from him.
The Holy Spirit whispered in my mind, “He is one of the people that Jesus said he would not break off and throw away.”
I gave him a word of encouragement, invited him to a meeting, and later had a fairly decent conversation with him over a slice of pizza.
I wasn’t able to heal this man like Jesus would have done, but I was able to be kind to him and accept him into the fellowship of the church.
The combination of God’s Spirit and His Word helped me do the right thing. I suggest this is one of the benefits of daily reading the Bible and meditating on what it says to us.
It opens our minds and hearts to imitate Jesus’ behavior in some small way.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 