Matthew 12:15-21
New International Version (NIV)
15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large
crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16 He warned
them not to tell others about him. 17 This was to fulfill what was
spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21 In his name the nations will put their hope.
The passage for today begins with “Aware
of this”. Do you remember what Jesus was aware of? He was aware of the Pharisees and their plot
to try to kill Him. So think about it,
He was and is aware of every single one of our little plots just as He was
aware of theirs.
Just think, everything that Jesus
did on this earth fulfilled the prophesy of His coming and His serving. Today I would like for us to just take a few
minutes and focus on Jesus.
Jesus, full of deity, came to this
earth as a servant. He did not quarrel
with others as seen when He spoke to the Pharisees. He stated the facts and then left it at
that. He did not cry out “injustice”
when He was wrongfully accused of a crime.
In fact He showed mercy to the thief on the cross.
As I looked at the next few verses I
tried to figure out what a bruised reed and a smoldering wick had to do about
anything. I briefly looked at a sermon
that someone had on the internet and one thing caught my eye, no one wants a
bruised reed, which is like an old tough weed stock that is sticking out of the
ground that is hard to break and is too stubborn to be pulled out of the ground. Neither does anyone want a wick in a candle
that smolders but does not burn. When I
looked at the last part of that verse I was struck by “till He has brought
justice through to victory”. What
changes at that time? My thought brought
me back to that reed and wick. Do you
think that the reed and the wick could possibly be first be personified by the
Pharisees as the weak and the needy? But
once there is justice and victory prevails, I tend to think that the Pharisees
become the reed and the wick.
The statement that meant the most to
me today was the last statement, “In His name the nations will put their hope”. Wow, it doesn’t say that Israel will put its
hope, it says the “nations”. This tells me
that there is hope for every single nation if they but put their hope in Him. I get so excited when I see someone from
another nation has read this blog. It
thrills my heart t because it is my prayer that as each of you who read this
blog will find that hope that is found through Jesus Christ our Lord. I am a mere messenger of His word, proclaiming
it to those who would hear and proclaiming it to any nation that has internet
to hear!
As I reflect on Jesus, I am amazed
that the one who calls himself a Christian is saying that they are to be
Christ-like. I know that I can never be
as perfect as Jesus but I am going to strive to do my part in keeping quiet
when I need to be quiet, not quarreling just for the sake of quarreling, not rejecting those who are broken, and by proclaiming the hope that can be found
though Jesus Christ our Lord. For I know
that it is only through Him that justice will be served and victory will
prevail because of who He is.
Seek Him, and when you find Him,
strive to be like Him so others can see Him through you. Remember He knows all and He knows your
heart.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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