A Bruised Reed.

Matthew 12:14-20 

14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

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.

One of the fun things Judi and I used to do when we lived in Wisconsin was to go to Crex Meadows north of Grantsburg and drive around to see the wildlife. It is a beautiful place to have a picnic. Years ago the area was used to grow a type of grass or reed used to weave rugs. The reeds that grow among lakes and rivers were also used as sort of a writing implement. Back in Isaiah’s day they didn’t have ink pens or number two pencils, so scribes often use them to write on papyrus also made from reeds.  

 

Isaiah probably took a new reed to continue writing, and as he exerted pressure upon it, it buckled under his hand. He was about to throw it away when suddenly, a still small voice spoke to him and said, “When the Messiah comes, a bruised reed shall He not brake, and the smoking flax He will not quench”. 
        

Many years later the Pharisees had seen Jesus heal on the Sabbath day and show compassion to the rejects and sinners of society. These men met in secret to devise a plan to arrest Jesus and have Him killed. He didn’t rise up to defend Himself, but quietly withdrew.

           

Where Isaiah saw bruised reeds Jesus saw bruised men, but with Jesus they were not beyond repair. The compassion of Jesus is hope for the lost, hurting and sinful people who are worth saving. Jesus took on the role of a suffering servant to a suffering world to bring eternal gladness. Isaiah prophesied of the coming of the anointed one of God.