“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my
chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” Isaiah 42:1-4
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” Isaiah 42:1-4
Isaiah
is filled with prophecies about Jesus.
He’s called a “servant” or “suffering servant” in many places. The Gospel of Matthew highlights these verses
in Isaiah to prove Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. It reads:
Aware of
this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed
all who were ill. He warned them not to tell others about him. This was to
fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“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.
He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
In his name the nations will put their hope.” Matthew 12:15-21
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
In his name the nations will put their hope.” Matthew 12:15-21
While
we see Jesus clearly in each of these descriptions (Spirit, proclaim justice,
not quarrel, hope), the part about not breaking a bruised reed is curious. What that means is this: Jesus won’t be a
violent man. His compassion extends even
to a broken branch of plant, which he won’t maliciously hurt. The description speaks to Jesus’ gentle, kind
nature.