Behold My Servant! - Isaiah 42:1-4/Matt 12:1-21

Let’s begin our study of Isaiah today by reading together from Matthew 12.

Matt 12:1  At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. [2] But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” [3] He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: [4] how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? [5] Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? [6] I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. [7] And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. [8] For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” 

Matt 12:9  He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

Matt 12:15  Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

18 “Behold, 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.

19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;

20 a bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not quench,

until he brings justice to victory;

21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”  [Isaiah 42:1]

The New Testament informs us on many occasions of the fulfillment of specific Old Testament prophecies.  This one is quite remarkable.  Here we see Matthew presenting Jesus as the Servant of God that Isaiah spoke of 500 years before Jesus was born.  He does so because of what Jesus does in these verses on these two particular occasions: Feeding His men and healing the afflicted, quietly.

Jesus is going about His ministry of preaching and teaching and healing among the towns of Galilee.  As He goes from place to place, I do not think this is actually the case, but He seems to make it a point to intentionally tweak the scribes and Pharisees every Sabbath Day by doing something they consider unlawful.  He doesn’t seek out occasions to make them angry.  Rather, because of their scrutiny of Him, and because of their burdensome lists of Sabbath laws which they have written, it is just incredibly easy to be seen as a lawbreaker in their eyes.

On this particular occasion, the disciples are hungry.  So, as they walk past a wheat field, they grab a handful of grain, rub it between their hands to separate the chaff from the kernels of wheat, and begin to eat it.  The Pharisees who seem to be always watching, see this and accuse them of harvesting crops and threshing wheat on the Sabbath, which in their not-so-humble estimation, is a violation of the Sabbath laws.

Jesus responds to their accusations.  But how does He respond?  From Scripture.  This is always the way to go.  Take this as a very important lesson from the Lord Jesus.  If you’re being questioned or attacked for your faith, show them the text!  Unlike Jesus, we have no inherent authority to defend ourselves against those who seek to condemn us.  But we do have the Scriptures to defend us!  (If we know them.)

To these Pharisees, who are supposedly the experts on the Bible, Jesus reminds them of David and his men.  Because of their great hunger, David asked a priest on one occasion if they might be allowed to eat the bread that was in the tabernacle since it was the only bread available.  Only the priests were allowed to eat this consecrated bread as part of the temple service.  But human need superseded religious protocol and David's hungry (apparently starving) men were sustained by what was otherwise holy and to be used only for sacred purposes. 

Brilliantly, Jesus sets this example of David and his men before the Pharisees as a contrast (not a comparison) to what Jesus' disciples were doing.  In other words, Jesus is telling the Pharisees that if it was acceptable for David's hungry men to eat the consecrated bread from the tabernacle, much more is it permissible for Jesus' men to eat grain on the Sabbath since: 

1. Jesus is not only greater than the Temple, but He is Lord OVER the Sabbath (not subject to it).  And 

2. Mercy is more important than sacrifice.  Feeding those who are hungry is more important than sacrificing a loaf of bread to God.  It is MUCH more important than keeping man-made, unscriptural rules and regulations regarding the Sabbath.  In other words, the Pharisees love legalism more than mercy.  They love to be right, more than they love people.  But God loves mercy more than sacrifice.

Then Jesus, and presumably His disciples, make their way to the synagogue since it is the Sabbath.  But once he, and the Pharisees arrive their, He is questioned as to whether it is legal to heal the sick on the Sabbath.  They aren’t concerned with debating the issue.  They ask the question for the specific purpose of finding Him guilty.  

Well, not only does Jesus think it is OK to heal on the Sabbath, but He makes sure they don’t misunderstand Him.  He instantly and miraculously heals a man with a withered or deformed hand who just happens to be in attendance.  

Naturally, because they are experts in their understanding of the Old Testament, and because they are so holy and spiritual, the Pharisees recognize this to be a miracle from God!  So they declare Jesus to be the Servant of God that Isaiah spoke of in Isaiah 42.  Right?

Not exactly.  The Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

Having just fed His disciples with "forbidden grain" that was "unlawfully" harvested and gleaned on the sabbath as they walked to the synagogue, Jesus now puts His lordship over the Sabbath on display INSIDE the SYNAGOGUE and miraculously heals the man with the withered hand.

In this situation in the synagogue, virtually the same lesson as the disciples with the wheat is illustrated : the need to address human suffering.  Meeting the needs of those who suffer is always "lawful": "It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  It was lawful for the hungry disciples of Jesus to eat and be fed on the Sabbath, and it is lawful for the afflicted to be relieved of their suffering on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees are obviously more concerned with the letter of the law (which they wrote) than they are with the people of God.  This is exactly why they hate Jesus so much.  He shows them for what they really are: Merciless.  But according to Scripture, a passage they were no doubt familiar with, Jesus reminds them that God prefers mercy over sacrifice.  But in the minds of the Pharisees, a sheep is more valuable than a man.  IT would be acceptable to them to rescue a sheep that had fallen into a pit on the sabbath, but it would NOT be acceptable to heal the afflicted.  The contrast between Jesus and the Pharisees could not be greater.  This is why they seek to eliminate Him.

So, because of their plotting, Jesus leaves quietly, and many others who were sick follow Him.  In a display of mercy He “breaks the Sabbath” and heals them all!  

Then He does something which seems quite strange.  He commands those He heals to keep it under their hats.  He didn’t ask them, but commanded them NOT to tell others about Him.  When we first read that, it is a bit mystifying.  Doesn’t Jesus want the whole world to know He has come?  Isn’t that why He is doing these wonderful things?  Why would He tell these people whom He has healed NOT to tell anyone about it?  

That would be tough to do!  You’ve suffered with some ailment for many, many years, and Jesus speaks a word and you’re completely well!  Why wouldn’t you want to go tell everyone about that?  And why wouldn’t Jesus want you to?  But Jesus commands them to be quiet.  He sets up a situation in which there are multitudes of people who are suddenly experiencing one of the most remarkable events in their entire lives, the instantaneous miraculous healing of a serious disease or affliction, and Jesus says, “Don’t tell anybody.”  

Why?  Why wouldn’t He want them to get all excited and tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King?  Why would He command them instead, to keep a lid on it?  You can get all excited if you want to, just keep your mouth shut.  Why?

Because the Scriptures must be fulfilled.  He does this for the specific purpose of fulfilling a particular prophecy concerning Himself, in order to draw attention to Himself as the Person of whom the Scriptures unmistakably speak, to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah.  And what did Isaiah say?

He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;

20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench

Jesus wasn’t a street preacher as we think of them, shouting to passersby the need for repentance.  Jesus did not perform His mighty deeds in some bombastic fashion as a show for the media so everyone would take notice of Him.  Rather, He went to the synagogues, He quietly taught those who gathered around Him, He healed people in need who were brought to Him, and did not broadcast Himself.  Just like Isaiah said.  No one heard Him shouting in the streets, or quarreling with the self-righteous Pharisees.  Jesus was humble.  

He was the promised Servant of God.  Look at what Isaiah says in chapter 42, verses 1-4.

Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

3 a bruised reed he will not break,

and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged 

till he has established justice in the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his law.

It is interesting to note that this passage begins by referring to Jesus as the slave of God the Father.  The Hebrew word translated “servant” here in verse 1 can be legitimately translated “slave”.  Jesus was a slave to God.  Philippians 2 puts it this way:

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant [doulos], being born in the likeness of men.

Isaiah says that the soul of God the Father DELIGHTED in His chosen Slave whom He upheld, whom He sustained.  Jesus made Himself nothing, laid aside His rights as the Creator of the Universe, and became a slave to God for our sakes.  God the Father filled His Son, His slave, with His own Holy Spirit, and commanded Him to do everything He did during His earthly life.  And because Jesus was obedient to His heavenly Father in absolutely everything, God’s soul was DELIGHTED in Him!

In Isaiah chapter 41, we saw what was not a delight to God.  In fact, we read there that idols and idolators are an abomination to God.  Such people and such things are repulsive to Him.  Idolatry is disgusting to God.  How ironic that as Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mt. Sinai, the first commandment the people of Israel broke was the commandment against the abomination of idolatry.  God’s people were an abomination to Him.  This is why He almost destroyed them on the spot, but Moses intercedes for them.

But we go from what is abominable and disgusting to God in chapter 41, to that which is a delight to His soul in chapter 42: His Servant.  This is the only Person who ever lived with whom God was always and in every moment of His life, well pleased.  No doubt, when the Lord Jesus ascended through the clouds to be reunited with His beloved Heavenly Father, He was met by angelic hosts singing His praises, and He heard His Father say to Him, “Well done, My good and faithful Servant!  Well done, my good and faithful Son.“

Woe to the man who plots to kill the One in whom God delights in His soul!  And that is exactly what the Pharisees plotted: the murder of the Delight of God’s soul.

Not only does the obedience of the Lord Jesus cause Him to be a delight to God, but Isaiah says God’s Servant is full of mercy and compassion.  Mercy toward the weak and needy is the distinguishing mark of the ministry of God’s Servant.  Isaiah describes His tender compassion with these beautiful words:

3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;

This is a picture of the kindness and gentleness with which the Lord Jesus tends to His people, His flock, His sheep.  The hopeless He does not discourage, the helpless He does not ignore, the frail He does not abandon, the injured He does not forsake, the one who lacks strength He does not desert.  

The “bruised reed” and the “smoking flax” are the terms used here to describe those to whom Jesus ministers in Matthew 12, namely, the man with the withered hand, as well as all those who follow after Jesus who He heals.  It is because of Jesus’ dealings with these people that Matthew says, “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah.”  Here, on this occasion, Jesus dealt mercifully with people who could be described as broken reeds and smoking flax.  The weak, needy, frail, injured, suffering, the helpless.  AND the followers of Christ.  Both of these phrases (“bruised reed” and the “smoking flax”) are perfect descriptors of believers.

On August 10, 1851, an English Baptist minister by the name of J. C. Philpot preached a sermon based on Matthew 12:20 concerning the bruised reed and the smoking flax.  He said this:

“Can we find a more striking emblem of weakness than a REED? A Christian is not here compared to an oak that spreads its roots deep in the soil, and tosses its sturdy arms abroad into the sky, that stands the brunt of a thousand storms, and outlives revolving centuries. That were an inappropriate emblem of so feeble, so frail a creature as a needy, necessitous [destitute] sinner. But when the blessed Spirit would use a similitude most strikingly descriptive of a dependant upon grace, of a pauper dependant upon charity, he takes that simple yet familiar figure of a reed.” 1

The Bible doesn’t often speak of God’s people mighty oaks.  Nor are we flaming furnaces of white hot zeal for God and His kingdom, perpetually purging ourselves of sin and refining ourselves to be like pure gold, shining the light of the Gospel like a lighthouse into the blackness all around us.  

Rather, we’re more often like the little candle with the tiny wick that is barely glowing in the darkness, and we’re in constant danger of the least little whiff of a breeze extinguishing our pitiful little glow.  Our little lights don’t often shine very brightly.  The Scriptures actually tell us that God intentionally chooses weak people to be His own:

[26] For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. [27] But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; [28] God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, [29] so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.  (1 Cor. 1:26-29 ESV)

God doesn’t call reeds in order to break them, or smoldering wicks in order to snuff them out.  Rather, He invites the hungry, and the thirsty, and the sick, and the naked, and the prisoner, and the destitute to Himself in order that He might have mercy upon them.  Jesus said it was the sick that needed a physician, not the healthy, and He came for the sake of the sick, the spiritually needy, in order to strengthen them, not extinguish them.  

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1. http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=2776