15But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. 16Yet He warned them not to make Him known, 17that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
| 18"Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. 19He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. 20A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; 21And in His name Gentiles will trust." |
When I first started reading this, I noticed it continued from the last text. The Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. When Jesus knew of this, he withdrew from there. Great multitudes followed Jesus and He healed them all. So when Jesus warned them to not make Him known, I would have assumed He said it for His own safety: don't let the Pharisees find out where He is.
But that is not the reason that Matthew gave for Jesus' actions and warning. He said it was to fulfill scripture: God chose Jesus as His Servant, His Son, His Beloved, in whom He is so well pleased. God put His Spirit upon Jesus for the task which was before Him.
Jesus would not quarrel nor cry out. Jesus knew the Pharisees were plotting to destroy Him, yet he left rather than quarrel with them or cry out against them. No one would hear His voice in the streets. He could so easily have started an uprising against the Pharisees by crying out in the streets. Rather, he left the area.
Jesus could so easily have destroyed the Pharisees, but He didn't; as a bruised reed He would not break. As for quenching the smoking flax, a fire waiting to burn, He could have fed the fires or put them out, but He would do neither. At least not until He was ready to go from justice to victory.
The part that puzzles me in this text is the focus on the Gentiles. He will declare justice to the Gentiles. And in His name Gentiles will trust. Why justice to the Gentiles and not the Jews? When I first read the first phrase, I was wondering if Jesus meant bring a punishment to the Gentiles in the form of justice, or bring a saving justice to the Gentiles. But when He said that the Gentiles would trust in His name, I cannot believe it is a punishing justice but a saving one. For I cannot imagine Jesus trying to garner their trust only to blow them away with a punishing justice in the end.
This scripture is based on Isaiah 42:1-4. So I went to Isaiah 42 to see how the text is printed there. It is slightly different. I thought that might help answer a few questions for me. Here is Isaiah 42:1-9:
| The Servant Comes to Glorify the LORD 1"Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 2He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. 3A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. 4He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law." 5Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: 6"I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, 7To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house. 8I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. 9Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them." |
He will bring forth justice for truth. He will establish justice in all the earth, not just the Gentiles. Jesus came as a covenant to all the people, but also as a light to the Gentiles, to open their blind eyes, to release them from their prison. I don't think He is referring to physical blindness here or confinement in some prison cell, but to open their eyes, their souls, to the light of Jesus Christ, to open the doorway to their salvation too, without which is akin to imprisonment.
There was so much Jesus could have done to fight the battles that were being set up by the Pharisees. But Jesus didn't get involved in these battles. Instead He focused on His one purpose, to bring forth justice for truth. Victory for Him would have nothing to do with all these possible skirmishes, but would be accomplished when he brought justice to all the earth.
God had guided the Jews for generations. He still does. But in order to bring justice to all, to bring forth justice for truth, that guidance needed to extend to the Gentiles as well, the ones who Jewish law would not include. Gentiles as well as Jews needed to place their trust in Jesus. He would bring a new covenant for all. He would bring justice to all. This text isn't a statement that He is working for justice for Gentiles instead of Jews, but for Gentiles in addition to Jews.