will anyone hear his voice? (Mt 12:15-21)

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Psalm 108; Matthew 12:15-21


Interestingly, this section of Matthew has the beginning of that beautiful passage from Isaiah 42 that we heard read on Sunday. Matthew (again) loosely translates, or is quoting from some other source than the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures), to tie it in with 3:17, the gospel reading Sunday:

"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased."
(v. 18)

So we have both Jesus as the Son of God, and as the Servant of God - upon whom God will put his Spirit and who will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. To reiterate what I felt was the key part of my sermon Sunday (whether or not you heard it that way! :) ), in the Messiah we are a key part of fulfilling the righteousness and the justice and the healing and the light he is bringing to the world.

+ + + + +

Now more specifically to a word for today. Jesus withdraws from this growing confrontation with the Pharisees who were conspiring how to kill him (because of his work of healing and restoration). Many followed him and he healed them all, and he ordered them not to make him known. He orders those who are healed not to make him known. Matthew doesn't write "not to make it known" or "not to make his mighty works known," he says Jesus orders these grateful, exuberant, over-whelmed people not to reveal who he is and/or where he is. God has a time for it, a way for it and it's not by creating a lot of clamor, hysteria, and certainly not inadvertently helping the Pharisees find him and destroy him.

This seems to be the main reason Matthew ties Isaiah 42 in at this point. Surely it includes the whole big picture: God's chosen servant, well-pleasing and beloved, anointed with the Spirit, tender and protective with the bruised and dying, and finally the inclusion of the Gentiles. But I think the point is this:

"He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench..."
(v. 19)

His kingdom is not going to be established by a demonstration of crushing violence, coersion, or forceful argumentative quarreling. That is the way of the kings and tyrants of this world, and of the brilliant (and arrogant) intellectuals of academia and philosophy. His way is the way of humility and compassion, of kindness and tenderness, of wisdom and understanding, and even subversion.

This is to be our way as well. Yes, our voices ought to be heard in the streets, but not in quarreling and stridency. Yes, we ought to be participating with him as we works in us and through us to restore those around us. Perhaps his voice will not be heard in the streets, but when "he brings justice to victory" the testimony of his mighty works do ring out loud and clear from his people, and "in his name the Gentiles [do] hope." (v. 21)

Let us do his works in his way, that is, let us work out what he is working in us, for the restoration of his world and the glory of his name.