“A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;”
– Matthew 12:20
As Jesus fulfills the ancient promise of Isaiah 42, it’s vitally important to see the way in which Jesus accomplishes His purpose. Jesus doesn’t use violence or force. The prophet declares that Jesus will proclaim and ultimately achieve justice in gentleness. In fact, Isaiah says that Jesus is so gentle in His nature that even an already damaged reed growing by the water won’t be broken by His actions. Even a candle that’s already sputtering and struggling to stay lit won’t be snuffed out by Him. That’s how gentle our Lord and Savior is!!!
Our culture, like that of the ancient Greco-Roman world, generally doesn’t appreciate or celebrate gentleness. That’s unfortunate. We celebrate the use of force, crushing our enemies, and taking our goals by any means. Nonetheless, our Savior declares Himself to be gentle (Matthew 11:28-30). He invites us to learn gentleness from Him and to be refreshed by a life of gentleness. To be clear, you can certainly be strong while being gentle. Indeed, it takes more strength to be gentle, as Jesus demonstrated throughout His suffering and death.
The question is, how will you use your strength? To force others to your will or to stay gentle in a hostile world? We’re saved and our sins forgiven because Jesus submitted to death on the cross with gentleness rather than calling down armies of angels to slaughter His persecutors. Take time today, on a day that commemorates strong, non-violent efforts to accomplish justice, to meditate on Jesus. Seek to have both His strength AND His gentleness through the power of the Holy Spirit. #FollowJesus