The Lord of the Bruised Reed
Isaiah 42:1-8; Acts 10:34-38; Matt 3:13-17 January 9, 2005
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
CCI: God’s beloved will gently lead us to embrace His full potential for us.
Intro: Greg Asimakopolis recently recalled a very poignant moment from the memorial service at the National Cathedral on September 14, 2001.
At that time, the National Cathedral, in Washington, DC, was filled to capacity with invited guests including political leaders, military brass, and four former presidents and their wives.
After several religious leaders had spoken, including Billy Graham, George W. Bush approached the podium. It was his turn to address the American people about impending war. The terrorist attacks had catapulted him into the first test of his eight-month-old presidency and at that time he acknowledged our nation's need for dependence on God. The words of Paul in Romans chapter 8 ("…nothing shall ever separate us from God's love") punctuated a compassionate message to those who felt abandoned by God in light of the violent death of so many innocent victims.
Having surrendered to the baptism of public scrutiny, George W. Bush returned to his seat and sat down next to the smiling First Lady. His father—former President George Bush—beaming with pride, looked straight ahead but reached his hand across Laura Bush for his son's hand. It was a silent but unmistakable way of saying, "You are my son, and am I pleased with you." (Citation: Greg Asimakoupoulos)
I have watched grown men absolutely beam when their fathers have exhibited pride in their accomplishments, and I have seen others crumble and become little boys when their father’s have criticized them unjustly. A parent’s words of pride can make or break the heart and success of a child.
In the story of Jesus’ baptism we see God declare his love and yes, his pride in Jesus. When the voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” God was beaming and Jesus was empowered. Jesus went from this experience into the wilderness where he fasted for 40 days and was tempted by the devil. It was in the power of this witness from heaven that Jesus stood victorious in this time of testing. But these words are a reflection of the prophet Isaiah centuries before, words we read this morning: "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him.”
“This is my Son. . . in Him I am pleased”, “Here is my servant. . .in whom I delight.” These two phrases are expressions that I believe every person longs to hear. What was it about the servant in Is 42 and the Son in Matthew that brought these words to the lips of the Heavenly Father?
I believe we find that in the description of the servant in Isaiah. First, we see that the servant is gentle and soft-spoken. While the voice of the Lord shakes the seas, the servant of God is different. Notice, “He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.” The servant who gains God’s pleasure is a gentle person. In Isaiah’s day the streets were filled with prophets trying to imitate God’s voice. They were shouting about God’s judgement. However, the servant of God will take a different approach. I once knew a man who wanted to be a witness for Jesus and so as he worked in the warehouse, he would quote bible verses at the top of his lungs. In the same congregation there was a man who worked in another part of the same company. He also wanted to be a witness, but his approach was to quietly care for the people around him. He was with men when their marriages broke up, he was with fellow workers when their parents died or the kids graduated. He really cared about the people he worked with. Each of these men had a witness, but only one of them had a witness that bore fruit for the kingdom, and you can imagine which one it was.
God’s servant, the one who lives in God’s pleasure is the one whose speech is characterized as quiet and nonabrasive. And that is what Jesus primarily exhibited. When fire and brimstone preaching John met Jesus, Jesus simply asked him to baptize him and when he objected with passion, Jesus just repeated the request. He was known for his kind speech. In fact, in Luke 4 where we read of Jesus’ mission in the world, we see that the people were shocked by his kind words.
If we would find the pleasure of God, we would do well to begin to cultivate quiet, non-abrasive speech.
And then we see that the servant of God is gentle in his dealings with others. The prophet wrote, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” Think about this picture. The bruised reed is a water plant that has been badly treated, it is weak and can very easily be broken off. A smoldering wick can be a problem. It gives off almost no light, and it’s smoke is not a pleasant addition to a room. Yet this is what God’s servant, the beloved son, gently works with. He will not break the reed, he will not snuff out the wick. So today, if you have been mistreated, Jesus will be gentle. If it seems like your life is being snuffed out and your energy is almost gone, trust Him to be careful and loving in his care of you.
The soft spoken, gentle beloved Son of God is seeking to bring you freedom from everything that keeps you enslaved. God longs for his creation to be free. Hear again the words of the Prophet Isaiah:
"I, the LORD , have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
John H. Stevens tells of time he visited a museum in Italy. He said, “I was struck by four partially finished sculptures. These were figures Michelangelo originally intended to use on the tomb of Pope Julius, but midway through the project he decided not to use them and ceased work on them. There is a hand protruding here, a torso of a man there, a leg, part of a head, but none are finished.”
Nearly all who see these works sense the turmoil, the struggle embodied in these figures. It is as though they are crying to break free from the prison of the marble to become what they were intended to be. These figures, along with all the sculptures of Michelangelo were trapped in the marble until his hands freed them.
Author Theodore Roder looked on these four figures that Michelangelo called "The Captives" or “The Slaves,” and wrote, "When I looked at those partial figures, they stirred up in me a deep longing to be completed—an ache to be set free from that which distorts and disguises, imprisons and inhibits my humanness, my wholeness. But as with those statues, I cannot liberate myself. For that I need the hand of another." Sometimes the work of freeing us from the marble that enslaves us is painful. It may take blows that seem to be harsh and cruel. However, the soft-spoken, gentle Son of God, carefully places each and every blow so that we may ultimately find freedom. After all he is working on bruised reeds and smoldering wicks.
How do you picture the servant of God? When you see him with a hammer in his hand, do you see someone who is coming to break you? Or do you see someone who is coming to free you?
In the passage we read from Acts this morning, Peter has just entered the house of a Gentile, something he would have never done even a few days earlier. However, the master sculptor, Jesus Christ, had just completed a work that freed him from his prejudices and hatreds. Jesus had revealed to him that nothing that God calls clean can be called dirty again. Christ had broken away centuries of prejudice it was painful for Peter. However, when he found himself in the presence of Gentiles he was able to say,"I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” As he came to that realization, another part of character was freed from the marble and polished by the Father.
And so today the love of Christ reaches out to free the bruised reeds and smoldering wicks of people all over the world for there is no limit to His reach, there is no end to His love. All he asks is that you let Him do his work in your life. Do you want to be a masterpiece for Christ, then let Him do His work in you.
Let us pray.
For further information on the Mission of Jesus, see Luke 4:16-21
To read more about “The Slaves” and to see some of these images, see http://www.artist-biography.info/gallery/michelangelo_buonaroti and http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~dvess/ids/fap/michel.htm#matter and the pargraphs that follow.
Max Lucado has explored the Bruised Reed and Smoldering Wick in his book, He Still Moves Stones, a book well worth looking at.
The Matthew Henry Commentary speaks of the power of the Voice of God: http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/index.php?action=getCommentaryText&cid=36&source=2&seq=I.23.29.1
The Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown commentary of Isaiah 41 and 42 are a wonderful source for the background of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah. In 42 particularly the Suffering Servant is seen in contrast to Cyrus who is called the “messiah” in Chapter 45 See: http://www.gospelcom.net/eword/comments/isaiah/jfb/isaiah42.htm and the chapters surrounding that as well as the commentary by Gill available at the same website.
