Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. Matthew 12:18 NABRE
Matthew has shared a miracle story of Jesus, one in which the Pharisee’s were looking for a way to put Jesus to death. Jesus discovering what they were planning leaves the place and many followed Him. All who followed were looking for cures and Matthew tells us Jesus’ cured them all. However he wanted them to keep who He is and what He was doing secret. Then Matthew quotes a prophecy from Isaiah, which links to Jesus. It opens with the quoted verse, including the message we hear from God over Jesus several other times, “my beloved in whom I delight;” Jesus heard similar words at his Baptism, (Matthew 3:17) and the Transfiguration. (Matthew 17:5) The prophecy goes on to foretell the Lord’s servant would be a light to the nations, extending God’s covenant to the Gentiles. . Matthew quotes the first four verses and we see how the Lord’s servant will accomplish this mission through meekness and humility, a theme that fits perfectly with Jesus and His ministry. We read the servant of the Lord will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice. It maps to Jesus in this scene not seeking to escalate conflict with the Pharisees, but moving on to another place. We also see the mission to the Gentiles, those who are not the chosen. God’s planning all along that everyone will be included in His Kingdom, Jew and Gentile.
We should learn from Jesus; sometimes it is better to avoid conflict and find another way to get your message across. Many times when we enter into conflict we are just making enemies, not disciples.
Can you live and act with meekness and humility? Do you learn from Jesus how to show your point of view?
We should learn from Jesus; sometimes it is better to avoid conflict and find another way to get your message across. Many times when we enter into conflict we are just making enemies, not disciples. Click To Tweet#bible #godisgreat #jesus #christianity #dailybibleverse @youversion #BeAnEncourager #conflict #servant #Matthew #everybodyalways #god #jesuschrist #jesussaves #godisgood #dailydevotion #biblestudy #scripture #bibleverse #verseoftheday #pray #prayer #goodnews #loveeachother #godisgreat #thisVineyard #youversion #everythingalways