The Servant of Jehovah

The Servant of Jehovah Matthew 12:14-21

Matthew 12:14–21 “ Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. 15 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. 16 Yet He warned them not to make Him known, 17 that 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. 19 He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; 21 And in His name Gentiles will trust.””

Notice what it says here. The servant of Jehovah is prophesied to bring everyone to God - and look yall, it isn’t because of what he teaches (though incredibly important), not even his miracles. I heard one “teacher” (woke, progressive woman claimed to be a pastor) say that this was because he was progressive and peace loving. No, what hes doing, is fulfilling the scriptures. The cross, the resurrection is our salvation. We know this truth because of what Christ tells us, but He, HE HIMSELF is our WAY, TRUTH, LIFE.

Lets pick at the text, 14-15 The Plot, 16-17 The Point, 18-21 The Prophecy

14-15 The Plot

Matthew 12:14 “ Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.”

this was also prophesied, lol. Psalm 2:2 “ The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,” Destroy makes it obvious they arent out just ruin his reputation or cancel Him. Matthew 27:1 “ When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.”

in Mark 3:6 “ Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.” John tells us, John 11:53 “ Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.”

Why? Because He told the truth. John 5:18 “ Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.”

Yet, even in the midst of this -

Matthew 12:15 “ But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.”

Jesus knew. When others came told him of the plotting, he went away Matthew 10:23 “ When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” he isnt running, he is preaching elsewhere.

Even on the run, people scrambled, ran behind, sought his miracles, his touch. And it tells us, He healed them even though that tended to bring more people and attract more attention. Jesus healed everyone He intended to. Which was all of them.

16-17 The Point

Matthew 12:16–17 “ Yet He warned them not to make Him known, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:”

Jesus was backing off to keep the schedule going for the Passover. It wasnt time yet to be taken in, for the triumphal entry and the last supper.

Jesus also wouldnt advertise his healing ministry and deliverance ministry. He wouldn't have been on the news, or “christian” television. Streaming online that the message go out is hugely different from turning the message and gifts of the Holy Spirit into a show for profit. Thats, P.R.O.F.I.T. No true prophet would abuse this.

Modern Christian “memes” and “music” is not a replacement for the things setup in Scriptures for us. www.whatever.com or 106.9 or Bethel or Hillsong or even Maranatha Music, is never, never a replacement for the ecclesia God has presented in His word. Nearly all modern media ministries of any kind is corporate and designed to make money. The subtext is Christ, but the subject, is money, power, control.

Christ again displays his authority by not taking the fight out of time. He cares so about these people, that even in hiding, He does the miraculous to change lives.

18-21 The Prophecy

Matthew 12:18–21 “ “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. 19 He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; 21 And in His name Gentiles will trust.””

now, of course, this is an OT reference from

Isaiah 42:1–4 “ “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. 2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. 4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.””

Sounds a little different eh? Note since this is NKJ we use a Hebrew version of the OT which might be different from the septuagint (greek), but that isnt the kick. The kick is the first part. Who is the servant? Obviously Matthew intends to present Jesus as the servant.

Though often the term given is Israel/Jacob, here in Isaiah the description clearly (even by rabbinical traditions) was about Messiah. Even the ba-hi-ri (Chosen) here would often mean israel, but its plain its about a person not speaking on national level.

When Matthew quotes Isaiah, the Holy Spirit does so by relating the prophecy to what Christ is doing. Its not different its Matthew explaining how to see this prophecy specifically in the light of what Christ did.

When the HS displayed on Jesus we heard Matthew 3:17 “ And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.””

He went to the 5 cities, he preached to Jew and Gentile alike, though He came for His brethren before the cross.

When it was time for Jesus to come and be filled with Zeal, He would. We’ll see that when the time is right.

Not cry out - Matthew 11:29 “ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Jesus withdrew but didn't separate. Folks followed. God is never silenced but you might have moved away or not followed when you should've.

Bruised reed, smoking (an extinguished candle or lamp) but results in? Justice. Jesus is the propitiation, the sacrifice that God finds sufficient for our sins.

We see broken, the Word made flesh (reeds used to write with) We see the light extinguished (Jesus said was light of the world) and a sinless God/Man went to the cross and died on your behalf. So that you might through faith, die with Him and be a child of God.

The translators chose to use Gentiles because the word for Gentiles and Others was “Ethnos” in the Greek, ἔθνη, nations, peoples, Gentiles. No matter, its us. And I might cry come quickly, but man am I glad He waited for me. Who else does he wait for?

Do you trust Him? We have trouble with real faith. So many people, including ourselves, have let us down. And i am telling you, make no expectations of Christ except that He keep His word and give you His life, it will be enough!

Contentment in Christ comes from that trust. That absolute faith that He is who he said He is. And if I live, I live for Him, if I die, I die in Him. God is so good.

Will you trust him today?

In Closing: Its tough for us to trust God sometimes. Matthew and the others, did they think about this prophecy during or after? Mostly after, because they were a bunch of knuckleheads bouncing off one another (we see in Jesus’ rebukes of them). Sometimes we need to know the same. I might not understand now, but I still need to trust Him. Listen, “The story is told of William Quayle, the Methodist bishop of Kansas, who lived a century ago. Having a fitful night, he awoke at four o’clock. Suddenly there was a great voice. “William, this is God. You may go to sleep now. I am awake.””

When we trust in God, it allows us to have peace, to walk in contentment and be unstoppable forces in this universe when we go where He bids.

Because we are His. Lets pray.