Mission Rift

Introduction

Mission drift, as you know, is when a company slowly changes from their original mission. Mission rift, we could say, is a company who does something in opposition to their mission that causes a tear.

In 2024, the iconic British carmaker Jaguar attempted to reinvent itself. The brand that had built its legacy on speed, elegance, and racing heritage—known for the slogan “Grace, Space, Pace”—suddenly rebranded itself as “JaGUar”, with a stylized new logo and a campaign that was more fashion ad than automotive pitch.

Their most talked-about commercial featured no cars at all—just abstract imagery, futuristic models, and slogans like “Live Vivid” and “Copy Nothing.” Instead of celebrating performance, engineering, or tradition, the campaign focused on strangely dressed models and their identity expression. It seemed as though the Star Trek crew landed on another planet of weirdos. The internet quickly mocked it. One viral comment asked, “Do you even make cars anymore?”

But it wasn’t just online ridicule—sales collapsed. In some parts of Europe, Jaguar sales dropped by more than 95%. Loyal customers felt abandoned, and new customers weren’t interested in buying a car from a company that seemed more focused on philosophy than product. Jaguar’s mission confusion didn’t just dilute its image—it nearly destroyed its credibility.

What went wrong? Jaguar lost touch with what had made it great. In chasing a trend, it stepped off mission. And when a brand or a person drifts from their core purpose—even with good intentions—the consequences can be devastating.

Jesus was under pressure to lose sight of his mission. The Pharisees are opposing more. The crowds are increasing. There are opportunities to get loud, to prove himself, to fight back. But Jesus does not allow the pressure to cause him to step off his mission and cause greater division.

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If there’s consensus on one thing mankind has observed about our existence in this world it is brokenness. We live in a day and age where people cry out for justice. But people disagree on what that justice looks like. Imagine living in a society with complete harmony on true justice and resolve to carry it out. What would that look like?

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In Matthew 12:15-21, Jesus promises to bring justice and he does not get sidetracked from that mission.

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So please turn to Matt. 12:15-21 as we consider his mission.

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In this poetic text, we will see Jesus’s measured moveback, his magnificent mission, and his meek method.

Measured Moveback

Matthew 12:15–17 ESV

15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

Revelation

In the previous passages, Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees for healing on the Sabbath. He answered their accusations biblically and logically, but it really didn’t matter how he answered. The Pharisees had already made their decision about Jesus, not matter how many miraculous things he could do. In the last passage, I mentioned the great irony that the Sabbath was intended for the good of man, for them to find rest. Yet the Pharisees would rather see a man continue in pain even if he had the the opportunity to be better, just so their rituals were fulfilled. After Jesus attempts to correct this terrible outlook, they double down and their attempt becomes murderous. Jesus, knowing all, knows they desire to kill him which leads to this withdrawal.

I call this a measured moveback because Jesus is not withdrawing out of cowardice or fear for his life. He will later go willingly to the cross. Nor is the withdrawal a sign of defeat or giving up. Notice that he continues to heal those who follow him.

He tells those he heals to keep quiet, not out of a sense of shame or confusion on his part, but in order to fulfill his mission.

And finally, in v. 17 Matthew gives the fulfillment formula. Notice the wording of it, “This was done to fulfill. . .” What was “this”? The actions that Jesus took. Who took those actions? Jesus. So now we can ask the next question, why did Jesus take these actions? According to v. 17, to fulfill prophecy spoken by Isaiah.

Relevance

In the early 1900’s Edward John Smith was selected to captain the Titanic—famously advertised as an unsinkable ship— on its maiden voyage. He had a clear mission to ensure the safe and dignified delivery of passengers and cargo from Southampton to New York. But he was also under pressure from White Star Line executives.

They wanted to prove the Titanic’s speed and technological superiority. They wanted to impress wealthy and influential travelers. They wanted to preserve the company’s elite reputation.

Smith supposedly got distracted from the mission of safety and made decisions for prestige. He maintained high-speed through ice burg prone waters, ignored multiple ice burg warnings, and delayed launching lifeboats. Concerned with image and determined by a belief in the ship’s engineering, he lost sight of the mission.

Jesus is under pressure from the Pharisees to start an all out conflict. He’s under pressure from the crowd to start a populist movement. Yet, unlike that ship’s captain, Jesus is incapable of losing sight of the greater mission.

There is a misconception that Jesus acts haphazardly and unaware of what’s going to happen to him. That he was just a good man caught up in the wrong circumstances. But that is completely false. Jesus knows exactly what is going on all around him. He knew the Pharisee’s intent by reading their hearts.

Jesus acts with complete purpose in everything he does. But we have to uncover the message of this prophecy to understand Jesus’s mission and method.

Meek Method

Intro to poem

Matthew quotes from Isaiah 42. Almost every time prophets would speak on behalf of God it would be done in this poetic style. Matthew quotes from a source that is neither completely the Greek Old Testament or what we have today from the Hebrew Masoretic text. There is a chance that Matthew quotes from an older Hebrew text that was lost to time, or that he was led under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to adapt a few words to further his own intent—to stylistically point out certain things about the Messiah.

You’ll notice the poetic style is foreign to our own. Any language work done (such as repeating sounds) would be lost in translation. But the main thing to note is that Hebrew poetry was not so conerned with rhyming sound as we like. They looked at the meaning of the word to construct poetry rather than the sound of it.

I’m going to read this text in its entirety then point out specific things from it.

Matthew 12:18–21 ESV

18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; 20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; 21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Revelation

This text from Isaiah 42 identifies the Lord’s servant who Matthew identifies as Jesus. And, we can further argue that if Jesus purposefully did things to fulfill this prophecy that he also saw himself as this messianic servant.

Notice throughout this text the future tense verb is given because it is written from Isaiah’s perspective who wrote long ago. However, it is being fulfilled in Jesus’s day.

I want to note to big picture things in this prophecy: the servant’s method and his mission. We will look at the method first.

We can see the servant’s method in vv. 18-20.

In v. 18, the servant is strongly identified with God. God says, “my servant who I have chosen” and “My beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.” These lines are working together to tell us that God’s servant is united with God and would be united with God even in his mission and method. God’s Spirit here is a sign of this unity between God and his servant. This was seen in Jesus’s baptism. Why do we see the Holy Spirit descending as a dove? Not only to see the Trinity in a single act, but to signify especially to those watching that this seemingly mere man who is being baptized is truly of God.

This is the same thing that is seen in the next passage when Jesus explains that he casts out demons “by the Spirit of God.” (v. 28).

So, God and his servant are on the same page. But what is that “page” and how should it be executed?

Verses 19-20 explain how it will be carried out, what I call the servant’s meek method.

Matthew 12:19–20 “19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; 20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;”

V. 19 the two lines go together. It seems contradictory to consider the servant will not cry aloud and consider everything in chapter 11 where Jesus certainly announced “Woe to you Bethsaida” and “Come to me all who labor. . .” However, its best to understand “cry aloud” in context with “quarrel” - the fact that for example, Jesus did not enter into a shouting match with the pharisees. Notice this does not mean that Jesus is unwilling to be in a confrontation.

The second line goes with the first. It seems strange to thing the very person “proclaiming justice to the gentiles” according to v. 18, won’t even be heard in the streets. However, clearly, Jesus did proclaim things in the streets. the phrase, “nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets” refers to the fact that he is not working merely to showboat or be extravagant. Jesus is mission-focused, not attention grabbing.

Being brash, attention hungry, and contentious has often side-affect of breaking reeds and quenching wicks. Reeds were often used to measure things. If they were bruised the were liable to bend and be useless. It’s like if you pull out the tape of a tape measurer too far and in bends. No longer good for measuring. What do most people do? They throw it out. They would break the reed and throw it in the fire to find another. If a wick is smoldering, it is only giving off smoke, not the light it was supposed to. What will most people do? But it all the way out so that smoke won’t fill the house.

So although Jesus does confront, he is not confrontational. He is focused on the mission. Though he gets people’s attention, he is not attention-seeking, auspicious, or extravagant.

Relevance

There is a megachurch in the Southeast who departed from this mission. They called their worship service an “experience.” This is the new word that’s used everywhere, and sadly churches have adopted it too. When worship is an “experience” it must be distraction free. Everything must be done with excellence. Thousands of dollars are spent on the lighting. The instruments are mixed on the sound board to professional standards. The pastor is a celebrity that everyone likes with a great personality. He tells people exactly what they want to hear. The whole focus is on the stage and what it can provide.

Their plan was to get so loud, and have so much attention, that many would come to Christ through their experience.

One day a special needs child came to one of these worship experiences. He was delighted to be able to be there. He was wheel chair bound and unable to speak identifiable syllables. But he still cried out in delight. He was quickly removed from the service. That was breaking a bruised reed.

I was a apart of a church once where there was a nasty habit that anytime a young family came in lots of people would come up and remind them about the nursery. Some were well intentioned, they wanted the family to know all the things the church provides for children. Others were not so well-intentioned. Once when a baby began to fuss a little, not even full on cry, a confrontational older woman came up to a lady and insisted the nursery is over there, pointing to where she should go. The young mother stood up and walked that direction, but walked completely out of the church and never returned. That was quenching a smoldering wick.

But Jesus’s meek method was nothing like these flawed examples. Whether he was in a confrontation, performing a healing, withdrawing from confrontation, or even refusing to perform a miracle, each time—Jesus is using this meek method.

I have found myself at times believing myself to be the gatekeeper of heaven. I shudder at the thought of potential reeds I have broken or wicks I have quenched. We are not called to cause a scene. We are not called to fight every battle. We are not called to create an experience. We are called to make disciples.

Pragmatism says “whatever works” to accomplish the mission. It’s been said, “You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.” But may it never be said of us that we broke a few reeds to build Christ’s kingdom.

In everything Christ did, he never lost sight of the big picture, the mission as a whole. Not only do we see Christ’s meek method in this passage, we also see his magnificent mission.

Magnificent Mission

Look again at Matthew 12:18 . The last line states his mission: “18 “ and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.”

This term, “justice” is something more debated in our day than ever before. What is justice? Is it equal outcome or equal opportunity? Is it getting what one deserves or restoring what was lost? Is justice applied on an individual basis or corporate basis?

Justice, in the Hebrew of which this term comes from, within the context of Isaiah, means more than just legal proceedings. It means more than just giving a right verdict.

I argue that in the context of Matthew and Isaiah we can call this “kingdom justice.” I title it that because this is Jesus’s main message, “The kingdom of God is at hand” which he can say because he is the king.

The context of Isaiah tells us this this is where God is finally recognized as ruler and obeyed as such. And even more that all things bruised and smoldering are restored (Is. 61).

So here is a formal definition: Kingdom justice is the establishment of God’s righteous reign through the person of Jesus the Messiah, who restores the broken, rebukes hypocrisy, brings hope to the nations, and ultimately judges all in righteousness. It is patient now, but final and total in the end.

Matthew 12:20 “20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;”

The end of v. 20 says he will persist until justice is brought to victory. He will not stop, he will not give up, he will not shrink back in cowardice, he will not snap in anger and begin to break the reeds, he will not get frustrated with the smoke and stomp out the wicks, he will remain faithful until justice is brought to full victory.

Matthew 12:21 “21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.””

This is a justice, a true justice in which all the nations will yearn. A justice found only in the person and work of Christ.

Relevance

I get this example of justice from Thaddeus Williams Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth.

Picture standing in the ancient capital city of the Aztec empire. Rising above the city towers the massive Templo Mayor, a step-pyramid temple at the heart of Aztec religious life.

Thousands of people have gathered for a sacred ritual. The priests ascend the stone steps, faces painted in ceremonial colors, blades in hand. One by one, captives are led to the altar, their chests torn open, and their still-beating hearts offered to the sun god of war. Their bodies are cast down the temple steps, lifeless.

This is not random barbarity—it is considered justice. In the Aztec worldview, the gods demand blood to sustain the universe. To not sacrifice is to let the sun die and doom the world. So, to them, this ritual slaughter is righteous. It's ordered, sacred, just.

Now shift the scene. Just years later, Spanish conquistadors—convinced of their divine mission—storm the city under Hernán Cortés. They are appalled at the ritual killings, yes—but they do not respond with the gospel. They respond with the sword. They slaughter thousands, forcibly baptize Indigenous peoples, and enslave entire communities. All in the name of Christ and crown. They bore not a cross, but a musket.

Who was just? Who was right? Neither. Because both had false gods, and from false gods comes false justice. When worship is disordered, justice always goes wrong. The gods we serve shape the justice we pursue.

In a world full of power-hungry Pharisees and forceful Roman rule, each with their own version of justice, Jesus quietly withdraws to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 42.

Jesus does not conquer by force. He does not shed other people’s blood to establish his rule. He brings kingdom justice, true justice through true worship.

Which justice do we pursue? One motivated by power, ideology, and culture? Or one shape by the servant of the Lord who worships perfectly and reigns gently?

In the big picture, it does not matter if a principle of justice is conservative or liberal, republican or democrat. What matters is does it establish God’s rule or reject it? Does it bring God’s restoration or does it demolish it?

Conclusion: Restoration Possible

I opened by telling you about Jaguar. Their mission drift led to a big rift. I mentioned the Titanic, the captain’s pressures led him to make devestating mistakes. However, Jesus did not waiver. He did not falter. Furthermore, we can say Jesus will not waiver nor will he ever falter. He will bring “justice to victory.”

It is that fortitude which led him to the cross. Injustice reigns because of false worship. False worship came on the scene at the fall. All brokenness and flaws and problems and weakness resulted from our falling into sin. Justice demands that sin should be punished.

Yet in God’s economy, he allows another to be punished in our place. This substitute must be fully human, for only a human can substitute for human lives. This substitute must be flawless, any flaw in him would prevent him from taking the place of another. This substitute must be fully God, for only such a substitute of infinite worth can take the place of a countless multitude.

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This, brothers and sisters, is Jesus. Fully God and fully man. Without any sin himself. His resolve to bring justice to victory led him to never waiver from his mission. He went to the cross willingly. He bore our sins willingly.

Imagine standing on the shores of the celestial city. All things are made right. There is no sin, no sickness, no disease, no fighting, no abuse, no war, no pain, no sorrow. All things are restored. Everyone worships God and Christ is king. This my friends is justice.

Everyone yearns for justice. Is this how you picture it? Do you imagine justice the way the Bible paints it? Do you yearn for a justice that Christ brings to victory or one that secures your own success?

If you do, we must always allow the Scripture to define justice and not our hearts or culture.

If you don’t want this justice, may I ask which will be satisfactory for you? At to what end? And can that flawed justice satisfy? It won’t. So I ask you this day, repent. Turn from your wicked worship, and despicable justice, and instead turn to Christ who brings true justice to victory.