A Different Kind of Glory
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· 23 viewsJesus may seem unimpressive to many people, but for those who see him through the eyes of faith, they will see him as he truly is; chosen, precious, and the hope of the world.
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If you have your Bibles, please open them to Matt 12:15.
We are continuing our series through Matthew 11-13 called ‘A Rock of Offense”
In these chapters, we see that there are two ways to view Jesus. We will either view Jesus as as chosen and precious, or we will find Jesus to be offensive and unattractive. Peter says it this way.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
but in v 8
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
This is the theme of these chapters in Matthew. God’s servant who was sent to save sinners is often despised man.
This offense came to a head last week when we read about Jesus healing Sabbath, and in response to this the Pharisees began began planning to kill Jesus.
This week’s text picks up on this… the Pharisees were plotting to destroy Jesus, and in two verses we will hear Jesus response to their plans, and an explanation of why he responds the way he does.
With this in mind, let’s stand for the reading of God’s Word.
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:
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.”
Let’s pray.
We love famous and powerful people -
We love to follow influencers and celebrities
We love to follow powerful athletes or charismatic leaders
We love to follow those who are head and shoulders above the rest…
The idea of celebrity and being influential based on external appearances is not new in our modern day
Even Israels first king was described as such,
2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
For ages, people have loved following those who are head and shoulders above the rest!
We have always loved following those who are better looking, we love to follow those who are stronger, we love to follow those who are smarter… People who are weak love to follow those who are strong.
This is true even in the middle school cafeteria…
Those who you all regard as popular are those who have talent, strength, or beauty.
Those who we deem to be great, get the glory
But it tonights text, we find in Jesus a different kind of glory
In tonight’s text, Jesus doesn’t show himself to have great strength - although he is all powerful
Nor did Jesus have an attractive appearance - although he is all together lovely
And Jesus didn’t even show himself to be popular - in fact Jesus was flat out offensive to most religious authorities, for the Pharisees sought to destroy Jesus…
With this kind of opposition coming against Jesus, one might expect a show down… some kind of display of Jesus’ superior authority over that of the Pharisees. But Jesus’ response is quite different than we might have expected.
In response to the pharisees plot to kill Jesus Matthew tells us this;
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.
Jesus knew that the Pharisees wanted him dead… and at this point in Matthew’s gospel, we know that Jesus could have simply said a word, and he could have destroyed the Jews… for with a word, he calmed the wind and the sea, with just a word he cast out an army of demons. Jesus has demonstrated his power and authority over all creation…
But in this scene, Jesus does not destroy his enemies. Instead, Jesus withdrew from them.
Jesus’ response was far from the way you or I might have responded to such opposition.
But even though he withdrew, he did not remain alone. Matthew tells us that many followed Jesus. And Jesus went on to use his power, not destroy his enemies, but to heal those who followed him.
This is shocking to be sure… who uses their power, not to still their enemies, but instead to care for those who are weak? But the most shocking part of these few verses, isn’t that Jesus withdrew from those who sought to kill him.... nor is the shocking part of this that Jesus healed those who followed him. But what is most surprising is what the word of instruction Jesus gave. After healing the many people who followed him, Jesus ordered them not to make him known.
Jesus, who is worthy of all praise, all honor, and who has all authority gives one a strange command to these people, especially when we compare this command to that of the great commission that is given at the end of Matthew.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
So if we are to make Jesus known among the nations, why does he tell those who he has healed in chapter 12 to not make him known?
Matthew tells us, by quoting an OT Prophet
17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
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.”
Matthew pauses the drama that is unfolding before us in his gospel as the Jews begin to plot to kill Jesus, and he pauses the story to show us that Jesus is the one who the prophets spoke of.
There are five things I want us to recognize from this prophecy. Matthew stops the story to show us this connection to Isaiah, and it’s important for us to pause as well to recognize what he is showing us.
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.
Behold - means to look at, or to pay attention
1. If you don’t pay attention, then you will miss the Messiah.
1. If you don’t pay attention, then you will miss the Messiah.
We must look at Jesus if we wish to rightly identify who he is…
The crowds in Jesus day were constantly misunderstanding who Jesus was
Be it a prophet
a teacher
A political ruler
A strong warrior
A miracle worker
Or just a trouble maker
Even the pharisees, who knew the OT missed who Jesus was
if they would have been paying attention to the works of Jesus, and to the Word of God spoken by the prophets - then they should have recognized who Jesus is…
But this isn’t just a problem for those in Jesus’ day…
Even to this day, there is a ton of confusion surrounding who Jesus is, and what he came to do.
People say that he was a moral teacher
Others want believe that we was another wonder worker that amazed crowds
While many think Jesus a mere man
All the while they never come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Son of God.
If we wish to recognize Jesus we are going to need to pay attention…
We need to examine the Word of God carefully and pray that God would give us vision so that we might behold the beauty of Jesus Christ and his glory.
more about this in just a bit
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.
My beloved servant… who has the Spirit of God… who proclaims justice to the Gentiles
This language is likely familiar to most of us… not from this text, nor from Isaiah who Matthew is quoting.... but where does the Father speak of Jesus as his beloved Son?
Baptism - and at the transfiguration
2. Jesus is the servant who God loves.
2. Jesus is the servant who God loves.
Why is this important? - because those who oppose Jesus oppose the one whom God is pleased… and more than this, those who oppose Jesus oppose God himself.
This is what sin is - sin is opposing what God says is good - and the ultimate sin is to oppose the Son whom God is pleased with
This is why Jesus said,
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
If we do not love Jesus then we do not belong to God
Many believe that there are many ways to go to heaven - through many religions, and multiple gods… but this simply is not true.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If we reject Jesus, whom the Father loves, then we reject God all together.
So, again, pay attention and be watchful of Jesus!Behold him, know him, and love him, for he is chosen and beloved by the Father.
But our need to be watchful becomes all the more apparent.
19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
Understand why these lines are important. The Jews were looking for a Messiah who was head and shoulders above the rest. They were looking for someone impressive who would be strong, and able to overthrow their enemies.
But when Jesus came onto the scene, he didn’t overthrow the enemies of Israel. Jesus didn’t even overthrow his own enemies who sought to destroy him.
Instead of fighting against his enemies, Jesus withdrew from the public and went into isolation.
3. God’s servant comes in obscurity.
3. God’s servant comes in obscurity.
This simply means - Jesus was never popular…
he wasn’t when he walked among men - although many did follow him at certain points of his ministry…
but the crowds would leave him when his teachings were too radical
and even his closest disciples and friends would abandon him when he went to the cross
Jesus was not popular when he walked the earth, and he isn’t popular today either.
There are all kinds of other things that are popular to the masses
Money
Success
Fame
Power
Luxury
Comfort
you name it… but the way of the cross has never been popular.. and neither has the one who died on the cross.
Those who are famous know how to assert themselves into positions of power… but this is not the way of Jesus… he is quiet, and those who do not listen for him will not hear him.
There are millions of voices that are begging for your attention. But there is just one voice that is worth listening to. And the one voice that is worth listening to is not loud, brash, or flashy. Instead, it is quiet. So we all must learn to listen for him… you will even need to get alone to be with the Lord so that you can hear him without the interruptions of all the other voices that are screaming for your attention.
So be watchful and listen carefully for Jesus’ voice
But Jesus voice is not the only thing that is gentle
20 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
Jesus has a gentle voice, but not just that, he is also gentle with those who are broken…
Isaiah painted this picture of Jesus’ gentleness by describing a bruised reed and a smoldering wick…
Understand, a reed is a common plant that had many different purposes. But a bruised reed is useless and may as well be broken and thrown away.
So too, people are common, and those who are strong, smart, or attractive might be useful. but a broken and poor person is often cast aside… But Jesus does not cast aside those who are poor and broken. When Jesus sees bruised reed, he does not break it and throw it away. Instead, Jesus is gentle and brings healing to the brokenness.
Similarly, If you’ve seen a candle that is about to burn out due to having run out of wax, you’ll understand what a shouldering wick is… you may as well put out the candle and throw it away… But Jesus treats the downtrodden differently… he calls them near to himself. He heals the sick and strengthens the weak.
4. God’s servant ministers to the broken.
4. God’s servant ministers to the broken.
Here’s the deal… we are all bruised reeds… we are all smoldering wicks…
we might try to put ourselves together. We may like to appear as smart, strong, or beautiful so that we are not cast aside by others… but if we are real with one another, we all have deep rooted brokenness.
Now, in the world, to be broken, well that’s a terrible thing. To be a bruised reed means that you have no value and no purpose. So we hide our bruises in an attempt to impress others.
We hide our sin
We hide our shame
we hide our weakness
all so that others might be impressed by us
But here’s the thing. We don’t need to hide our brokenness from Jesus. We can come to him, broken and bruised, and he will not reject us.
But Jesus doesn’t discard those who are broken. Instead he takes us, he heals us, and he makes us whole.
And the way he does this, is by taking our brokenness into himself and giving us his perfect righteousness.
All of the sudden, the Jesus who may not have been impressive to the masses due to his lowly stature, is far more beautiful. For he accepts us even when we are broken by sin. So come to him, humble and repentant. He surely will not reject you.
In v 18, Matthew said,
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.
21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
The Jews expected the Messiah to bring justice against the Gentiles… but Jesus did more than this… he brought justice to the Gentiles… meaning, Jesus was not going to save the world, by killing destroying all those who were not a part of the people of God… Rather, Jesus would save the world, by calling all people into his family.
5. God’s servant will bring justice to all the nations.
5. God’s servant will bring justice to all the nations.
Jesus, didn’t come to destroy political enemies…
He didn’t even come to break the those who are bruised.
He came to make things right, not by destroying the nations, but by redeeming all the people who come to him in faith.
The conflict that Jesus came to redeem was chiefly between man and God.
Rather, Jesus came to bring justice between man and God. And he did so through the cross.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Jesus is God’s chosen and precious son that he sent to save the world. May we see him as he truly is. May we obey him as we ought to obey. And may be adore him as our greatest treasure.
Let’s pray.