'14 The Pharisees went out and took counsel against him to put him to death. 15 When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many [people] followed him, and he cured them all, 16 but he warned them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “18 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. 19 He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. 21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope (Mt. 12:14-21).
Jesus did not confront the Pharisees but withdrew to another area. He cured all who followed him but warned them not to make him known (v. 16). Matthew saw his avoidance of confrontation as the fulfillment of a passage in Isaiah (42:1-40) about the servant of the Lord (vv. 18-21). The servant in the quote from Isaiah is thought by Christians to be Jesus. God loves and is pleased with the spirit-filled servant (v. 18) who is gentle and cares for all who are outcasts, especially the weak and the infirm, in the same way he was pleased with Jesus when he was Baptized by John (Mt. 3:17). Jesus is meek and humble of heart (Mt. 11:29) as is the servant (vv. 19-20). In Isaiah there were two references to the Gentiles (vv. 18,21) which could allude to Jesus being rejected by Jews and withdrawing to areas outside of the reach of the Jewish leadership where Gentiles placed their hope in him.
Almighty God, we are the weak and infirm servants of your servant who place our hope in him with whom you are well pleased. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we may give praise to the Lord and joyfully accomplish the tasks you have given us. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Expanded Edition, Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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