The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus
to put him to death.
When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.
Jesus responded to threats of persecution with meekness and humility. By contrast, if we were about a good work and encountered such hostility most of us would be tempted to "contend or cry out". People would hear our voices in the streets as we attempted to control the spin and ensure good PR. Our pride would have difficulty bearing the knowledge that we were being maligned and opposed, particularly by the very people we desired to help. Jesus did not respond this way, but rather "warned them not to make him known". He didn't respond to negative publicity by seeking fame that would cast him in a good light. In fact his humility allowed him to eschew the desire for fame entirely. He was an example to all who would follow in his footsteps. He did not reject the mission, nor those who followed him, and even cured them all. But it was never done with a view to making himself look good in the eyes of others. He preferred to be known directly or not at all, rather than by the unreliable reputation he had with crowds. This was the example of meekness and humility which Jesus desired his disciples to learn, yoked to him, by which they could find rest for their souls.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
Jesus had the ability to effortlessly break off reeds entirely that were bruised by sin. Those wicks that did not give a strong flame he might easily have quenched, for such wicks were reputed to have a putrid smell and were in any event not useful for illumination. He could, for instance, have crushed the Pharisees who opposed him, calling from heaven legions of angels to strike them down (see Matthew 26:53). The Gentiles who had let the light of natural law all but die within them might have been extinguished just as quickly. Neither was in good shape and there was not much natural hope that things would change. But by humility and meekness, by setting aside the way in which both Jew and Gentile had failed in their obligations to him, he kept the door open for them to receive mercy. He prolonged the time in which they might choose freely to respond to him, gave them time to encounter not only the opinions of others about him, but the victory of justice that he definitively revealed in his death and resurrection.
until he brings justice to victory.
It is however the case that the bruised reeds and smoldering wicks do not have an indefinite period of time to respond. Jesus really does desire to bind up the brokenhearted (see Isaiah 61:6) and to cast a fire on the earth (see Luke 12:49), to fan into flames (see Second Timothy 1:6) that which is only smoldering. But for those who choose not to receive him nothing remains but judgment. He will allow the reeds who prefer to remain bruised to go on with their natural course and finally break completely. He will allow the wicks that prefer to sputter on without seeking the supernatural fuel of the Spirit to finally go out entirely.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
God does not delight in the death of the sinner (see Ezekiel 33:11). We who have learned to hope in his name must also learn from his example of meekness and mercy so that we can bring his message and his healing power to those around us. Our own pride is the main factor that limits our ability to do so. Jesus demonstrated a mode of non-violent communication that we can imitate, a way to proclaim him without getting mired in endless controversy. It is the opposite of what the Internet incentivizes. Social media tempts us to lose ourselves in the thread of a single comment. Jesus teaches us rather to withdraw from such a place and make space for those who were not hostile to him to draw near and be cured. It is urgent that we do what we can because the day will come when the time for mercy has closed and our decision for whether or not to turn to the Lord will be final. Let us seek mercy while it is still the time for mercy, for us, and for the entire world.
On that day a satire shall be sung over you,
and there shall be a plaintive chant:
“Our ruin is complete,
our fields are portioned out among our captors,
The fields of my people are measured out,
and no one can get them back!”
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