Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Matthew 12:15-21 

God’s Chosen Servant 

15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16 He warned them not to tell others about him. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 

18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, 
    the one I love, in whom I delight; 
I will put my Spirit on him, 
    and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 
19 He will not quarrel or cry out; 
    no one will hear his voice in the streets. 
20 A bruised reed he will not break, 
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, 
till he has brought justice through to victory. 
21     In his name the nations will put their hope.” 

One of the weighty realities of being a pastor is that you learn about the pain and difficulty that so many people are dealing with in their lives. So, as you come to a large group on Sunday morning, it is common that I’ll look out and see people I know are hurting who are making a go of acting ‘normal’ around all of these other people who seem to have everything together.  

Now, it needs to be said that while there are acutely painful situations throughout our congregation, the reality is that everyone is carrying some kind of hurt.  

Against this backdrop of human struggle, this passage is enormously important for us to keep in our hearts as we consider who Jesus is to us. The people who anticipated the Messiah and the first people who considered it might be Jesus had an image in their minds of what that Messiah figure would be like: a military leader, strong, and powerful enough to overthrow the Romans.

That vision didn’t leave a lot of room for the poor, the widow, and the hungry. In verse 20 we hear, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.” He’s not talking about actual reeds and wicks. He’s talking about people. Reeds were a common material used in various artistic, musical, and home applications. A bruised reed was useless and would be discarded. A smoldering wick is a wick that is nearly burned out and doesn’t have long to burn.  

These are the kinds of people Jesus came to love.  

People like me. People like you. People filling the pews of Peace Lutheran Church every single week.  

So, if you feel like you have to have everything together in order to be part of what Jesus is up to, then let this be good news to you today. Jesus isn’t just King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is also, as Isaiah reminds us, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) 

How might this vision of Jesus make Him more accessible in your difficult seasons? What are we missing about Him when we only focus on power and glory? 

– Pr. Jason 

Jesus, today I feel bruised and burned out. Thank you for not discarding me but dying for me so that I might have life. Help me to see the value in me that you see in me. Amen.