What kind of Jesus? What kind of justice?
by Jeremy Lie
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A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory (Matthew 12:20).
Read Matthew 12:15–21
As we begin the first of our readings in Matthew 12 for this week, we are met with an image of what kind of Messiah Jesus would be.
The Jewish people had their idea of the type of Messiah God was going to send. They were craving a militant Messiah who was going to overthrow Roman rule and restore Israel to its status as the ‘light to the nations’ that God intended it to be. And so, a question running through the minds of his disciples, at some point must have been: What kind of Messiah is Jesus going to be?
The Jesus we see in Matthew 12 is servant-hearted, putting the good of others above his own agenda. At this point, I think it’s important to pause and reflect on our own expectations of Jesus.
There is a psychological test called the Rorschach Test that invites people to interpret a series of inkblots and makes algorithmic conclusions about their personality based on their responses. Now, why on earth am I bringing this up? Well, what patients do in the Rorschach test, we Christians almost always do with our perception of Jesus.
Within our perception of Jesus lives little projections of our own personality and preferences as to what kind of saviour we believe/want Jesus to be. Left unchecked over time, these projections can completely engulf our understanding of Jesus and distort the true image of Christ that we see here in Matthew.
To Jesus, justice looks like being gentle, meek and caring for the bruised reeds and smouldering wicks of the world. It means having compassion for those who have been trampled on by the political and ideological systems they find themselves part of. It means standing up and standing for those whose sense of hope is holding on like the final flicker of a candle flame on the brink of being extinguished.
What kind of Jesus are you following? One who rules with an iron fist through doctrine and dogma? Or one who sees and seeks out the sick, the hurting and the vulnerable in our communities? One who isn’t afraid to reach out to the leper, confident that the healing we experience in God is more powerful than any earthly ailment? As we, too, are chosen and invited to be God’s servants proclaiming justice to the nations, what kind of justice are we proclaiming? And what kind of Jesus are we projecting?
We pray, Lord Jesus, teach us to walk humbly, act justly and love mercy. Strengthen and encourage us when met with injustice to be as you would be and do as you would do. To have compassion, to listen deeply, to love completely. And, Lord, should we ever be the ones who are the bruised reeds or the smouldering wicks, may we know and trust your promise to be with us and comfort us in our struggles. Amen.
Jeremy worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. He volunteers to coordinate Our Saviour Youth and works alongside the worship team to organise their monthly ALTER worship service. He also enjoys playing in the band and making coffee after services.
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