Matthew quotes Isaiah
Matthew 12:15b-21
Many people followed him; and he healed them all 16 but warned them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Yesha‘yahu (Isaiah) the prophet,
18 “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will announce justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not fight or shout, no one will hear his voice in the streets; 20 he will not snap off a broken reed or snuff out a smoldering wick until he has brought justice through to victory. 21 In him the Gentiles will put their hope.”
The bolded words above are quotes Matthew used from the book of Isaiah. This is not Jesus speaking. Matthew has now recognized that Jesus was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 42:1-4
“Here is my servant, whom I support,
my chosen one, in whom I take pleasure.
I have put my Spirit on him;
he will bring justice to the Goyim (Gentiles).
2 He will not cry or shout;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
3 He will not snap off a broken reed
or snuff out a smoldering wick.
He will bring forth justice according to truth;
4 he will not weaken or be crushed
until he has established justice on the earth,
and the coastlands wait for his Torah.”
Isaiah ended this portion with, "and the coastlands wait for his Torah." Matthew says, "In him the Gentiles will put their hope."
Coastlands were cities with Gentiles. The Jews lived primarily in Israel. Over time they began to disperse among the nations. Cyprus, where I currently live, is a coastland. It is known that Jews moved here, in fact, they say that Lazarus is buried on this island (there is a church in Larnaca with his sarcophagus). We know that Jews made it to Greece. The communities of faith in Thessaloniki, Corinth, Berea, Phillippi... Paul wrote to them and traveled to them. Even though Jews were living there, coastlands were primarily filled with Gentiles.
Matthew recognized that this was going to happen and when he wrote his Gospel, he included these words from Isaiah. By including this portion of Scripture, he wanted those around him to know that Jesus was filled with the Spirit. He wanted the people to understand that Jesus was the servant written about so many years before. He was prepared for the Good News to go to the coastlands!
As a Gentile living thousands of years later, I need to stop and recognize that I have been grafted in. That I have become part of a message that was, "first to the Jew, than the Gentile." I am THANKFUL and GRATEFUL that God allowed me to be a part of this family. I need to begin to put the pieces back together and understand who wrote the Words, and why the Words were written. As part of the "coastlands" I am THANKFUL for His Torah and want to share it with those around me.
Jesus can make Himself known through me, if I just live as He wants me to live. I speak when He wants me to speak. I go when He wants me to go. I pray that through this, He will heal people. I pray that He will be exalted.
Love and blessings,
Rose
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