Matthew 12:15-21 (English Standard Version) 15Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 18 "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; 20a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; 21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope."
Justice is the way life is ordered when God’s will prevails, where the strong use their power wisely, and the weak are protected. In a word, justice means fair. Though we often disagree on what is fair, everyone seems to be born with a sense of fairness and of the importance of fairness. Jesus came to bring fair treatment to all people. We are called to bring justice, and that work is qualified by one very important word: servant. If we are going to bring justice to governments, corporations, schools and homes, we are called to do it as servants of God.
Wilber Wilberforce was a Christian and a member of Parliament in the 18th century. He argued for laws that would outlaw slavery. He did so because of his Christian convictions, but when he argued before Parliament he did not say “because it is Christian,” but “because it is right for England.” When we work for justice in society we often do so as secret servants of Christ. Behold my servant. He does not cry out and call attention to himself. He does not roll over people and break a bruised reed. These are boundaries that tell us what a servant does not do. A servant will not quarrel and cry aloud. A servant will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick. A servant doesn’t roll over others with power, either by violence or by vote. In fact, the way of the servant often appears powerless and ineffective.
What then does a servant do to bring justice? A servant of Christ believes that God’s will is meant to be sovereign over all of life including government, courts, corporations, schools, and homes. A servant serves God and not simply the will of the majority. A servant will often have to choose ways of serving that seem ineffective and trust the sovereignty of God for results. I was a teenager in Montgomery during the bus boycott. I was sympathetic with the African-Americans and often when I rode the bus I rode in the back with them. I also thought that the boycott was futile, that the powers in Montgomery could not care less that a few people did not ride the bus. I was wrong. And I was stunned when the powerless boycott succeeded.
A servant will have confidence that God does lead justice to victory. A servant may not have the satisfaction of feeling they have struck the decisive blow against evil, but the Servant will have the deep, deep pleasure of God’s delight and a sense of having done what is right in God’s eyes.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope July 12, 1998
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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