What does it mean that "a bruised reed He will not break" in Matthew 12:20?

He, as the servant of Jehovah, did not strive. Why should He strive as the One who put His trust in Jehovah? And thus it is written of the servant, His follower, "the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all." (2 Tim. 2:24.) Gentleness as foretold was to be found in Him. How gentle and loving He must have been? Can we ever think too much of His patience and gentleness? The bruised reed He did not break. The weakest thing He took tenderly in His hands. The smoking flax was not quenched by Him. In the Epistle of our practical walk in Christ we are exhorted, "let your gentleness be known of all men." (Phil. 4:5). He in us will reproduce the very same characteristic in our lives here on the earth.

Ans.—The connection in Matthew would seem to show that it primarily refers to the remnant; and the same may be said of the portion in Isaiah (42:3) from which the quotation is taken. Israel as a nation has turned from God, but a remnant, in weakness and brokenness, is waiting upon Him. The nation should have been God's faithful servant, but was not; then His own Servant, Christ, came perfectly fulfilling His will. But He does not despise the lowly; so in Matthew we see Him healing the helpless, while the leaders of the nation look on with contempt. He, blessed be His name, does not despise the afflicted, nor quench the feeblest flame of faith, yea, though it be but a smoke. Of course there is a sweet and precious application to the individual also.

But verse 20 is often misunderstood. A bruised reed is very weak, and smoking flax easily quenched. "Until" — He is going to do it in judgment by and by. What people mean in the way they quote it is all right, He is tender and gentle to any poor thing; but He is going to deal with man in judgment. The reed and the flax are fit for judgment. The flax was "smoking," but He would not interfere then. Man, a poor bruised thing, was ignorant of it, and yet was not afraid to stand up against the Lord. So His grace is brought out here, but it will not be always grace; He will not always be so gentle. Smoking flax speaks of something fit for judgment; we usually put it out, He left it alone.

Yet, in the hour of His rejection by Israel, He would not come upon them in judgment. Israel was a bruised reed, but He would not break it; His earthly people, who ought to have been a flaming torch in testimony for God, had become a smoking flax which gave no light to the nations around, but rather beclouded them, yet He would not quench Israel. The time of judgment would come, but there would always be a remnant until the nation stood erect as a witness for God, a bright light for Him in the world to come. Then God would send forth "judgment unto victory" through Messiah. In that day, "in His Name shall the Gentiles trust," but as the Apostle Paul shows in Romans 15:12 there is now a fulfilment of this Scripture in the Gentiles who have believed the Gospel of their salvation.

In the presence of this, Jesus began to withdraw the witness that they were preparing to quench in death; charging those to whom He still extended mercy that they should not make Him known. Matthew quotes the beautiful prophecy from Isaiah 42, showing how it was fulfilled in Him. Some of it has yet to be fulfilled at His second advent, for He has not yet sent forth judgment to victory. But He did meet the bitter hatred and rejection that confronted Him at His first advent without strife or cry or the crushing of His foes. Nothing is more worthless than a bruised reed, and nothing more repulsive to the nostrils than smoking flax. The Pharisees were like both these, but He will not break and quench them till the time of judgment arrives. Meanwhile in His Name the Gentiles are learning to trust.

The prophecy is quoted in Matthew 12:14-21, as showing the lowliness and forbearance of His coming in grace. The Pharisees were indeed as unreliable and worthless as a bruised reed, and as objectionable as smoking flax, yet He neither broke nor quenched them. He was not an agitator, inflaming the multitude. The powers that were against Him were calculated to make any servant of God be discouraged and fail, yet He carried on His service to the end. He brought forth judgment according to truth by His sacrificial death and resurrection, though we must wait for the second coming to see the public establishment of judgment in the earth, so that the most distant isle shall wait for His law.

He is introduced to us in Isaiah 42, and we are at once told that though He will not come like political agitators amongst men, and will not break bruised reeds nor quench smoking flax; that is, not deal in judgment with such false and offensive people as the Pharisees were (see, Matt. 12:14-21); yet He will ultimately bring forth judgment to truth, and that will be victory. It may look as if He fails, when He thus comes the first time in grace, but He will not fail, nor will He be discouraged. Moses failed, and Elijah was discouraged because he appeared to fail, but this Servant will accomplish His appointed task to perfection.

Verse 20 however shows His tender consideration for the weak in contrast to the ruthless cruelty of those striving for power. The bruised reed, the very symbol of weakness reduced by oppression, He would not break. On the other hand He would not quench the pollution of the smoking flax. Does this not speak of the smoldering opposition of Israel that was tending to destroy the material from which fine linen is made, that is, practical righteousness? (Cf.Rev.19:8) This in fact will not be changed until the day of His power, when He sends forth judgment unto victory. Only then will the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness (Isa.26:9). Some religious leaders are trying to quench the smoking flax today, but are only adding to the pollution: the smoke intensifies and righteousness still suffers.

(2) We now, for the first time, hear of a council held to put Jesus to death. Aware of it, He withdraws Himself, but cannot withdraw from the need which continually appeals to Him. Still the stream of mercy flows; but He charges them strictly not to make Him known: He accepts rejection, will not gather the multitudes after Him by the fame of His abundant miracles, nor raise up any against His enemies. There was plenty of material to work upon; plenty of readiness, as we know, to follow a leader of such a kind as had arisen and still would rise; but He was upon a different path and with a different purpose from any of theirs. The Spirit of God quotes from Esaias to show this. The Son-Servant (ho pais) of God, His Chosen; His Beloved, in whom His soul delights, ― terms by which He is characterized in answer to the enmity and reproach which manifest themselves upon man's part, ― characterized, too, by the Spirit that abides upon Him, in the fulness of that Spirit He is going to show judgment to the nations. Judgment is here the absolute right of things. Quietness, patience and gentleness characterize Him: "He shall not strive, nor cry, nor cause His voice to be heard in the streets. A bruised reed" ― the perfect symbol of weakness surely ― "will He not break, and smoking flax will He not quench, until He send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name shall the nations trust."

In looking back to the prophet [Isaiah 42:1-4 we see the force of a passage much perverted from its true bearing — the deliverance under Cyrus only pointed on to a full final one. Meanwhile the state of the people under Jehovah's judgment was like a bruised reed and smoking (dimly burning) wick. (See vers. 22, 24, 25.) But the intervention of the true Servant secures the full deliverance. (Ver. 7.) He had a long time holden His peace, but now He would deliver, and confound those who trusted in idols, by the deliverance. Would the breaking of the "bruised reed" and the quenching of the dimly burning wick be indicated by verse 25 — the heaviest stroke of His judgment just before the blind eyes are opened, or merely be descriptive of the state of the people just kept alive and nothing more for the full deliverance? The result of judgment on the Gentiles is a new song to the Lord and His praise from the end of the earth. (Ver. 10.) The isles waiting for His law of verse 4 is given as "In his name shall the Gentiles trust" in Matthew — the prophet referring more definitely to the millennial blessing of the nations — the Spirit using it for the principle upon which they will be blessed, and are now before that day. Simeon quotes verse 6, the introduction of Christ was the dawn of the revelation of the Gentiles. But we must not lose sight of the object of the quotation — the lowly place Christ took as come in grace in humiliation before the day for His voice to be lifted up in judgment: and in that place what He was to the heart of God and the counsels of glory, and blessing connected with Him whom the leaders of the nation took counsel how to destroy — so wilfully blind as they were according to what follows in the prophet.]