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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, May 22, 2017
Today's Passage : Subject:God’s Chosen Servant Bible Verse:Matthew 12:14-21 (ESV) "But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. He warned them not to tell others about him. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “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. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.” " Message:
The quote is Isaiah 42 1:4. Matthew quotes it in perfect context, for this was one of Isaiah's great prophecies of the Messiah. Christ does not act as instructed by the prophesy, for Matthew added this long after the Ascension; rather, it is more accurate to say that Isaiah correctly predicted Christ's behavior.
We have watched, over the past week, as the authorities built a case against Jesus. Every miracle has been met with some sort of criticism or accusation; he is in league with the devil, or violates the law of Moses, or commits blasphemy. Now, they have built their case sufficiently, at least in their own minds, to begin plotting his death.
Annas and Caiphas
The authorities here are generally described as Pharisees, but this is because Jesus is teaching in the north, in and around Galilee. The Pharisees were the progenitorsProgenitor: something (or someone) that comes before something else and that often leads to or influences its development. of modern Judaism and tended to be “rabbis”; they were the teachers of the common people, more democratic than the Sadducees, and tended to be found in synagogues away from Jerusalem. The Sadducees were very much aristocratic and were political leaders; they tended to congregate in Jerusalem. The lines were not hard and fast, however; some priests at the temple were Pharisees, and many did not belong to any sect.
The point being, Jesus was equally unpopular with Pharisees, Sadducees, other sects, and non-sectarian priests and scribes: They all were offended by him and, ultimately, wanted him dead. The Sanhedrin (the religious high court in Jerusalem), which would eventually bring about his death, was dominated by Sadducees, particularly the high priest, Caiphas, and the powerful Annas, his father-in-law.
But to the point of the passage, Christ acts as Isaiah had prophesied. God had a plan for his Son, which would occur gradually over three years. For Jesus to have worked miracles, claiming loudly to be the Messiah, would no doubt have caused a huge mob-dominated frenzy with political overtones. So, he repeatedly asks those he heals not to speak of it. He did not want “PR”. He wanted time to teach, so that there would be a body of people who had absorbed his message when he departed.
So, he does not “quarrel or cry out.” He disputed the claims of the Jews, often and with authority, but he did not get into loud verbal fights that would polarize audiences into emotional action. Nor did he take physical action. A bruised reed will snap at the slightest touch; thus, saying that he would not break a bruised reed is equivalent to our saying “he wouldn't hurt a fly”.
Similarly, a “smoldering wick” is a nearly extinguished flame. The most common interpretation of this metaphor is to a person who has almost no hope, no light, no learning; someone who is on the edge of simply giving up. Christ will not give up on anybody, as long as there is the smallest spark of faith in them.
Meditation : Prayer : Oh God, hold me in the palm of your hand. I pray that you will mold me into what you want me to be. May I joyfully fill the role you have given to me and feel your peace deep in my soul, today and always,. Amen. |
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