A Bruised Reed; A Smoldering Wick

Good morning. It is Wednesday, April 8, 2015. Hump Day!

Today’s Word of the Day is pillaloo. Now, that’s a right British sounding word, if you ask me! What it means is, “Expressing distress, sorrow, or grief: ‘oh!’, ‘alas!’, ‘woe!’, etc.” Or, as a noun, it means, “An utterance of ‘pillaloo’; a cry of distress, a howl. Hence: an outcry, a noisy disturbance or altercation; uproar.” So I guess this could be considered a “pillaloo?”

Today is Zoo Lovers Day. Now, I do love the zoo, however, I feel that this is another one of those “holidays” that should be set aside for a Saturday or Sunday. If I wanted to go to the zoo today, I would have to take a day of PTO.

Today is my mother’s birthday! Happy birthday to Bonnie Bickley!! She was born on this date in 19-mumblemumble. I’m certainly not going to tell you how old she is! I will call her later. I’m not going to call them at 6:00 AM. 😀

Hey, the Texas Rangers won last night!! They defeated the Athletics 3-1, with Primps Fielder going 2-3, with 2 RBIs. Well done! Colby Lewis got the win, and Neftali Feliz got his first save of 2015. The Red Sox are back in action tonight, continuing their series with Philly at 6:05 CDT. The Rangers are still in Oakland for two more games, so tonight’s game will, once again, start at 9:05 PM CDT. Ugh.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!
Psalm 29:9-11

(From Knowing Jesus)

Today’s reading is “Jesus, Gentle Servant.”

But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
“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. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”
Matthew 12:14-23

The passage from Isaiah that Matthew chose to quote to describe Jesus was originally about Cyrus, the Persian ruler. Cyrus was God’s servant, and, “as ancient conquerors go, he was not cruel and vindictive.”

We can also learn much from the context of this quote from Isaiah. If there ever was a time when Jesus would have been justified in losing his temper, it most certainly would have been those times when the Pharisees were attacking him, and, in this case, seeking to kill him. But Jesus “simply withdrew from the conflict and kept on healing the sick, while admonishing them not to talk about what he had done.” His response is a perfect fit for the prophetic passage used to describe him. “He was God’s gentle Servant, refusing to retaliate and crush his enemies.”

It is important to note that, in our belief system, our theology, Jesus IS God! He is fully divine, yet fully man, a truth that is pretty much impossible to comprehend. Yet, when he left heaven to accomplish our salvation, “he humbly assumed the role and character of a servant.” When he was baptized, and again, at the transfiguration, the voice of the Father affirmed him as “my beloved Son.” He was fully empowered by the Holy Spirit for his life and ministry. “In the end, he offered himself on the cross by the Holy Spirit and he was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit.”

The Isaiah quote also speaks of the fact that Jesus did not “strive and shout in the streets like a demagogue.” The word for “cry aloud,” or “cry out,” could equally refer to “barking dogs, cawing crows, obstreperous drunks, and rowdy theater audiences.” (“Obstreperous” means “noisy and difficult to control.”) Jesus shunned such antics; he “refused to scream and shout and demand his own way.”

The last two metaphors used by the prophet were the “bruised reed,” and the “smoldering wick.” “The reed might barely stand and the wick may be giving its last flickers of light, but Jesus did not stomp on the reed or pinch the wick.” These are people who need the encouragement of Christ; his “joy, peace, satisfaction, and purpose in life.” How often to we quench the hope of someone like this?

Jesus never treated the weak with contempt. How often do we do that? Jesus helps to restore them. The gentleness of Christ replaces despair with hope.

Isaiah looks distantly into the future and sees a time when Jesus will bring “justice to victory.” He will bring “justice, peace, and hope to the nations.”

The way in which Jesus conducted himself is our path to take as his disciples. “The Creator, Sustainer, and Savior of the world took the gentle road, not the ruthless road, to establish his kingdom. He wins our hearts because he is gentle. His followers must emulate him, gently touching the bruised reeds and flickering wicks of this world.”

Father, I am convicted by today’s reading. Help me to ponder this truth about Christ throughout this day, especially when difficult circumstances confront me. I failed in this respect last night in our Huddle group, but I pray that I have learned something valuable from it. Help me to emulate the nature of Christ today and every day.

I pray for this day. I pray that you would bless my mother on this, her birthday, and give her a sense of inner peace and tranquility today. She is your daughter, I know this well. Take care of her and bring blessing to her today and every day. I pray for our travel to work and home, today, that it will be safe and smooth. Thank you for your protection each day. I pray that Christi’s work day will be productive and free from anxiety. Help both of us to stay focused today. I pray for Stephanie, that she will have a blessed day, and that she will feel your grace and love today. Teach us all your ways, that we might walk in your truth. I pray, also, for Rachel and Justin, that you would bring blessing to them, provision, and protection, giving them whatever they need most for this day. Give us this day our daily bread.

May your will be done, on earth, as in heaven.

How do we respond when people attack us, or even simply disagree with us? How do we treat those who are weak and/or needy? Do we trample on the bruised reeds and blow out the smoldering wicks? May we all emulate the gentleness of Jesus.

Grace and peace, friends.