Friday 22 May 2026

Psalm 51

Background
From the opening chapter of his gospel, Matthew portrays Jesus fulfilling the prophecy of the coming Messiah. This passage includes a long quote from the Jewish scriptures.

Isaiah 42:1-4 is recognised as the first of what is referred to as the ‘servant songs’ found in this section of the book of Isaiah. Although not really 'songs', they speak of God’s servant and from the earliest Christian teaching they have been recognised as referring to Jesus.

The words at the beginning of this quote are reminders of Jesus' baptism in Matthew's Gospel (3:16-17). Both the words ‘spirit’ and ‘beloved’ appear in both passages, strengthening the the idea of Jesus' baptism fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy.

Key too, is the servant not only proclaims justice (v. 18) but brings justice (v. 20). Both seeking and bringing justice are key themes for the Methodist Church at present.

But more importantly is how the servant, now identified as Jesus, will bring that justice. This will not be with might but with gentleness. It is shown in three ways.

Verse 19 speaks of the way in which the servant works. He works not with brash arguments or loud dramatic gestures. The servant uses quiet ways rather than violence.

Verse 20 takes it a step further with tenderness. The ‘bruised reed’ is an image of those who are suffering and are almost broken. The servant seeks to help them to mend. He is here to help those who are bent over and almost too broken to stand up. In other words, he is here to find justice.

In the same verse there is the image of ‘smouldering wick’, which is another image of brokenness. It's a light that has almost been extinguished. This speaks of not being left alone in darkness: the servant will bring the hurting into the light.

After showing justice and the gentle way the servant will bring it about, the passage goes on to show that justice is for the Gentiles (non-Jews, who are mentioned twice in verses 18 and 21) as well as the Jews. Interestingly in a gospel with Jewish readers in mind, the quotation indicates he is the servant of all peoples. Later on in Matthew 28:16-20 Jesus commands the disciples to take his message to the whole world.

To Ponder:

• Is the quote from Isaiah helpful for readers today?
• How can we both proclaim and bring justice in our society?

Prayer
Gracious God, we give thanks for your beloved servant Jesus who brought justice and freedom to all people. Amen.

Bible notes author: The Revd Paul Davis
Paul is a supernumerary presbyter in the North West of England.