The Servant Lord

We must have an accurate view of Jesus so that we can live yielded, transformed lives to the glory of God. Misunderstand Jesus & you’ll resist His Lordship. Trust Him & you’ll be transformed. Seeing things accurately is not easy to do. Some people are near-sighted, others far-sighted. Some lose or don’t use their corrective lenses. Others have great vision. The Pharisees were blinded to Jesus' identity and ministry. Jesus was attacking both the seen power structures of His day and the unseen spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. They opposed Him, fought against Him. Then many wanted Him to be a military & political deliverer. Today many want to see Him as a vending machine or a genie, who will give them what they want as long as they press the right button or say the right thing. Those blinded by Satan cannot see the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face if Christ, cannot grasp His preeminence, deity, mission. What they couldn’t see then & so many can’t see now is, His ministry confirms His identity. What He does shows who He is. Matthew 12:15-21 gives, as one writer put it, a God's-Eye View of Jesus and the Gospel. In light of fierce opposition against Jesus, and mankind’s inaccuracies, here is a reminder of who Jesus is & what He will do. An accurate view of Jesus to help us navigate life amidst many deceptive influences.

The Pharisees were conspiring, along with their political and religious enemies the Herodians, to kill Jesus. Jesus, aware of this, knowing their thoughts and motives, withdrew so as not to attract undue attention before it was time. Many followed Him, they trusted Him, knew He was good. Their faith in Him grew; as did their distrust of the religious hypocrites. He healed them all, therapeuo, serve, attend to, heal. Not just a few, not a select crowd, but all who were in need. He told them not to tell anyone who He was. Think about how excited you would be, and not be able to say anything. This fulfilled Isaiah 42:1-4. The longest OT quote in this gospel. We see Jesus’ ministry involves bringing justice, working humbly, showing mercy & giving salvation. His Ministry confirms His identity.

1. Jesus brings Justice. He will proclaim justice to the nations. DA Carson calls justice "the self-revelation of God’s character for the good of the nations, while at the same time calling them to account." He redeems and judges in righteousness. Like Jesus, we must seek the good of all for God. Seek good for all people, for God's glory. The landmark 1974 Lausanne Covenant, from the International Congress on World Evangelization at Lausanne, Switzerland, affirms God is both the Creator and the Judge of all people. We therefore should share his concern for justice and reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of men and women from every kind of oppression. Because men and women are made in the image of God, every person, regardless of race, religion, color, culture, class, sex or age, has an intrinsic dignity because of which he or she should be respected and served, not exploited. We must seek justice for all.

2. Jesus works humbly and gently. He will not quarrel, strive, or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. Jesus says 11:28-30 He is gentle and humble in heart. He will not shout nor make a ruckus, won’t call attention to Himself. He humbled Himself. Like Jesus, we must live humbly and gently. We must lead a quiet life, and share with those in need. C.H. Spurgeon said, Some weeds will grow anywhere; one of them is Pride. It will grow on a rock as well as in a garden. It is a weed that is dreadfully rampant. It needs cutting down every week, or we would be up to our knees in it. Is. 66:2 This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit. Tim Keller says "true humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less."

3. Jesus shows mercy. A bruised, crushed, reed He will not break, a smoldering wick He will not snuff out. Reeds were one of the most common materials used in everyday life. Stems from a variety of plants were used for pens, walking sticks, weaving, and parchment. Ezekiel used one for a measuring stick. Once bent, broken or splintered, they were useless. Damaged reeds were thrown away. Wick, on an oil lamp, smoldering because low on oil or trimmed wrongly. A smoldering wick blown out because it gave no flame, only smoke, no benefit. This affirms that Jesus welcomes and uses those the world sees as useless and worthless. Jesus never kicks you when you're down. He lifts you up, doesn't slam you. Like Jesus, we must show mercy to all, do good to all regardless of status. It is easy to withhold it from the lowest (thinking “They don’t deserve it”, they got themselves into this mess.) and the highest (thinking “They don’t need it.” They are self-sufficient). Show mercy o all.

4. Jesus gives Salvation: Jesus saves. In His Name the nations will put their hope. His Name = who He is, His person. here is No other name (Acts 4:12), and no other way (John 14:6) to be saved. James White said "The Doctrines of Grace tell us that God is the one who saves, for His own glory, and freely. They tell us He does so only through Christ, only on the basis of His grace, only with the perfection that marks everything the Father, Son, and Spirit do. The gospel directs us away from ourselves and solely to God's grace and mercy. It destroys pride, instills humility, and exalts God." Like Jesus, we must be concerned for the salvation of all. We must know and proclaim the gospel. Those He has chosen will come to Him, they do not know it but He is secretly drawing them to Himself, but we only see people in need. We must share and show the gospel to all.

Jesus is the Servant Lord. The thought blows our minds. How can it be that the Highest took the lowest spot? A Lord is to be served, not be the one serving right? Not so with Jesus. Mark 10:28 tells us, in Jesus' own words, the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. This does not mean no one would serve Him while He was on earth. His main purpose in coming to earth was not to receive the glory and worship He would receive forever but to serve the purposes of God by dying for the sins of the world. He served us while on earth so that we would serve Him forever. This means 1 of 2 things for us: our cooperation with Christ’s rule and the death of sin, self and pride; or our rejection of His rule and the multiplication of all that does not please God. Jesus reigns supreme in every realm. It is for us to bow, and live. It boils down to this: We must have an accurate view of Jesus so that we can live yielded, transformed lives to the glory of God. Just as Christ’s Ministry confirms His identity, His ministry transforms our identity.

Soli Deo Gloria