Bruised Reeds And Smoldering Wicks

This morning I want to continue our study of Matthew, and I want us to receive encouragement for ourselves and a challenge for how we conduct ourselves in this world. One of the most comforting verses in all of scripture is found in today’s reading. Turn with me to Matthew 12:15-21

‘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.”

Jesus shows compassion for bruised reeds and smoldering wicks.

1. We all fall short. So don’t give up on yourself.

Some have looked at the picture of bruised reeds and smoldering wicks and have found that everyone is included in one of these two pictures. The bruised reeds can depict those who have been beaten up and severely wounded by the effects of sin. They are broken by life, damaged I heart and mind, weak, helpless, hopeless and dead in their transgressions. All of us have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. The effect of our sin is to kill us, and to separate us forever from the life and love of God. We are dead in our transgressions and hopeless to help ourselves. A bruised reed cannot be repaired. It is useless. You can’t make music with it. You can’t build anything with it. You can’t bind it and hope that it will grow solid again. It is here today and gone tomorrow.

This is a picture of each and every one of us apart from Christ. We were lost, broken, and without hope. We could not repair ourselves. We could not save our own souls. We were dead.

The second picture is of a smoldering wick. A smoldering wick is not completely dead, but is dying. Some have seen in this illustration, those who once believed – the righteous who once put their trust in God, but have now lost their first love and have drifted away from the Lord. A smoldering wick no longer produces light. The darkness has overtaken it. The heat it once produces is almost gone. What is left is only a memory of the glory it once had. A little smoke and a slight flicker of light are all that remain. The smoldering wick is someone who once knew God, but walked away from God. They became harassed by sin and enticed by its pleasures. They failed to live a life of holiness and devotion, and now the full flame has almost gone out. Now they are full of doubt and despair and discouragement. They are like David who hid his sin with Bathsheba and who described his carnal life as one of torture and torment. They are like the church in Laodicea which left its first love and had become lukewarm – not hot or cold.

Smoldering wicks can burn again, but they need help. They need a re-igniting. They need the wind of the Spirit to blow once again upon their lives to fan into the flame the light that once burned brightly.