DAILY GOSPEL COMMENTARY:
“IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE”
(Mt 12:14–21).

Gospel of Saturday, 15th week in Ordinary Time,
Mt 12:14–21

But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. (17) This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: (18) “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. (19) He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. (20) A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Gospel Commentary from the Navarre Bible, Commentary to the Gospel of St. Matthew (with permission).

Jesus, the suffering servant of Yahweh

• 17 Is 42:1-4 speaks of a humble servant, beloved of God, chosen by God.
  • And in fact Jesus, without ceasing to be the Son of God, one in substance with the Father, took the form of a servant (cf. Phil 2:6).
  • This humility led him to cure and care for the poor and afflicted of Israel, without seeking acclaim.
• 18 See note on Mt 3:16 “And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened g and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him;.”
  • Jesus possessed the fullness of the Holy Spirit from the moment of his conception.
    • This is due to the union of human nature and divine nature in the person of the Word (the dogma of the hypostatic union).
    • Catholic teaching says that in Christ there is only one person (who is divine) but two natures (divine and human).
  • The descent of the Spirit of God spoken of in the text indicates that just as Jesus was solemnly commencing his messianic task, so the Holy Spirit was beginning his action through him.
    • There are very many texts in the Old Testament which speak of the showing forth of the Holy Spirit in the future Messiah.
    • This sign of the Spirit gave St John the Baptist unmistakable proof of the genuineness of his testimony concerning Christ (cf. Jn 1:29-34).
  • The mystery of the Holy Trinity is revealed in the baptism of Jesus: the Son is baptized; the Holy Spirit descends on him in the form of a dove; and the voice of the Father gives testimony about his Son.
    • Christians must be baptized in the name of the three divine Persons. “If you have sincere piety, the Holy Spirit will descend on you also and you will hear the voice of the Father saying to you from above: ‘This is not my son, but now after Baptism he has been made my son’” (St Cyril of Jerusalem, De Baptismo, 14).
• 19 The justice proclaimed by the Servant, who is filled with the Holy Spirit, is not a noisy virtue.
  • We can see the loving, gentle way Jesus worked his miracles, performing righteousness in all humility.
  • This is how he brings about the triumph of his Father’s Justice, his plan of revelation and salvation — very quietly and very effectively.
• 20 According to many Fathers, including St Augustine and St Jerome, the bruised reed and the smouldering wick refer to the Jewish people. They also stand for every sinner, for our Lord does not seek the sinner’s death but his conversion, and his life (cf. Ezek 33:11).
  • The Gospels often bear witness to this reassuring truth (cf. Lk 15:11-32, the parable of the prodigal son; Mt 18:12-24, the parable of the lost sheep; etc).

VIDEO COMMENTARY ON TODAY’S GOSPEL

TOPIC: What legacy can you leave to your children and to those around you?

Jesus had just healed a man with a paralyzed hand. And before that, he allowed His disciples to partake of grain, disallowed during Sabbath, from a farm they just passed by. The pharisees witnessed both as they were also following Jesus, just like the multitude.

And now, they have been enraged by Jesus’ lack of respect for the Jewish laws. Opposition to Jesus’ ministry and healing were mounting. The church was threatened by his growing popularity. In the book of Mark, the Herodians – the political leadership at that time – joined forces with the Church in destroying Jesus. If you recall, Herod was already after Jesus at birth.

Curiously, Jesus did not fight them.

Jesus could have retaliated with all the might He had at His disposal, being God. He could have easily called on His army of angels or formed his own army from His growing flock of followers. He chose to quietly proclaim His message of love.

He wanted to fulfill the scriptures – that He would come not to fight but to be a meek and humble servant. And He wanted people to follow Him not because He was capable of miracles but because they would receive something more powerful to enter the kingdom of heaven – the ability to love.

After all, God gave us free will. Jesus respects that. Staying put in heaven to run the earth on puppet strings was not the intent of God’s creation. He respected our freedom to choose but also wanted to save us from ourselves and the devil. Thus, Jesus.

Three points:

1. God wants us never to give up when there is opposition and trials persist
2. God wants us to be the best we can be to live a life of holiness through loving others even if we feel our efforts are weak
3. God wants us to depend on Him for our concerns – from our provisions to our persecutions, from our offerings to our sufferings

We can walk Jesus’ footsteps by showing love to the least, the lost and the last – in other words, not just to the marginalized but to those who oppose us, because Jesus welcomed them Himself in fulfillment of God’s plan.

Jesus, by fulfilling the prophesy of Isaiah of a Suffering Servant filled with gentleness and compassion to conquer sin, set into motion the only way to achieve heaven – through love. He wants us to also show this to those who are poor, those who are victims of injustice and cruelty, those who need healing.

He wants us to live a legacy of love just as He did for only then can we give life, and live, ourselves.

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