The Gentle Fighter


 


















But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Here is 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 wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

 

I believe one of the most important questions that Jesus asked, if not the most important, is: “Who do you say I am?” He could well have asked: How do you see me? I think the image we have of Jesus may reflect our own character. If we are fighters, the kind of people who like to stand up for what we believe, taking no rubbish from anybody, we would see Jesus as a militant firebrand. And we’d have reason to. A few days ago we heard Jesus say: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). That IS militant talk. Then one day he chased people out of the temple courts with a whip! (see John 2:13-16). Was he militant?

 

If we are pacifist in nature, people who would prefer to avoid confrontation and keep the peace, we would see Jesus as the cross bearer; you know, the guy who carried his cross up Calvary and then got crucified on it when he reached the top. He’s the guy who told us: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also” (Luke 6:27-29).  Now, that IS pacifist talk. So what was Jesus? Militant or pacifist? A fighter or a flee-er? He was neither. He was a new type of leader: The Gentle Fighter.

 

Let me explain. Jesus had told his Jewish opponents that he was Lord of the Sabbath (see Matthew 12:8). Then he went on to prove his authority by healing a man on the Sabbath. You’d think they would be happy that somebody who was suffering was healed, but the Jewish leaders were outraged that he healed people on the Sabbath, violating their rules. Note I say “their” rules. For them following their rules was more important than the well-being of their suffering brethren, so they decided to destroy him. “When Jesus became aware of this, he departed” (see Matthew 12:9-15). You could say he fled. Why?

 

We get the answer from this rather strange insertion into the story about a prophecy from Isaiah. “He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory” (Matthew 12:19-20). Now, please listen to me carefully. Jesus WILL bring justice to victory, which means he will bring about justice. But he won’t let the fight for justice become violent. He won’t enter into a slanging match with his opponents, or indulge in noisy arguments. He won’t destroy people to win his battles. Not even his enemies. So he withdraws. 

 

As followers of Jesus we have to learn from him. Some of us are fighters but we have to be careful not to hurt anyone in our desire for justice. People are like bruised reeds struggling to stand up straight. They are like smoldering wicks trying to remain alight in a stormy wind. We need to be protective of them, EVEN if they are our enemies. How much more, then, do we need to be protective of those we call our friends? Yes? And for those of us who are not fighters, we still need to stand up for justice, for the truth, for what is right. But — Jesus-style. 

 

So, let us be gentle fighters. 

 

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here:https://youtu.be/zWENZs1ECrI

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