Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

God’s Chosen Servant

15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there.

And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known.

17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

18  “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.

19  He will not quarrel or cry aloud,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;

20  a bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not quench,

until he brings justice to victory;

21  and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Up to this point in chapters 11 and 12 we’ve seen a varied set of responses to Jesus’ ministry.

At first it was the inquiry of John the Baptist and his disciples, then it was Jesus’ indictment against the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for their lack of repentance, and then it was the Pharisees who’s growing hatred toward Jesus has recently resulted in their conspiring against him, in order to destroy him.

But this week Matthew reminds us of God’s approval toward Jesus and his ministry despite Israel’s growing rejection of him.

While so many have rejected him, remained indifferent, refused to repent, or simply remained unconvinced of Jesus’ identity Matthew drops verses 15-21 here for us.

He gives us God’s assessment of Jesus and his ministry, and he does so by quoting from the prophet Isaiah.

What does God think about Jesus?

This is the heart of this passage, what does God think about Jesus?

And how does it compare to the people’s response, and how does it compare to your response.

Will you be counted among those who reject him?

Or will you be like those who remain indifferent toward him?

Will your life remain unchanged by him?

Or will you submit yourself to him, embracing him in faith?

These are the kind questions I want us to keep in mind as we move through this text.

Hired Hitmen

Let’s read again, this time starting in verse 14,

These are the kind questions I want us to keep in mind as we move through this text.

14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

God’s Chosen Servant

15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there.

And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known.

So Jesus has just had an explosive encounter with the Pharisees, to such a degree that they’ve decided to figure out how to destroy him.

They’ve gone way beyond indifference, beyond rejection, and run headlong into seeking out Jesus’ destruction.

Hired Hitmen

I’ll never forget growing up watching a certain major news story break all over the major news networks, lasting weeks and even months.

A professional figure skater had been attacked while at the skating rink, and her right leg was injured.

And come to find out the attacker had been hired by a man who was connected to a fellow competitor.

Apparently, the woman who had been attacked was seen as a threat by someone, even to to the extent that they were willing to hire a hitman to carry out an attack against her.

This is, in essence, what the Pharisees would seek to do to Jesus.

They saw him as a threat and they intended to eliminate him.

And they were seeking to do more than just disable him, they intended to have him killed.

In fact, at this point in the story, Mark records in his Gospel that,

6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

Now, the Herodians were natural enemies of the Pharisees and of the Jewish religious leaders.

They were avid followers and supporters of Herod Antipas, who would be responsible for the death of John the Baptist and eventually even be complicit in the crucifixion of Jesus himself.

But in this moment the Pharisees realized that in order to destroy Jesus they would need the help of the Herodians to do it.

They would need their help to have him delivered over to Herod, to ultimately be subjected to capital punishment.

So Matthew tells us that Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there.

Not to Make Him Known

So Matthew tells us that Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there.

but that many still continued to follow him, and Jesus continued healing them all, ordering them also not to make him known.

So on one hand we can see clearly one of the significant reasons Jesus frequently ordered the people to keep silent about him.

Jesus’ presence was enough to mobilize his enemies

But despite Jesus’ efforts to avoid further controversy many still continued to follow him, and Jesus continued healing all of them, ordering them also not to make him known.

So on one hand we can see clearly that one of the primary reasons Jesus ordered the people to keep silent about him was to delay his enemies’ attempts to destroy him.

On one had Jesus had a ministry and a mission to carry out, but on the other hand Jesus was careful to carry out his mission by the timetable God had established.

This is why he would often say things like, “My hour has not yet come.”

But as we’ll see this isn’t the only reason we’re told that Jesus ordered the people not to make him known.

In fact, I think there are at least two other reasons found here in the passage that Matthew quotes from the prophet Isaiah.

Matthew says there in verse 17 that,

But as we’ll see this isn’t the only reason we’re told that Jesus often ordered the people not to make him known.

I think there are at least two other reasons found here in the passage that Matthew quotes from the prophet Isaiah.

In fact, Matthew says there in verse 17 that,

17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah

So many followed him, many are healed, and they’re ordered not to make him known, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled.

So Matthew sees something in Isaiah’s words reflected in the life and ministry of Jesus.

Starting there in verse 18, we read,

18  “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.

19  He will not quarrel or cry aloud,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;

20  a bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not quench,

until he brings justice to victory;

21  and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Jesus the Servant

In that first verse line we read, “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen.”

Now, we don’t use the word ‘behold’ much in common conversation but God is saying, “Wow, look at this! Behold!

my servant whom I have chosen.”

Now, Jesus isn’t surprised by who Jesus is, but rather God wants the reader, he wants us, to fix our eyes on this person, to fix our eyes on his Messiah, and Matthew is telling us that Jesus is that Messiah.

And that Messiah is God’s servant.

In other words, Jesus came to serve his Father in heaven.

He’s on mission, and he’s not seeking his own glory.

He’s seeking the glory of his Father in heaven.

His ministry is not an opportunity for him to be popular.

Popularity was not Jesus’ purpose, he was not seeking the praise of men, but rather was seeking to please his Father.

It isn’t Jesus’ intention merely to be made known.

In Mark chapter 10, verse 45 Jesus tells his disciples that “even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”

Jesus is a servant, not seeking his own glory.

In John chapter 12, verses 27-28, Jesus says, “But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

Father, glorify your name.”So

when we read that Jesus told the people not to make him known we should remember that Jesus came to serve, that he did not come to win a popularity contest.

The Danger of Popularity

So when we read that Jesus told the people not to make him known we should remember that Jesus came to serve, that he did not come to win a popularity contest.