Read: Matthew 12:9-21
Behold, my servant whom I have chosen. (v. 18)
I grew up in a family of modest means. This meant that at times I saw desirable things—new toys or clothes or bicycles—that I knew were out of reach. That feeling isn’t limited to childhood—we’ve all had times when what we really want or need feels like it’s inaccessible to us.
During his earthly ministry, Jesus encountered hungry, lonely, diseased, and demon-afflicted people. These people had lived their whole lives without hope that they would receive what they needed and wanted most. Jesus fed them, healed them, and freed them. Matthew observes that this was to fulfill Isaiah’s words about a character called “the Servant of the Lord.” This “Servant” embodies the qualities of several Old Testament fixtures: he is a king like David (Isa. 11:1, Heb. 1:8-9); a prophet like Elijah (Isa. 49:1-7); a priest like Aaron (Isa. 52:15, Heb. 4:14-16). He would be “a light for the nations” like Israel (Isa. 42:6-7). He would atone for sin like a Passover lamb (Isa. 52:3-6).
The deepest “out-of-reach” desire for all people is reconciliation with God. When Jesus restored the withered hand of the man in the temple, he was removing what had been a barrier to full communion with God through his people. Jesus also revealed his true identity while hinting at the restoration waiting for all who believe. Jesus is the “Servant of the Lord,” the hope of the world. He places the love and eternal life of God within reach of those who hope in him.
As you pray, place your desires, and your hope, in Jesus’s hands.
Ben Van Arragon is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. After twenty years of congregational ministry, he now serves his denomination as a pastor wellbeing consultant in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
