A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he sends forth justice unto victory.
All Commentaries on Matthew 12:20 Go To Matthew 12
Theodore the Stratelates
AD 319
He did not eagerly contend with the folly of the rulers, nor did he scream and provoke them to anger against himself. Rather, with gentleness Jesus withdrew slowly so that he might not, in confuting them, cause them to be destroyed while they were still weak in soul like “a bruised reed” or like “smoking flax,” that is, very close to being snuffed out. He bore with them patiently, so as not to reduce them to utter oblivion on account of their weakness, until he had fulfilled the purpose of his dispensation, that is, to bring judgment to a full end. By this dispensation all the nations would come to believe.
