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
John Chrysostom
AD 407
And showing both his strength and their weakness, Jesus said, “He will not break a crushed reed.” For in fact it was easy enough for God to break them all to pieces like a reed, and not just any reed but one already crushed. “And he will not quench a smoldering wick.” By this he points to their anger that had been kindled and his might that is able to put down their anger and to quench it easily. By this is signified his great mildness. What then? Shall these things always be? And will Christ endure perpetually those who form such frantic plots against him? Far from it. When he has performed his saving action, then he shall also execute its corresponding purposes. Isaiah declared this by saying both that “he shall bring forth justice to victory” and “in his name shall the Gentiles trust.” Paul similarly instructed us to “take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” But what is meant by “he shall bring forth justice to victory”? When Christ has completely fulfilled his own part, then, we are told, he will also bring down upon unbelievers his final judgment, when he has left them no contradicting arguments, however shameless, when they will then believe in his wondrous glory. For he knows how to say that justice is a judgment. But his dispensation will not be confined merely to the punishment of unbelievers. He will also proceed to win to himself the nations of the world, so he added, “and in his name will the Gentiles hope.” Then, to inform us that this too is proceeding according to the purpose of the Father from the beginning, the prophet has given us this assurance together with what he has just said: “this is my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased.” For it was very clear that the beloved committed these actions according to the purpose of the one who loved him. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
