A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break

One of my favorite images of Jesus comes from Matthew 12.

In Matthew 12.15 we read that "a large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill." The text then goes on to describe how Jesus' care for these people was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 42:

Isaiah 42.1-4
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.

He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” 

This prophecy is used to highlight the gentleness and compassion of Jesus:

A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. 

The people were broken and fragile. Hanging by a thread. Life about to be extinguished. Bent and bruised. A weak, tenuous and fading flicker. And Jesus cared for and healed them. He did not break them and snuff them out.

It's a model for how we should move through the world. All around us are broken and fragile people. Bruised reeds and smoldering wicks.

Let us not break people and snuff them out. 

Let us move through world as Jesus did.