A descendant of king David would restore Israel according to many prophets. The Messiah would come in power, destroying the enemies of Israel. However, Isaiah prophesies about the servant of the Lord who carries the sin of Israel. Were these prophecies talking about the same person? Yes, the gospel of Matthew points to the suffering servant in Isaiah 42:
15-21 Jesus, knowing they were out to get him, moved on. A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, following guidelines set down by Isaiah:
Look well at my handpicked servant;
I love him so much, take such delight in him.
I’ve placed my Spirit on him;
he’ll decree justice to the nations.
But he won’t yell, won’t raise his voice;
there’ll be no commotion in the streets.
He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings,
won’t push you into a corner.
Before you know it, his justice will triumph;
the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even
among far-off unbelievers.
He will treat people kindly: "He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings, won’t push you into a corner.".
Matthew 12 contrasts the religiosity of the pharisees to the kindness of Jesus.
The pharisees divided people in two groups: those who follow their interpretation of the law (torah) and those who don't. Their interpretation was somehow cold - the law was above mercy. For instance: to cure in the Sabbath day is to work (is it written in Torah or is it an interpretation?), so they were observing if Jesus would break their interpretation of the law and cure a man.
Imagine how heavy was to follow the pharisaic interpretation of the law - it pointed to a God that resembled an old man full of his selfish manias. When Jesus fulfills the suffering servant he pointed to a merciful God that loves people.
Am I loving people?
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