Hope for broken souls
Series: EIFACH muetig – with Jesus as a role model | Bible text: Isaiah 42:1–9
«He will not break the bent reed or extinguish the smouldering wick. […]» (Isaiah 42:3 NLB). This is today’s motto. It describes the promised servant of God. Jesus Christ fulfils every aspect of what is promised about him. He is the gentle servant of God who does not break the bruised reed or snuff out the smouldering wick. The one who meets us weak people as a patient physician and wants to show himself strong in our weakness. In this way, we can live a life in honour of God precisely in our weakness, in the knowledge that he has chosen us, the weak.
Jesus – the servant of God
Today’s sermon is based on today’s motto, which is contained in the text we read earlier. It paints a picture of a so-called servant of God. It is the image of the coming saviour – the Messiah. There are many prophecies in the Old Testament about what the anointed saviour must be like. Jesus Christ fulfils every single one of them. In the section of verses one to four, five things are mentioned that should apply to the coming servant of God. He must be chosen, quiet, meek, righteous and steadfast. I will go into meekness in more detail later.
An important characteristic is that of election. «Look, this is my servant whom I am holding. He is my chosen one and brings me joy. I have given him my spirit so that he may bring justice to the nations» (Isaiah 42:1 NLB). But what is the distinguishing mark of the chosen one? The mark is the Spirit of God that rests on him. After Jesus Christ was baptised, this becomes evident. «When he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descend on him like a dove» (Mark 1:10 NLB).
Another sign of the Saviour is calmness. «He will neither shout nor länor his voice on the streetsse hölet» (Isaiah 42:2 NLB). In the New Testament we read that Jesus could not be rushed. If Jesus had something we don’t have, it was time. He acted out of calm. Even when he learns of the life-threatening illness of a good friend, Jesus does not allow himself to be rushed and remains where he was for another two days before setting off to find him. Jesus cannot be rushed! As Paul wrote a few decades later, Jesus is not subject to the spirit of the times. «We use the mighty weapons of God and not worldly weapons to destroy human thought structures» (2 Corinthians 10:4 NLB).
Besides, the saviour is something I would describe as righteous. «[…] He will bring the law to light truthfully» (Isaiah 42:3 NLB). Justice is something important in this passage. It appears three times in the first four verses of Isaiah 42. The promised servant of God brings justice to the nations, he brings justice to light and he establishes justice on earth. Where God establishes justice, salvation and righteousness come into being. It is crucial that God must enforce justice. For he cannot tolerate injustice in his presence. In order to come into his presence, justice must therefore be established. However, it is not just a matter of something being carried out correctly. Rather, God’s justice always goes hand in hand with kindness, faithfulness and helpful mercy. This is shown in particular by the fact that where justice is established, i.e. enforced, God meets people in salvation and faithfulness. This is exactly what Jesus did. He enforced the law by paying the price so that injustice could be taken out of the way. In doing so, he set all people who believed in him free.«Only when the Son makes you free are you truly free» (John 8:36 NLB).
The last point is the one I describe as steadfast. «He will not be müor be broken until justice is firmly established throughout the earth.üstands there. […]» (Isaiah 42:4 NLB). Jesus accomplished his mission and steadfastly pursued it to the end. When he died on the cross, he made the statement «It is finished». Jesus carried out God’s will to the end (John 19:30).
Kinked pipe, smouldering wick
Today’s daily lot consists of the first part of verse three. «He will not break the bent pipe or extinguish the smouldering wick.öschen. […]» (Isaiah 42:3 NLB). This text was written at a time when the Israelites were in exile. Part of the population was deported abroad and so two questions are of particular importance. Is the God of Israel really God? And if so, what can he do? Apparently, the God of Israel is on the ground. Because other nations are more powerful than Israel. In those days, every nation had its own God, so if a nation was strong, its God had to be strong too. And if a nation was weak, then their God was also weak. But here comes a decisive difference, which is stated by the God of Israel and which is also his unique selling point! He is the only one who knows the future. This is emphasised again and again. This is also the case in verse nine, which was read out at the beginning of the sermon.
The bent reed and the smouldering wick are an image for Israel. The reed is a rush plant that is used for weaving baskets etc. If it is bent, it can no longer grow. If it is bent, it can no longer continue to grow. The wick is made of flax. If it only glows, the oil lamp is about to go out and therefore no longer fulfils its function. Both are images for the situation of Israel. It was to be a great, strong people of God as a good example for others. It was to be a light for the other nations. But why is Israel now in this self-inflicted situation? They have not orientated themselves towards God. Israel can only be accepted again through forgiveness. It can only happen by the Servant of God dying on their behalf.
On the other hand, the kinked pipe and the smouldering wick are images for us humans. It is an image of the inside. We would like to be straight in life, firmly anchored and unshakeable. We would love to be full of energy, not burnt out or burnt down. But unfortunately, things usually look different. Social media is not a reflection of reality. According to the Swiss Health Survey 2022, more than 1⁄3 of the Swiss population have a long-term health problem. Almost 1⁄5 are struggling with mental health challenges. We are people who are mentally distressed. We are people who are in poor health. We are people who struggle with their partner. We are people who have no patience with our children. We are people who take every shortcut to be five minutes faster. We are people whose life story keeps catching up with them. We are people who almost collapse under the weight of what life has in store for them. Added to this is the challenge of not being able to get out of certain situations ourselves. We can’t light the fire ourselves. We can’t straighten the kinked pipe ourselves. In such situations, talking can help. A first step can be to open up to someone. At seetal chile, we have summarised various offers under the umbrella term mentoring. We warmly invite you to make use of them.
Challenges are difficult and all people face them. An American saying goes. «Either they will make you or they will break you!». Either they will make you or they will break you. I am not saying that it is easy, but that it is worth facing the challenges.
Jesus – the gentle one
In Matthew 12:18–21, the words of Isaiah are quoted and referred to Jesus Christ. He is the servant of God who fulfils and performs all these things. He is the servant of God who was promised to the people of Israel. The people of Israel led a self-determined, independent life, detached from God. This is the epitome of following other gods. However, God emphatically forbade the people to do this several times. «You shall neither worship them nor prostrate yourself before them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God! I do not leave the sins of those who hate me unpunished, […]» (Deuteronomy 5:9 NLB). The basis for God’s strict behaviour towards his people is the covenant between these two parties. «This covenant between us shall be for the generations to come; it shall be for all time between me and your descendants. I will be your God and the God of your descendants» (Genesis 17:7 NLB). The people of Israel deserved God to break off the bent reed and extinguish the smouldering wick. They have no right to expect God to act mercifully.
But God remains true to himself. He stands by his word, which he has given to his people. But he also stands by the fact that justice must be done. The covenant must be restored. The crucial point is this: Restoration is only possible through forgiveness. Forgiveness is God’s decision to forgive Israel, even though they were guilty against him and no longer wanted to follow him. But only God can do this! That is why the servant of God must suffer, die and thus clear the way to God. As I said, Jesus is this servant of God. His task is to restore the covenant. But he does even more. He makes a new covenant in which descent is no longer the decisive element.
So what does Jesus do with us, the broken and burnt-out people? He does the same as for the people! He gives his life so that justice is done. He does not break off the bent reed or extinguish the smouldering wick. Rather, he meets people as a physician. «Then the Pharisees and scribes rebuked Jesus» disciples: «How can you eat and drink with this scum? Jesus answered them: «It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have come to help Süs to repent from their süI want to call out to my friends, not to spend my time with those who have already made up their minds.ür good enough» » (Luke 5:30–32 NLB). Sin means living in contradiction to what God desires. This hope that Jesus is the good doctor who helps me doesn’t make it easy, but it does make it easier.
In our annual theme «EIFACH muetig – with Jesus as our role model», we are focussing on various key areas. During the holidays and public holidays, we are travelling outside of these focal points. On 5 January, I gave the opening sermon on the topic of «Relationships | Jesus wooing his bride». The followers of Jesus are the bride and Jesus is the bridegroom. We immersed ourselves in the ancient betrothal ceremony. The engagement begins with the signing of the «ketubba», the marriage contract. This immediately changes the status of the bride. The engagement thus has a clear direction towards the wedding and both parties cannot easily get away from it. During this engagement period, both parties have clear tasks. The groom prepares a home. When he is ready, he comes back and brings his wife to him. During this time, the bride is very busy weaving tapestries for the future home. Followers of Jesus as the bride have the task of shaping their lives in such a way that they do honour to their bridegroom. But the weaving happens after the signing of the «ketubba». In other words, after Jesus, as God’s servant, has paid for everything and restored access to God. The weaving is a reaction to what Jesus has done – not the other way round.
The theme of the year has the danger of creating the feeling that I have to do everything from my strength. But the theme «EIFACH muetig» is much more about taking concrete steps in discipleship out of my weakness – with God’s help and the power of the Holy Spirit. «God has chosen what is lowly in the eyes of the world in order to shame those who consider themselves wise. He has chosen the weak to humiliate the strong» (1 Corinthians 1:27 NLB). Jesus doesn’t just leave the bent reed standing by chance. Rather, he chooses precisely this! Jesus doesn’t leave the almost extinguished wick glowing just by chance. He chooses this very thing! Jesus doesn’t just leave you in your challenge out of goodwill. Instead, he chooses YOU! Jesus chooses the weak!
That’s why I weave my carpet out of my weakness. The Holy Spirit helps me to do this as a dejected, burnt-out man. A small aside. The smouldering wick, which the servant of God does not extinguish, is made of flax. Textile fibres were and are made from it. God can also use my brokenness to weave my tapestry with me.
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: Isaiah 42:1–9
- Which aspect that the Servant will fulfil appeals to you the most? Why?
- In which area of your life or in which situations do you currently feel disconnected or burnt out? What do you do in such situations?
- Have you already experienced Jesus as a doctor in your life? Lay your challenge before him in prayer and ask him to show himself to you.
- As a rule, we want a quick way out of difficult times. In retrospect, however, it is precisely the experiences that we gain during challenges that help us in the long term. How do we manage to get through difficult times and turn them into positive ones?
- How could your weakness make a difference in your personal following of Jesus? How can you weave your life in honour of God with and in your weakness?
