Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 12:20

"A bruised reed shall he not break, And smoking flax shall he not quench, Till he send forth judgment unto victory." — Matthew 12:20 (ASV)

A bruised reed shall he not break — The prophet’s words describe a character of extreme gentleness. The “bruised reed” is a symbol of someone broken by the weight of sorrow, care, or sin. People generally disregard or trample on such a person. Christ did not act this way; instead, He sought to bind up and strengthen.

The “smoking flax” is the wick of a lamp that has stopped burning clearly, whose clouded flame seems to call for immediate extinction. Here (as later in Matthew 25:1–8) we read a parable about souls in whom the light that should shine before others has grown dim. Base desires have clogged it, and it is no longer fed with the true oil. The self-righteous Pharisee had no pity for such a person; he simply gave thanks that his own lamp was burning. But Christ, in His tenderness, sought to trim the lamp and pour in the oil, if possible, until the flame was bright again.

We cannot help but feel, as we read these words, that the publican-apostle found their fulfillment in his own personal experience of his Master’s profound tenderness.

Till he send forth judgment unto victory — In the Hebrew, this is unto truth. The citation was apparently from memory. What is implied in both readings is that this tender compassion was to characterize the entire work of Christ until the time of final judgment arrives and truth at last prevails.