Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 12:14-21

"But the Pharisees went out, and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him. And Jesus perceiving [it] withdrew from thence: and many followed him; and he healed them all, and charged them that they should not make him known: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon him, And he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry aloud; Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, And smoking flax shall he not quench, Till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles hope." — Matthew 12:14-21 (ASV)

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The Pharisees were moved by jealousy at what had been done. Because they saw only the outward body of a man, they did not recognize God in His works. "The Pharisees went out and sought counsel against him, how they should destroy him."

Rabanus Maurus: He says, "went out," because their minds were estranged from the Lord. They took counsel on how they might destroy life, not on how they themselves might find life.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: And He, knowing their plots, withdrew so that He might be far from the counsels of the evil-hearted, as it follows, Jesus knowing it departed from there.

St. Jerome: Knowing their designs against Him, He withdrew in order to remove from the Pharisees all opportunity for sin.

Remigius of Auxerre: Or, He withdrew from there to avoid the schemes of His own people when they persecuted Him. It may also be because it was not the time or place for Him to suffer, for as He Himself spoke, “It cannot be that a Prophet should perish out of Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33).

The Lord also avoided those who persecuted Him out of hatred and went to a place where He found many who were attached to Him with affection, which is why it follows, And great multitudes followed him.

The one whom the Pharisees with one accord plotted to destroy, the unlearned crowd with one accord loved and followed. And so, they soon received the fulfillment of their desires, for it follows, And he healed them all.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: He commanded silence from those whom He healed, which is why it follows, And he charged them that they should not make him known. For their restored health was a witness to each person. By commanding them to hold their peace, He avoids making a show of Himself, and yet at the same time, He provides knowledge of Himself in that very command to be silent. For the act of keeping silent points to the very thing that is to be kept secret.

Rabanus Maurus: In this, He also instructs us that when we have done anything great, we should not seek public praise.

Remigius of Auxerre: He also commands them not to make Him known, so that by persecuting Him, they would not fall into a worse state.

St. John Chrysostom: So that you are not troubled by these events and the incredible madness of the Pharisees, He introduces the Prophet's words. For such was the diligence of the Prophets that they did not omit even this, but had noted all His ways and movements, and the purpose with which He acted.

This was so that you might learn that He spoke all things by the Holy Spirit. For if it is impossible to know the thoughts of men, it is much more impossible to know the mind of Christ, unless the Holy Spirit revealed it. Therefore, it follows, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the Prophet, saying, Behold my servant whom I have chosen.

Remigius of Auxerre: The Lord Jesus Christ is called the servant of Almighty Godⁱ, not with respect to His divinity, but with respect to the reality of the flesh He assumed. For by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, He took flesh from the Virgin without the stain of sin. Some manuscripts have, “Elect, whom I have chosen,” for He was chosen by God the Father—that is, predestined—that He should be the Son of God, proper and not adopted.

Rabanus Maurus: It says, Whom I have chosen, for a work that no one else has done: to redeem the human race and make peace between God and the world. It follows, My beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased, for He alone is the Lamb without the spot of sin, of whom the Father speaks, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 17:5).

Remigius of Auxerre: That he says, “My soul,” is not to be understood as if God the Father had a soul, but by way of adaptation, showing how God is disposed toward Him. And it is no wonder that a soul is ascribed to God in this manner, seeing that all other members of the body are as well.

St. John Chrysostom: The Prophet puts this at the beginning so that you might learn that what is said here was according to the Father's counsel. For the one who is beloved acts according to the will of the one who loves him. And again, the one who is chosen does not break the law like an enemy, nor like an adversary of the lawgiver, but as one in agreement with Him. Therefore, because He is beloved, I will put my Spirit upon him.

Remigius of Auxerre: God the Father also put His Spirit upon Him when, by the working of the Holy Spirit, He took flesh from the Virgin. As soon as He became man, He received the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

St. Jerome: But the Holy Spirit is put, not on the Word of God, but on the Only-Begotten, who came forth from the bosom of the Father—that is, on Him of whom it is said, Behold my servant. And what He will do through Him, He adds, And he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles.

St. Augustine of Hippo: In that He preached the judgment to come, which was hidden from the Gentiles.¹

St. John Chrysostom: Further, to show His humility, He says, He shall not strive; and so He was offered up as the Father had willed and gave Himself willingly into the hands of His persecutors. Neither shall he cry; so He was silent as a lamb before its shearer. Nor shall any hear his voice in the streets.

St. Jerome: For the way is broad and wide that leads to destruction, and many walk in it. And being many, they will not hear the Savior's voice, because they are not on the narrow way but on the broad one.

Remigius of Auxerre: The Greek word for “streets” corresponds to the Latin word for “broadness” (latitudo). Therefore, no one has heard His voice in the streets, because He has not promised pleasant things in this world to those who love Him, but hardships.

St. John Chrysostom: The Lord sought to heal the Jews by this gentleness. But though they rejected Him, He did not resist them by destroying them. This is why the Prophet, displaying His power and their weakness, says, A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoking flax he shall not quench.

St. Jerome: He who does not hold out his hand to a sinner, nor bear his brother's burden, breaks a bruised reed. And he who despises a weak spark of faith in a little one, quenches a smoking flax.

St. Augustine of Hippo: So He neither bruised nor quenched the Jewish persecutors, who are here compared to a bruised reed that has lost its wholeness, and to a smoking flax that has lost its flame. He spared them because He had not come to judge them, but to be judged by them.

In the smoking flax, it is observed that when the flame is out, it causes a foul smell.²

St. John Chrysostom: Or, this phrase, He shall not break a bruised reed, shows that it was as easy for Him to break them all as it is to break a reed—and a bruised one at that. And, He shall not quench a smoking flax, shows that their rage was inflamed, and that Christ's power was strong enough to quench such rage with complete ease. This, therefore, shows the great mercy of Christ.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, he means by this bruised reed that is not broken, that the perishing and bruised bodies of the Gentiles are not to be broken, but are instead reserved for salvation.

He shall not quench a smoking flax shows the feebleness of that spark which, though not quenched, only smolders in the flax. It shows that among the remnants of that ancient grace, the Spirit is not yet entirely taken away from Israel, but the power still remains for them to resume the whole flame on a day of repentance.

St. Jerome: Or, the reverse: He calls the Jews a bruised reed, who, tossed by the wind and shaken from one another, the Lord did not immediately condemn but patiently endured.

And He calls the people gathered from the Gentiles a smoking flax. Having extinguished the light of the natural law, they were lost in the wandering mazes of thick, dark smoke, which is bitter and hurtful to the eyes. This He not only did not extinguish by reducing them to ashes, but on the contrary, from a small and almost dead spark, He raised a mighty flame.³

St. John Chrysostom: But one might ask, “Will things always be this way? Will He endure forever those who lay traps and are mad against Him?” Far from it. When His own work is all complete, then He will attend to these things also. He signifies this by saying, Until he shall send forth judgment to victory.

This is to say, when He has accomplished all things that pertain to His work, then He will bring perfect vengeance. They will receive their punishment when He has made His victory glorious, so that no disrespectful opportunity for contradiction is left to them.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, Until he shall send forth judgment to victory, that is, until He takes away the power of death and brings in judgment and the return of His splendor.

Rabanus Maurus: Or, until that judgment which was being carried out in Him should achieve victory. For after He had overcome death by His resurrection and had driven out the prince of this world, He returned as a conqueror to His kingdom to sit at the right hand of the Father, until He puts all His enemies under His feet.

St. John Chrysostom: But the effects of this plan will not end only with the punishment of those who have not believed; He will also draw the world to Himself, which is why it follows, And in his name shall the Gentiles hope.

St. Augustine of Hippo: This last part we now see fulfilled. And so, this undeniable reality establishes the truth of what some have denied through ignorance—that is, the last judgment, which He will hold on earth when He Himself comes from heaven.

For who could have expected that the Gentiles would hope in Christ's name when He was in the hands of His enemies—when He was bound, scourged, treated with contempt, and crucified? Even His disciples had lost the hope they had begun to have in Him!

What one thief barely hoped for on the cross, the nations scattered far and wide now hope for. And so that they may not die forever, they are marked with that very cross on which He died. Let no one, then, doubt that the last judgment will be conducted by Christ Himself.⁴

Remigius of Auxerre: It should be known that the meaning not only of this passage, but of many others as well, is supported by this testimony from the Prophet.

The words, Behold my servant, may be referred to the place where the Father had said earlier, This is my Son (Matthew 3:17). The words, I will put my Spirit upon him, refer to the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Lord at His baptism.

He shall declare judgment to the Gentiles refers to what He says later: When the Son of Man shall sit in the seat of his Majesty (Matthew 25:31).

What He adds, He shall not strive nor cry, refers to how the Lord answered the Chief Priests and Pilate very little, and Herod nothing at all.

He shall not break the bruised reed refers to His avoiding His persecutors so that they might not be made worse. And finally, In his name shall the Gentiles hope, refers to what He Himself says later: Go and teach all nations (Matthew 28:19).

1. City of God, book xx, ch. 30
2. Quaest. Ev., i, 3
3. Ep. 121, 2
4. City of God, book xx, ch. 30