St Matthew Chapter XII : Verses 14-21
Contents
- Matt. xii.14-21 Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
- Notes on the text
Matt. xii. 14-21
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| The Pharisees plot to destroy Christ. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
14 And the Pharisees going out made a consultation against him, how they might destroy him.
Exeuntes autem pharisæi, consilium faciebant adversus eum, quomodo perderent eum.
16 And he charged them that they should not make him known.
et præcepit eis ne manifestum eum facerent.
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaias the prophet, saying:
Ut adimpleretur quod dictum est per Isaiam prophetam, dicentem :
18 Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul hath been well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
Ecce puer meus, quem elegi, dilectus meus, in quo bene complacuit animæ meæ. Ponam spiritum meum super eum, et judicium gentibus nuntiabit.
19 He shall not contend, nor cry out, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
Non contendet, neque clamabit, neque audiet aliquis in plateis vocem ejus :
20 The bruised reed he shall not break: and smoking flax he shall not extinguish: till he send forth judgment unto victory.
arundinem quassatam non confringet, et linum fumigans non extinguet, donec ejiciat ad victoriam judicium :
21 And in his name the Gentiles shall hope.
et in nomine ejus gentes sperabunt.
Notes
Note. — This is the first plot of the Pharisees which St Matthew records.
14. the Pharisees going out. They departed, filled with madness, and on the way talked one with another.
made a consultation. The Scribes and Pharisees consulted with the Herodians (St Mark), for as they were in Galilee, and could do nothing without the co-operation of Herod, they deemed it advisable to consult his partisans immediately (St Mark).
how they might destroy him. From this moment they had one fixed purpose ; the means alone remained uncertain.
15. But Jesus, knowing it. By His omniscience, for evidently His enemies, at this time, did not openly proclaim their evil intentions.
he healed them all, — i.e. as many as had evils (St Mark).
retired from thence. Jesus practised what He had counselled the disciples (see supra, x. 23). From St Mark we learn that Jesus retired with his disciples to the sea (iii. 7), i.e. of Galilee.
many followed him. From Galilee and Judea and other parts. (See Annot. on iv. 25.) Even from Tyre and Sidon, multitudes came who had heard the things which he did (St Mark).
healed them all. This is one of those occasions when Jesus worked numerous miracles at one time.
16. he charged them. See supra, viii. 4, ix. 30, for a like prohibition.
that they should not make him known. Our Lord desired to moderate the enthusiasm of the multitudes that sought to touch him (St Luke vi. 19), in order not to further exasperate the Pharisees, and to be free to pursue His ministry in Galilee.
17. That it might he fulfilled, etc. The rabbis took the passage as referring to the Messias. By His prudence, compassion, and humility, Jesus proved Himself to be the Messias, as portrayed by Isaias,
which was spoken, etc. St Matthew neither quotes literally from the Hebrew Scriptures nor the Septuagint, but he gives a free translation of the sense of the passage, as St Jerome remarks, “ sensum potius quam verba interpretans”— interpreting the sense rather than the actual words.
18. my servant, — i.e. the Messias. The Greek word (παῖς) may mean “ child ” or “ servant,” but there is no ambiguity in the Hebrew word “ abedi ” (servant), which is found in the Old Testament.
my beloved in whom my soul, etc. Three times in the course of our Lord’s life on earth, this truth was proclaimed from heaven.
I will put my Spirit upon him. The Holy Ghost descended openly on our Lord at His Baptism. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit were bestowed on Christ. Cf. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and of godliness (Is. xi. 2).
shew jugment, etc. He shall make known the Gospel.
to the gentiles. The Gospel was to be preached to all nations, and not reserved exclusively for the Jews.
19. He shall not contend, etc. Jesus performed His ministry with humility and clemency.
20. The bruised reed etc. A word-picture of weakness, and in the “smoking flax” we have superadded the idea of something offensive, which requires to be promptly extinguished. Yet Christ spares sinners, in spite of their weakness and worthlessness, Christians, in their degree, should imitate our Lord’s methods of dealing with sinners.
“He who stretches not out his hand to the sinner, and bears not the burden of his brother, breaks the bruised reed ; he who despises the spark of faith in the little ones, extinguishes the smoking flax” (St Jerome).
till he send forth judgment unto victory. Christ, by His gentleness and humility, will ultimately establish His reign on earth. This will only he fully realized after the last judgment, and then His justice in condemning His enemies will be manifested to the whole world.
21. in his name. The Hebrew text gives “ in his law,” but the sense is the same, for those who earnestly desire “ his law ” certainly hope in Him.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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