15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16 He warned them not to tell others about him. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.21 In his name the nations will put their hope.”REFLECTIONSWritten by Vincent ChanIn his gospel, Matthew often quotes Old Testament books to show us who Jesus is. Today is no exception, quoting from perhaps one of the most significant parts of the Old Testament: Isaiah 42, which is one of several passages in Isaiah where God speaks about his Servant who would come.What stands out for me is the context in which Matthew quotes this. Yesterday we read that the Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus, and today’s passage starts with Jesus withdrawing from that place (vs. 15). Surely the one who can cast out demons can handle some human plot – but Jesus withdraws. Likewise, we’re told that after healing many people, Jesus tells the crowd not to tell anyone. Instead of wanting more publicity, he wants secrecy. I’ve heard some people say that Jesus does this because he doesn’t want the attention to be on him but on God.But I think this misses the point. Matthew tells us why Jesus withdrew from the Pharisees and told the crowd to stay silent. It isn’t due to publicity, but because of timing. As the Isaiah passage says, “He will not quarrel or cry out … till he has brought justice through to victory” (vs. 19, 20). In other words, Jesus knew his mission was to give his life on the cross and rise again.I am reminded again of Jesus’ humility. He could have become incredibly famous during his ministry, but he didn’t. Instead, he withdrew from crowds and commanded them to be quiet. And he did all this because he knew that his goal was not to draw fame, but to give his life. In a world where people long for success and popularity, Christ was the one who gave that up for the cross. What a wonderful Saviour we have! ABOUT THE AUTHORVincent is an assistant minister with our Fairfield Services.