A Bruised Reed and Smoldering Wick

A Bruised Reed and Smoldering Wick

Isaiah 42:3  “A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning [smoldering] wick he will not quench…”

January is a hard month for many people.  The festivity of the Christmas holidays has past, bills need to be paid, loneliness sets in, the weather is often at its worst, you get up and it’s dark outside, you come home and it’s dark outside, and quite frankly, January is simply the bleakest month of the year.  Many suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder due to a lack of light.  Depression sets in like a thick, dark fog.

And yet, right here in the middle of darkest winter, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord.  Consider God’s Providence in having the Church put this celebration right in the middle of the worst time of year for many people.  In the midst of loneliness, despair, heartache, and depression, we have a beacon of hope which shines forth for us.

The prophet Isaiah, in speaking of the Messiah, God’s Servant, says that this Servant will not break a bruised reed or put out a smoldering wick.  What does the prophet mean?

A reed here refers to the cane that grows in marshy places or wetlands.  The reed is something that is weak, easily broken, and easily tossed by the wind.  The Hebrew word used by the prophet means that this reed is bruised and crushed but not completely broken off.  In other words, it is very fragile in its current state.  Does this describe your emotional or spiritual condition today?  Do you feel crushed by the cares and weight of this world?  Do you feel like you are barely hanging on to life by a thread?  Are you weighed down by the burden of sin?

The smoldering wick of which the prophet speaks is that which is weak, small, thin, feeble; that which is just ready to go out.  The phrase refers literally to the expiring wick of a lamp, when the oil is almost consumed, and when it shines with a feeble and dying luster. Perhaps you feel today that your love for God and his Son is not what it once was.  Perhaps there was a time when you were on fire with zeal for Christ and His Church.  But somewhere along the way something happened that dampened that love.  There may be the feeling that God is so disappointed with you that you can never get back to your “first love.”

The prophet speaks today to give us hope and to tell us that no matter what our circumstances may be right now, the Servant, Jesus, has not come to break us off and cast us away.  The Lord of Heaven has not come to crush your spirit even further.  In fact, the Lord’s baptism speaks just the opposite to us.  Christ’s baptism shows us that he came to identify with us in our weakness, in our despair, in our sinful conditions.  He came as the Son of Man, the representative Man of all men, who came not to damn but to redeem.

Isaiah states in chapter 61 that the Messiah came to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and to open the prison of those who are bound!  Jesus has not come to condemn, for the world was condemned already.  Jesus has come to give life and hope.

Right here, in the dark of winter’s night, the light of Christ shines forth to give us hope and consolation.  My brothers and sisters, do not let your heart be troubled today.  Identify with our Lord’s baptism while you recall your own baptism.  He knows your situation.  He understands your need.  Yes, he is aware of your wants as well.  Go to Christ today in prayer.  Ask him to heal your broken heart.  Ask him to release you from whatever prison you may find yourself in.  Ask him to fill you anew with the Holy Spirit today and set your heart on fire for him.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, +Amen.