During this time Jesus revealed Himself to the people as the greater Temple (12:6), the greater Jonah (12:44), the greater Solomon (12:42), and the Lord of the Sabbath (12:8). Many Christians love the Gospel of John because it tells us that Jesus is the life, the truth, the way, the door, and so many other things. But some of the things Matthew revealed, John never touched. John did not tell us that Jesus was the greater Solomon. Neither did he tell us that Jesus was the Lord of the Sabbath. In Matthew, we see that Jesus is greater than everything, because He is everything! If we have Him, we have God’s dwelling place. If we have Him, we have God’s prophet, God’s insight, and God’s wisdom. If we have Him, we have God’s authority and kingship. And if we have Him, we have the real rest.
Jesus is such a wonderful person! He is not only wonderful with God, but also with man. He never breaks a bruised reed, and He never quenches smoking flax (Matt. 12:20). In ancient times, the Jewish children made the reeds into a kind of musical instrument. Whenever the reed was bruised, it would not emit the proper sound, so the children would break it. But Jesus never breaks any bruised reed. Sometimes we are just as these bruised instruments. We should give forth a good sound, but we do just the opposite. As a rule we should be broken, but Jesus would never do that. He would come in to rearrange us that the beautiful music might come forth.
In those days the Jews used burning flax when they traveled at night. When the oil ran out, the flax would begin to smoke, so they would quench it and cast it away. Many times we are just as smoking flax. We should be shining, but rather we are smoking. As a rule, the Lord should quench us and cast us away. But He will never do that. Jesus knows why we are smoking. It is because we are short of oil. Therefore, instead of quenching us, He supplies us with oil. When the flax gets the oil, it burns. We should not be disappointed in some of the smoking brothers and sisters. We only need to supply them with oil, that they might burn to give the light.
Jesus is such a wonderful person! He is not a breaker or a quencher; He is a rearranger and a supplier. Do not say that you are a hopeless case. Nothing is hopeless with Jesus. He is very capable at rearranging. He can rearrange us for the church life. In ourselves we are not qualified, but Jesus qualifies us with His life. Regardless of how bruised or smoking we are, Jesus can rearrange us and supply us. Hallelujah for such a One!
While Jesus was traveling and saying so many wonderful things, the religious ones were continually questioning Him. The Pharisees, the ancient fundamentalists, and the Sadducees, the ancient modernists, joined together with the political parties to question Him (Matt. 22:15-40). They tried their utmost to pin Him down, but they just could not. He is the wisest of all men; He answered all of their questions. When they finished, He asked them a question. “What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?” (Matt. 22:42). The religious ones who had the knowledge of the Bible quickly answered that He was the son of David. Then Jesus answered, “How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?” (Matt. 22:43-45). They could not answer Him. And from that time they asked Him no more questions.
What does this mean? It simply means that Jesus is a mystery. They only knew one aspect, but there is another aspect. They knew Christ as the son of David, but they did not know Him as the Lord of all. Even David, who was before Him, called Him Lord. He is a mystery. We should never think that we know Jesus fully. We may only know a fragment. He is too full and unsearchably rich. We can know Jesus, but we cannot know Him to the uttermost. This is why He said, “No man knoweth the Son, but the Father” (Matt. 11:27). Praise the Lord that Jesus is such a mystery! In the last twelve years in this country we have seen more things about Him. But even in eternity, we will have more and more discoveries of Jesus. He is so rich! We all must open ourselves continually to know Him in a deeper and richer way. I do believe that in the coming years we will see something more, something deeper, something higher, something fuller, and something richer about Christ. He is so wonderful and unsearchable.