Bruised Reed

Reeds are herbs with slender joints like bamboo, about twelve feet high, and the top is covered with hair like a Buddha swab. The reed stems are soft and bend in the wind, and the wind is flat and straight. It grows in mud or near water, where wild animals often nest. The Bible compares reeds to human beings. According to human nature, humans are not noble; they are created by God from the dust of the ground. Even though they appear to be ordinary and sanctimonious on the outside, in reality they are strong on the outside and dry on the inside, empty and have nothing on the inside. Because of the slender shape of the reed, it will sway with the breeze as long as it blows. It has no opinion and no backbone. The Lord Jesus used it to contradict John the Baptist's steadfastness, saying: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? Do you want reeds blown by the spring breeze" (Matthew 11:7)? John was not a reed swaying in the wind, a man who was ups and downs depending on the wind. He is a pillar of strength and a witness for justice. But people like John are rare in the world. Most people "walk in the course of this world, in obedience to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit which is now at work in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). He has no opinion and lacks moral standards. What people say is what people say, and people do what they say. There is no principle in life, and it changes with the swing of the environment. On a smooth day, it seems that with a straight chest and belly, he is worthy of being a man; but once he encounters a temptation, even a small one, his true colors are revealed and he immediately falls to the ground.

Reeds are not only soft and spineless, but also fragile and easily broken. Because it is hollow in the middle, it certainly cannot resist external forces. Isn't this a portrait of a person? No matter how majestic and majestic a person may be on the outside, because of the lack of substance on the inside, he has no power to overcome external pressure. People are fragile and easily injured. As long as you hear a little criticism or suffer some misunderstandings, you will immediately feel discouraged or filled with anger. The Bible says: "For while we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Matthew 5:6). He also said: "Now those who are in Christ Jesus are no longer powerless" (Romans 8:1, another translation). Weakness is our nature. Our weakness tempts us to sin, and our sin lies in our weakness. There are many things that we clearly know are right, but we are weak, afraid of suffering ourselves, and dare not stand up for what is right. There are also many times when we clearly know that we are wrong, but we are weak and afraid of being attacked by others and dare not stand out. No matter how great our ability to do things is, our moral ability is equal to zero. I remember that there was a Christian who wanted to know what the moral condition of people was. He selected some well-known people in society, some were big businessmen, bankers, some were barristers, and famous professors, and asked them to report truthfully on their private lives. The truth. The result was completely unexpected. All these priests were guilty of crimes that deserved to be sentenced to prison. Embezzlement of public funds, tax evasion, adultery, and all kinds of shameful crimes. The reason why they go unpunished and are recognized as virtuous people in society is because their sins have not been discovered by the law, not because they have high morals and clean lives. "Incompetence" can be written on everyone's memorial book. But thank God, while we were still weak, Christ Jesus came into the world to seek and save us. He does not wait until we are strong enough to come, nor wait until we have improved before He saves us. He died for us sinners while we were still weak. He once told us personally: "Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17). He bore our weaknesses and removed our incompetence. He gives us new life, so we receive new power, enabling us to sing with joy: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). He used to be weak, but now he is no longer incompetent. What a salvation! This is what the Lord Jesus has prepared for us. Reader, do you long for this kind of grace?

Man was a reed in the beginning, but today he is a bruised reed. I would like to ask who is complete on earth today? Even a newborn baby is bruised - he is affected by the inheritance of his parents - not to mention the experienced adults? Thousands of years of sin have accumulated into a world system, and when people enter this system, they are crushed to pieces by it. The Lord Jesus once used a parable: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him half to death, and then left him and went away." (Luke 10:30 ), this person is the representative of the world. Jerusalem is the capital of Judaea and the seat of God's temple, located on a high mountain. Jericho was the border of Judea, a cursed city built beside the Jordan River. People descend from high places to low places, leave temples and approach curses, speaking of the common conditions of the world. The robber is the devil. When people forsake God, they fall into the hands of the devil. As a result, his clothes were stripped off and the man was beaten half to death. The Bible says this: "Be sober and alert, for your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He also said: "The whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). Yes, man's condition today is that of being robbed. Man's glory has been stripped away, man has become naked, and all the flesh and its evil passions and desires have been exposed. How ugly and shameful! The man has been beaten half to death, cannot move freely, and is dying. This fulfills what the Bible says: "You were dead in your trespasses and sins" (2:1).

Who today is not bound by sin, who is not bound by customs? Everyone is just hanging on, dying, with no hope for the future, just waiting for eternal death.

Who is free from burdens and sighs today? As the saying goes: "Things often go wrong as you wish, but you can always tell others the same thing." In everyone's heart, I don't know how much weight is piled up. Even though physically he may not be as disabled as the man with a withered hand, psychologically there are few people in the world who are normal. Our nerves have been overloaded to the point of almost bursting, and we cannot control our emotions or our thoughts. We are all bruised reeds!

He will not break

According to human nature, when you see a bruised reed, you always like to go over and break it. It's useless anyway, so it's better to get rid of it. The philosophy created by the German Nietzsche advocates breaking the bruised reed. Get rid of all the old, weak and disabled, so as not to harm society and increase the burden on the public. Only the strong can survive, there is no place for the weak in society. This statement may seem strong at first glance, but it is actually inhumane. This situation in today's world cannot be said to be due to Nietzsche's influence. But God’s chosen servant is completely different. Although He is the most qualified to break the reed because He is the only sinless and blameless reed, He will not break the bruised reed. Not only does it not break, but it also supports and heals. Oh, what a loving and merciful Savior He is!

Many years ago, I had a friend who was attacked by many parties. People are always like this, when you are proud, everyone will compliment you. Once frustrated, everyone will attack. Under the accumulated oppression, he was in great pain, so he signed "Zhewei" on himself to express his sadness. But what men break, God does not break. He sympathizes with our pain and never criticizes us harshly. Although guilt cannot be regarded as innocence, because he once declared: "Jehovah (the name of God means the God who makes covenants with mankind), Jehovah, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the sin of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations." (Exodus 33:6, 7 ). But it can "make him who knew no sin (that is, the Lord Jesus) to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in us" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Who values ??a man with a withered hand? Let him suffer all his life and be prevented from serving God. Can God accept the service of such a person? No one pitied him, thought of his inconvenience and pain. No one cared about him or thought about his treatment. When the Lord Jesus healed him, the people were still arguing, saying: You cannot heal on the Sabbath. They only paid attention to the letter of the law and had no intention of hiding anything. They wanted to break the bruised reed, but the Lord Jesus refused to break it. The Lord was willing to risk the attack of the crowd, and even caused the Pharisees to conspire to kill Him. He would surely support this man with a withered hand and heal him completely.

A woman caught in adultery was brought to the Lord. She is a poor and unfortunate woman, a fragile reed. Her inability to overcome the impulses of lust, or her inability to withstand the temptations of evil men, fully demonstrates her weakness and incompetence. Such people should be pitied rather than condemned. But the scribes and Pharisees were so noble that instead of pitying her, they openly humiliated her. He brought her to a public place, made her stand in the middle, and used her as a lever to attack the Lord Jesus. Even if love can't cover up sin, at least it won't highlight people's evil. They have no love, only hatred, and can actually take advantage of other people's weaknesses to achieve their own goals. This kind of behavior is extremely abhorrent, and it’s a pity that it happens everywhere. They urged the Lord to rise up and condemn her. They cited scriptures and demanded execution. In other words, they were going to break the bruised reed. They think this is the only happiness and truth. When this woman was surrounded by enemies, the Lord stood up and spoke: "He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (John 8:7). Those who commit crimes have no right to condemn others. Don't only see the sawdust in other people's eyes and ignore the logs in your own eyes. Because of this word, their consciences were enlightened and rebuked, and they all went out one by one, from the oldest to the youngest. The Lord saved her from the hands of the dangerous man and said to her: "I will not condemn you either. Go away and do not sin again from now on." The Lord not only forgave her sins, but also gave her the power to never sin again. This is the fulfillment of the words of the prophet: "A bruised reed, he will not break!"

The dying lamp

The ancients used dried flax as a wick and dipped it in oil to light it. But when the oil was gone, the fire burned the flax, and smoke came out. What was supposed to shine out instead emits smoke that adds to the darkness and suffocates the atmosphere. Isn't this a human sketch? According to God’s purpose of creation, man should be light. Man is the spirit of all things, and "the spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord" (Proverbs 20:27). Man should lead all things to worship God, and man should uphold God's will and act for heaven. Man is created in the image of God, and he carries the glory of God. The reason flax shines is because it is soaked in oil. The glory and glory of man also lies in being immersed in the Spirit of God and being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is a pity that people refuse the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and do not obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As a result, they become oilless wicks. Instead of giving out light, they emit darkness and annihilate themselves in black smoke. The Bible clearly says, "For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks to him. Their thoughts became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened. They claimed to be wise, but they became fools."

...Although they know that God has judged that those who do such things deserve death, yet they not only do them themselves, but also like others to do them" (Romans 1:21, 22). Another place says: "Their minds are darkened. , are alienated from the life which God has given them, because of their ignorance and the hardness of their hearts, having lost their conscience, they give themselves over to lust and practice all kinds of uncleanness" (Ephesians 4:18, 19).

Look at the situation of people today. Isn’t it just a smoking lamp? Where is the light? No wonder the ancient philosophers held up lamps to look for people during the day, because people are really far away from God’s original purpose. What is the result? It is self-destruction. The Bible says: "The tongue is fire. It is a world of sin in our body. It can defile the whole body and set the wheels of life on fire. It can set fire to hell. " (James 3:6). Yes, when we speak exaggeratedly with our tongue, our life is ignited and gradually lost. The days a person spends on this earth do not increase, but decrease. It does not mean that life is getting better. The more abundant you are, the more your life will be consumed until you enter eternal death. How desolate it is.

He will not blow it out

If you enter the room and find that the light is already there. What do you do when there is smoke? It is natural that you come closer and blow it out, so that the smoke does not come to you. In the same way, there is no sympathy or mercy on earth, and people eat each other and destroy each other, lest you do not fall. Don’t perish. People use various methods to seduce you, commit crimes, and increase the darkness of your conscience, causing you to die early and enter destruction. However, how can the human heart endure! Not so with the Lord Jesus. "He will not extinguish the dying candle." "No matter how dark and hopeless a person's situation is, He never loses heart or despairs. He came to the world not for destruction, but for salvation. He was willing to abandon the glory of heaven and be born in a manger. He did not grow up in the palace of Jerusalem, but in the barren land of Nazareth. He did not seek the favor of noble people, but kept company with humble people. The Pharisees attacked him and complained about his disciples: " "Why does your husband eat with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard this, he said, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" (Matthew 9:10-13). He died on the cross because this is the position of sinners, and only Only here could he find and redeem the sinner.

A man who had been ill for thirty-eight years lay there unable to move, and no one thought he was hopeless, even himself. He was in despair. But when the Lord Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to be healed?" (John 5:1-9). The Lord was not disappointed in him and gave him new hope. People can abandon him, or they can abandon themselves, but the Lord will never abandon them. How many people can stand up and testify that the Lord saved them when they were desperate? Reader, do you feel that the days of this world have come to an end? ? You are tired of sin, but you cannot escape sin. You despise yourself and think there is no hope. Please listen: "My parents have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me back." (Psalm 27:10) Look to the Lord and you will be healed.

A woman who was married to six husbands went out to draw water at noon because she was thirsty, even though she had six men. , still unsatisfied. Her sins made her lonely, and she could not go with the women in the city to fetch water, because no one wanted to associate with her, lest she be polluted. Her personality was narrow and she had a hostile attitude towards the world. How can such a person live forever and be tolerated in society? It happened that when she went out to draw water, she met the Lord Jesus sitting by the well. No, this was not a coincidence. It was not an encounter. "Mary" (John 4:4). The Lord came there specifically to find this sinful woman. She was a dying lamp that the Lord would not blow out. Who else would think of her, have mercy on her, and would Come to her and save her? Although she treated the Lord with hatred, the Lord patiently persuaded her until she saw her sins, repented of her past mistakes, and changed her mind and returned to God.

Oh, Jesus is the Lord full of mercy and grace. How blessed are those who believe in Him!