Fall Back

 

Matthew 12:15-21 (CJB)

¹⁵ Aware of this, he left that area.

Many people followed him; and he healed them all ¹⁶ but warned them not to make him known. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Yesha‘yahu the prophet,

¹⁸ “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, with whom I am well pleased;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will announce justice to the Gentiles.
¹⁹ He will not fight or shout,
no one will hear his voice in the streets;
²⁰ he will not snap off a broken reed
or snuff out a smoldering wick
until he has brought justice through to victory.
²¹ In him the Gentiles will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:1–4)  

 

Emergent phrases:

“Going away.” Anachōreō* is the Greek source for the word ‘anchorite,’ which is another word for a hermit. I am a hermit by profession (literally).

“No one will hear his voice in public.” Being quiet. Accommodating silence. Thinking before speaking.

“Bringing justice to victory.” What an ambiguous phrase! It could mean its own opposite. Either it’s ‘making justice victorious,’ or it’s ‘judgment visited upon victory.’

 

When it comes to following Christ, there’s nothing simpler than just doing what Christ does.

That means there must be value in the act of walking away; of keeping a distance; of holding space. I’ve been pondering the question “What use it is to be a hermit; what service does a hermit render to this crazy world?” It’s certainly not always a benefit to the hermit!

How do the two things connect— this distance or detachment; this practice of making room, and the business of announcing justice to outsiders?

How is it even possible for victory to be compatible with justice? Maybe it’s much simpler— ‘bringing judgment to victory’ could mean only that every victory must be judged according to the Way. Think about it: Victory means that there is a winner, and so, inevitably, a loser.

If we Walkers of the Way want to be true, then in every circumstance in which we find ourselves in opposition to someone, and we start trying to win, then we need to bring justice into the battle. We need to bring judgment to our own desire for victory.

Whenever we think we are right, and someone else is wrong, we need to ask ourselves, “Is there any way to be victorious without taking advantage of our opponent’s weaknesses? Can we win without breaking the bruised reed; without seeing the injury as an advantage for ourselves? Can we win without using the vulnerability of the struggling flame, and seeing it as a sign of fragility that we can exploit?”

Maybe we can’t. Maybe there’s no way to even think about that sort of “victory” without destroying any hope of real justice.

There are pretty clear instructions here:

“No fighting or shouting, no seeking publicity; be careful of all damaged and struggling things, and somehow bring victory and justice into harmony with each other. Lastly, be a person in whom outsiders and aliens see a reason to hope. ”

 

So, maybe there’s another kind of victory? What if the victory we seek is a victory over ourselves? Can we bow our necks in favor of fairness? Can we see our own selves as bruised reeds and nearly exhausted flames? Can we imagine that if justice itself is victorious, then there’s nothing to worry about?

Best of all, if we count ourselves among the losers and outsiders, then maybe we can let ourselves retreat. Fall back, withdraw, let go.

 

 

 *(from ana "back" (see ana-) + khorein "withdraw, give place," from khoros "place, space, free space, room," from PIE root *ghē- "to release, let go; be released." Online Etymology Dictionary)