What does Matthew 12:18 mean?
Matthew is referencing Isaiah 42 and applying it to Jesus. That passage might have initially seemed to refer to Israel, but Matthew's version of the passage fits Jesus perfectly. Jesus is sometimes described as the ultimate expression of Israel. In that way, He fulfills Isaiah's prophecy in these verses.The passage begins with phrases that sound very much like what the voice of God the Father said from heaven about Jesus immediately following His baptism by John the Baptist, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). It is similar, as well, to the Father's words about Jesus later in Matthew during what it known as the transfiguration (Matthew 17:5).
About 700 years or so before those moments, Isaiah quotes God as saying, "Behold, my servant whom I uphold, my chosen in whom my soul delights." The word translated as "servant" in Isaiah can also be read as "son." Jesus fits both, of course, in relation to God the Father. Matthew seems to be using the Septuagint: a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.
The second part of this verse also fits with that moment following Jesus' baptism, which involved "the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him" (Matthew 3:16). Isaiah quotes God as saying, "I will put my Spirit upon him."
Isaiah next turns to the work this servant will do in proclaiming justice to the nations—in this context, meaning the Gentiles. Jesus came first to proclaim the good news to His people Israel, but soon His followers will take the message of Jesus to all the people of the world.
Matthew 12:15–21 shows Jesus withdrawing away from the Pharisees, who want to destroy Him. The crowds persist in following Him, though, and He continues to tell those He heals not to make Him known. Matthew declares that Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah 42:1–4. Isaiah quotes God referring to His promised servant using the same terminology God used of Jesus at His baptism. This servant is gentle, refusing to call attention to Himself, but is also the One who will bring justice to victory and in whom the Gentiles will hope.
Matthew 12 features confrontations between the Pharisees and Jesus over several issues. Among these are working on the Sabbath, healing on the Sabbath, and the source of His power to cast out demons. Jesus counters each argument and rebukes the Pharisees sharply for their obstinate unbelief. He even notes that those who maliciously ascribe His miracles to demons are unforgivable. He warns them, and the rest of their current generation, about the judgment to come. Jesus calls the Pharisees a brood of vipers and rejects their demand for another miracle. All they'll be promised is the sign of Jonah. The Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days. Jesus also states that all who do His Father's will are His family.
