Gospel in Art: A bruised reed he will not break

Four posters for the International Campaign to ban landmines © Shaun Fox artist, all rights reserved

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 19 July 2025
Matthew 12:14-21

At that time: The Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 'Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.'

Reflection on the Digital Artwork Posters

In today's Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as the silent healer, the one who does not shout or cry out, who does not draw attention to Himself. Instead, He quietly and gently brings restoration. Quoting Isaiah, Matthew tells us that in Christ "a bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not quench".

This is a deeply consoling image: a Saviour who draws especially close to what is weak, wounded, or nearly extinguished. The bruised and the broken, the dim and the diminished, even the extinguished. These are precisely the ones He gently lifts, re-ignites, and restores.

That Gospel image of tenderness and quiet healing reminded me of this thought-provoking artwork by Shaun Fox: four posters designed for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. The campaign was set up to raise awareness about the long-term dangers of landmine warfare. Sadly, these landmines are still being extensively used in Ukraine and elsewhere. Fox departed from the usual graphic images of violence and injury, images that he believes people have grown numb. Shaun said, 'The problem is not that those images aren't truthful - they are. The problem is that people are jaded from seeing too much of this kind of imagery - so much so, that it becomes ineffective'.

Instead he depicted everyday objects missing a key part: a piano missing a leg, a bike without a wheel, a chair with one broken support. These familiar objects are no longer whole; their function impaired, their beauty marred. There are the modern bruised reeds and the soldering wicks, hurt, lacking in fullness.

Like the reed that's bent or the wick that's nearly out, these four objects stand as metaphors for the wounded people among us, and within us. They show that brokenness does not need to be grotesque to be real. But in the hands of Christ, the silent healer, even the hidden fractured can find new strength, and even the hidden smouldering can burn brightly again.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-12-14-21-2025/