“I Have Put My Spirit in Him”

 3. What does Jehovah prophesy through Isaiah about “my servant”?

³ Through Isaiah, Jehovah prophesies the coming of a servant whom he himself will choose: “Look! My servant, on whom I keep fast hold! My chosen one, whom my soul has approved! I have put my spirit in him. Justice to the nations is what he will bring forth.

Isaiah 42:1

 4. Who is the foretold “chosen one,” and how do we know this?

⁴ Who is the Servant referred to here? We are not left in doubt. We find these words quoted in the Gospel of Matthew and applied to Jesus Christ. (Matthew 12:15-21) Jesus is the beloved Servant, the “chosen one.” When did Jehovah put his spirit upon Jesus? In 29 C.E., at the time of Jesus’ baptism. The inspired record describes that baptism and says that after Jesus rose from the water, “the heaven was opened up and the holy spirit in bodily shape like a dove came down upon him, and a voice came out of heaven: ‘You are my Son, the beloved; I have approved you.’” In this way Jehovah personally identified his beloved Servant. Jesus’ subsequent ministry and the miraculous works that he performed proved that Jehovah’s spirit was indeed upon him.​—Luke 3:21, 22; 4:14-21; Matthew 3:16, 17.

‘He Will Bring Forth Justice to the Nations’

 5. Why was clarification of justice needed in the first century C.E.?

⁵ Jehovah’s Chosen One was to “bring forth,” or make stand out, true justice. “What justice is he will make clear to the nations.” (Matthew 12:18) How this was needed in the first century C.E.! The Jewish religious leaders taught a distorted view of justice and righteousness. They sought to attain righteousness by following a rigid code of laws​—many of their own making. Their legalistic justice was void of mercy and compassion.

 6. In what ways did Jesus make true justice known?

⁶ In contrast, Jesus revealed God’s view of justice. By what he taught and how he lived, Jesus showed that true justice is compassionate and merciful. Just consider his famous Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew, chapters 5-7) What a masterful explanation of how justice and righteousness should be practiced! When we read the Gospel accounts, are we not touched by Jesus’ compassion for the poor and afflicted? (Matthew 20:34; Mark 1:41; 6:34; Luke 7:13) He carried his comforting message to many who were like bruised reeds, bent over and knocked about. They were like a smoldering flaxen wick, their last spark of life almost smothered. Jesus neither broke a “crushed reed” nor extinguished “a dim flaxen wick.” Rather, his loving and compassionate words and actions lifted up the hearts of the meek.​—Matthew 11:28-30.