Former Blackout Artist

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”-Matt 11:28-30

The Old Testament depicts the Messiah as uniquely gentle. In fact, Isaiah tells us, “He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out” (Is. 42:2-3). And in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus affirmed his gentleness: “I am gentle and humble in heart” (11:29).

As we read and study the Gospels, it’s quite easy for us to agree with Jesus’ own self-assessment. In fact, what made it difficult for many to believe that Jesus was truly the Messiah is that they were expecting someone who wasn’t so gentle, but rather someone who commanded respect and would forcefully drive out all their enemies; someone who would free them from Roman rule and oppression, and restore Israel and the temple to her former glory. They were waiting for another David, a courageous warrior and leader, not this loving and humble King who had come to deliver His Father’s message of grace, forgiveness, and salvation through sacrificing himself on a criminal’s cross.

Although Gentleness and Kindness each are fruit with standalone qualities, they’re both so closely related that it’s almost impossible to separate them. People who have a gentle spirit are most always kind, and people who are kind most always have a gentle spirit. They seem to go hand-in-hand. But it’s also important for us to not confuse gentleness with weakness. Some of the most kind and gentle people I know also happen to be some of the strongest and most resilient people I’ve ever met in my life. They just seem to have this disarming disposition about them. And as we think about the many encounters that Jesus had with others in the Bible, two things none of us could truthfully claim about him is that he was unkind or that he was weak.

Some of us might recall the day when Jesus was traveling through Samaria and asked the woman for a drink of water at Jacob’s well, breaking a longstanding social barrier between Jews and Samaritans. And then a few minutes later, gently reminding her that the man she was living with wasn’t her husband. Think about it. She was the first person that Jesus revealed his true identity to, and that encounter completely changed not only her life, but also those she shared this wonderful news with in her town. She had lived most of her life as a social pariah, but not any longer. And especially not to Jesus, whose opinion mattered most. His gentleness toward her was undeniable.

We also remember another time that Jesus was in Samaria on the way to Jerusalem and sent out James and John ahead of him to prepare for their journey. Because they were Jews, they were met with fierce opposition from the local Samaritans and forced to withdraw. They asked him, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus rebuked them. “The Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:56 NKJV). Jesus had to remind them that their attitudes were exactly the opposite of what it meant to be his disciple.

Approximately 1700 years later, a Puritan pastor from Connecticut by the name of Jonathan Edwards would echo Jesus’ words. “All who are truly godly and are real disciples of Christ have a gentle spirit in them.”

And then we consider that Jesus never forced anyone to do something they didn’t want to do. He never pulled the God card, not even once. In fact, several times it almost seemed as though he was undermining his own ministry by telling some of his halfhearted followers to thoroughly consider all that would be required of them to be his disciples. His encounter with the rich young ruler was just one of several examples, turning down Jesus’ invitation to follow him and walking away because he couldn’t part with his possessions.

Gentleness isn’t weakness, but neither is it forceful. It doesn’t respond with manipulation, nor threats and heavy-handed tactics. Have you ever noticed that when God speaks to convey His will to us, He doesn’t scream or raise His voice? But rather He whispers to us with a softness of tone… a voice so soft that it requires us to be intentional in finding a quiet place so that we can hear Him speak truth into our hearts.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:5, “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” In other words, not just to our fellow believers, but also to those outside of the church who don’t know Christ. Our gentleness is one of the great qualities of the Spirit that point others to Jesus.

So as we consider what Gentleness truly is, where do we land on this sweet, nourishing fruit of the Spirit? Maybe we should take some time today to think about the ways in which we can all cultivate more of this gentle spirit. Not just in word, but also in deed.