Gentleness Pt. 1
Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 11:28-29, Matthew 5:5
What does it mean to be gentle? Take a quick moment and close your eyes. Now, imagine what it means to be gentle. Write down what you think of... I thought of my mother and her gentleness toward me when I was growing up. What did you think of it?
In Galatians 5:22-23, gentle is the Greek word praus, and gentleness is prautes. Praus means not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance. This may be a surprising definition when you think about being gentle.
Why would Paul include gentleness in the lineup of the fruit that comes from the presence of the Spirit? Let’s take a look at Jesus’ life and see what we discover about how Jesus was gentle.
Matthew 11:28-29: 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.
Let’s look at another example. A little later on in Matthew 21:5: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
We see in both of these passages that Jesus was gentle. He was approachable. He was humble, and He was meek. In Matthew 11:28-29, the word gentle there, in other translations, is meek.
Your personality may bode well for being gentle like Jesus in these passages, or you may be asking - can we be both gentle and submissive while also being assertive and straightforward? The opposite of being gentle is to be brutal, harsh, callous, and uncompassionate. There are quite a lot of antonyms for gentle.
What gentleness means, going back to the Greek definition, is doing and saying, and acting in ways that are not focused on oneself or one’s own importance. There are times in Scripture when Jesus is very to the point with people. He submitted to God and was willing to submit his desires for His Father’s purposes. In all of these things, Jesus displays perfect gentleness.
Reflect:
What is something you learned about Jesus’ gentleness?
How can you accept Jesus’ gentle posture towards you today
