Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; then you will find rest for your souls!
Matthew 11:29
Gentleness, what is that actually? That word sounds old-fashioned. Gentleness today has connotations of weakness, lack of spirit, lack of strength and manliness. Different in the Bible. Here meekness is described as a humble and mild demeanor that patiently submits to any attack while desiring no vengeance or retribution. In the New Testament, this word designates three attitudes: submission to the will of God, teachability, and consideration for others. Meek are people who possess a certain calming quality. They speak words that can soothe anger and bitterness. They are like an ointment that soothes the pain of a suppurating wound. Gentleness is like the tender tone of a lover's voice. The meek is characterized by being kind to others, especially difficult people. Gentleness is the right attitude and atmosphere in an argument: A gentle person can argue without losing patience or becoming violent.
So gentleness is a quality that perfectly combines strength and gentleness. Truly great is the man who is passionate and gentle at the same time in the highest degree. Jesus was meek, and from the heart. Christians should follow his example. Because there are never enough people with this character trait.
In the Bible we find many passages about meekness, I have listed some of them here:
• In all humility and meekness, in patience. endure one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2
• Therefore put away all uncleanliness and all wickedness and accept the word with gentleness, which is planted in you and has power to save your souls.
James 1:21
• Put on then, as the elect of God, as the saints and beloved, as the saints and beloved, put on heartfelt mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience.
Colossians 3:12
• Brothers and sisters, if a man is caught in any trespass, restore him with a gentle spirit, you who are spiritual. And see to yourself that you're not being tempted too.
Galatians 6:1
• Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am meek and humble of heart; so you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:29-30
Gentleness is a characteristic of Jesus. Happiness is promised to the meek to see God's promises fulfilled. A meek person is not stubborn and allows himself to be corrected by God's Word. Our dealings in the church and especially with regard to brothers and sisters who have sinned should be characterized by gentleness. Gentleness is one of the spiritual traits (Galatians 5:22) we should strive for. We have to learn to be gentle, reserved, loving and careful with people if we want to convince as Christians.
Matthew 23 shows that a meek person is willing to tread hard when the situation calls for it. In certain situations consideration and restraint is simply wrong! It is certainly not always easy to identify such situations, but it is necessary lest a false understanding of gentleness tempt me to react too kindly. Most people have a hard time deciding when a situation calls for restraint and when to "bang the fist on the table." Even Jesus, who was meek, banged his fist on the table. (John 2:13-16)
We will make mistakes, but a wise person learns from their mistakes and can judge a little better what behavior is appropriate in the future.
To this eighth fruit of the Spirit I read a beautiful prayer by Pastor Christoph Fischer:
Holy Spirit,
Come, let the fruit of gentleness
grow inside me.
I can be gentle sometimes,
maybe too gentle and reserved.
Give me the courage to open my mouth,
even if not everyone likes it;
to open my hands,
to embrace those who think differently
and open up my heart,
if it wants to wall itself in.
I do have courage sometimes,
maybe too impetuous and imprudent.
Give me the gentleness,
not to speak only to others but to listen to them,
what is said between the lines;
not to bombard others with my ideas,
but to understand what motivates them;
not only to stand up convincingly for my position,
but to learn from others.
Holy Spirit,
Come,
let the fruit of gentleness
grow inside me.
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