Click on this link for Part-1 of this article. The Virtue of Gentleness (Part-1) – Feast of light
Our Model for Gentleness
Having defined what gentleness is we now go on to study our pattern for Gentleness. And there is no better pattern or example of gentleness than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
-The apostle Paul reminded us about the gentleness and meekness of Christ by which we as believers should pattern our life as the basis for his exhortation to the church in Corinth;
2 Corinthians 10:1 ‘Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ,’
Gentleness was foretold to be one outstanding aspect of the ministry of Christ
In Isaiah 42:1-4 ‘Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: (that quality refers to the gentleness of Christ), he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.’
Isaiah uses two figures of speech. The first is that of a cracked, half-broken/bruised reed. A reed is a tall, slender-leaved plant of the grass family, which grows in water or on marshy ground. When you see a picture of this specie of plant, they look delicate.
Hence with a bruised reed it’s so fragile that it will part in two forever under the rough treatment of men in the world. But in the hands of Jesus the bruised reed will not be broken further; in fact it will be fully restored. When Jesus is at hand, no one is beyond hope, no matter how hopeless he may believe his lot to be. It shows how we as believers can use gentleness as a means of restoring the rejected, the despised back into what God has called them to be
The smoking flax shall he not quench was the second figure of speech used in that passage. This can depict a flickering, almost extinguished oil lamp wick & any sudden movement will quench the light entirely. But in the hands of our Lord Jesus, the flame will be safe for He will be gentle and understanding. The flame will grow in strength again till it is able to shed its light for all to see.
Furthermore, According to Isaiah 42 verses 3 and 4 the gentleness of Christ is the means by which He will one day bring forth judgment unto truth and judgment in the earth. In other words, the Gentleness of Christ is one of the means that God will use to conquer and Judge nations.
In the New Testament, Christ Himself speaks about his own gentleness.
Matthew 11:28-30: 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am [a]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
What a loving and gentle invitation our Lord gives to all who are weary and heavy-laden
-Jesus is gentle because He knows and understands our needs. He knows the anguish of our hearts, our failures, and disappointments. With tender loving care He offers us rest in Him, and the opportunity to learn from Him. For our sakes He even makes His yoke comfortable for us – one that is not burdensome, but easy and light. Is there anyone who can be more gentle to us than Jesus Christ?
The Four Gospels give us several accounts of people who found such rest and restoration through the gentleness of Christ.
- One example is the account about Zacchaeus described in Luke 19:1-10. Zacchaeus was a rich tax-collector who was despised by people around him, but when he heard that Jesus was coming, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Him because he was very short. Jesus saw Zacchaeus and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.’
To a person like Zacchaeus who was much hated and disliked by all of his own countrymen, there could be no better kindness shown to him by Jesus than coming to honour his house with His divine presence. How gentle was our Saviour in understanding the deepest need of Zacchaeus and meeting that need so well. Zacchaeus was marvellously saved after that.
- Another person who experienced the gentleness of Christ was the thief that was crucified beside him at Calvary. In the initial part of the crucifixion, One thief was actually hurling terrible insults at Christ together with all the rest of the people there. But the other thief, when he saw how Jesus took all that suffering and reviling for doing nothing wrong and without any resentment at all, came to realize that Jesus must be the Messiah who could save him. Then this particular thief turned to Jesus and said, ‘Lord remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.’ How wonderful was the gentle reply that Jesus gave to him: ‘Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise.’ Bear in mind Jesus had been heavily insulted! But he didn’t lash out or take it out on the thief as a way of transferring his aggression on someone. How many of us have had a difficult day for whatever reason and we get home or at church and we take it out on someone or people close to us! Does that show gentleness?
- Yet another person who experienced this gentleness of Christ was Peter, one of His closest disciples. Peter had denied Him three times on the night that Jesus was arrested. Peter had every reason to feel that he had grievously disappointed his master and was no longer worthy to be a disciple of Christ anymore. In fact in John 21, Peter went back to his fishing business, and it was Jesus who came to seek for him and restore him. And our Lord did this in a most wonderful and gentle manner. He gave Peter the opportunity to confess his love for Him three times. Then he recommissioned Peter to follow Him as His disciple.
Now that we have seen our pattern for Gentleness in Jesus, we want to consider how we may emulate this pattern but let’s first look at the benefits of gentleness
Benefits of Gentleness
- GENTLENESS DEFUSES CONFLICT:
Proverbs 15:1 NLT (A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare)
- GENTLENESS DISARMS CRITICS
1 Corinthians 4:13a AMPC (When we are slandered and defamed, we [try to] answer softly and bring comfort.).
Titus 2:8 NIV (and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us).
- GENTLENESS IS PERSUASIVE.”
“A wise, mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is” (Proverbs 16:21 GNT)
You’re never persuasive when you’re abrasive, harsh, or rude. No one wants to listen to anyone yelling at them or being rude to them! Even if your advice is good but because you are being rude about it, they are most likely going to ignore you!
Proverbs 25:15 says, “Gentle speech breaks down rigid defences” Do you want to convince a family member or close friend to do something? Being forceful usually gets you nowhere. Even when people have their guard up, gentle speech will get their attention because gentleness breaks down rigid defences.
- GENTLENESS IS ATTRACTIVE
1st Tim 6:11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness
Paul was saying one of the things that make the gospel you preach through the way you live your life attractive to the world is gentleness. People see that gentleness of Christ you display in word and deed and they want your message of salvation
- GENTLENESS COMMUNICATES LOVE
Colossians 3:19 “Husbands, love your wives and be gentle with them.”
A gentle approach with your spouse communicates love to them
Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger. Do not exasperate them to resentment but rear them tenderly in the training and discipline and counsel of the Lord.
-So if you’re a parent, screaming never works—even with the most stubborn child. Never discipline in anger or frustration. Always discipline in love and with gentleness.
- GENTLENESS EARNS RESPECT
“A woman of gentle grace will be respected.” Proverbs 11:16 (Msg)”
- GENTLENESS WITNESSES TO UNBELIEVERS
Titus 3:2 “Believers should never speak evil of ANYONE, nor be quarrelsome. Instead they should be gentle and show courtesy to everyone.” (GW)
1 Pe 3:15 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
No unbeliever will listen to your preaching when they see day in day out how mean and discourteous you are to people and in your mannerism.
- GENTLENESS MAKES ME LIKE JESUS
Matthew 11:27–28 “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.” (NIV)
Although we have stopped this in UK because of infection control, but in other countries when you go to the hospital and see a man/woman wearing a long white coat you can be sure that he/she is a doctor. That is how unbelievers and the world see us. When they see you consistently wearing the coat of gentleness, they know this man or woman is with Jesus or like Jesus. God bless you
Prayer: O Lord help me to always wear the coat of gentleness in my dealings with people in the name of Jesus.
Feast of Light Global Ministry
