Gentle and Lowly summary

Over the course of the eighty-nine chapters that comprise Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the Bible recounts in detail the elements of Jesus’s birth, his teaching and ministry, his travels and habits, his followers, his arrest, his death, and his resurrection. Yet astonishingly, we’re given only one scripture that describes his heart. 

Think about it like this: you’re describing the wonderful woman or man you’ve married to a friend. You tell them about their eating habits, their day-to-day routine, what they do for work, and his birthplace and family. But would you really be describing your partner’s soul by doing so?  

Let’s take a look at what we’re given, then, to describe the heart of Jesus. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28–30) 

What this says is that Jesus’s heart is not reactive, finger-pointing, or harsh, but rather, humble, understanding, and tender. Let’s look at the three other instances in the New Testament in which the word “gentle” appears for more context: first, in Matthew 5:5, which declares that “the meek” will inherit the earth; second, in Matthew 21:5 (quoting Zechariah 9:9), which foresees that Jesus “is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey”; and finally, in Peter’s emphasis that it is above all essential to nourish “the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:4). 

What about “lowly”? Though most often translated into “humble” in the New Testament (as in James 4:6, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”), we ought to consider humility not in the sense of a virtue, but rather as the humility that comes from suffering adverse circumstances. The Old Testament also uses the original Greek word for “lowly” in this application, as in Luke 1:52, in which Mary, while pregnant with Jesus, sings to God: “He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and exalted them of low degree.” In Romans 12:16, Paul advises us to “not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.”  

In other words, his gentle and lowly heart reserves his loyalty, devotion, and love not for those who are impressive, well appointed, or powerful, but for those who have sinned, failed, disappointed, and suffered—those with wounds and those who feel broken. He does not wish to punish or discipline, but rather to radiate love, patience, and healing to those who feel they have no more strength or resources to carry on or forge a new path.  

Our lives will not be free from challenges and loss, but when such hardships do arise, and with them our insecurities, doubts, and anxieties, his gentle heart will welcome you all the more.