Gentle and Lowly

1. Christ's Heart: Gentle and Lowly

In the one place in the Bible where the Son of God pulls back the veil and lets us peer way down into the core of who he is, we are not told that he is “austere and demanding in heart.”

Core of Christ. Jesus, in his own words, reveals his heart as "gentle and lowly," not as austere or demanding. This isn't just a fleeting characteristic but the very essence of his being, the center of his motivations. The biblical concept of the heart is not just about emotions but the core of who we are, what drives us, and what defines us.

Gentle and Accessible. The word "gentle" suggests meekness, understanding, and a non-reactive nature. "Lowly" speaks to his accessibility, his approachability, and his willingness to meet us where we are. He is not a distant, unapproachable deity but one who welcomes the burdened and weary.

Rest for the Soul. Jesus's invitation to "come to me" is not a call to perfection but a promise of rest for our souls. His yoke is easy, and his burden is light, not because life is free of hardship, but because his gentleness and lowliness buoy us up, making the journey bearable.

2. Compassion: Christ's Heart in Action

The cumulative testimony of the four Gospels is that when Jesus Christ sees the fallenness of the world all about him, his deepest impulse, his most natural instinct, is to move toward that sin and suffering, not away from it.

Driven by Pity. Jesus's actions throughout the Gospels are consistently driven by compassion. He heals the sick, feeds the hungry, teaches the crowds, and comforts the bereaved, all stemming from a deep, visceral pity for their suffering. The Greek word for compassion literally refers to the bowels, indicating a profound, gut-level response.

Reversing Uncleanness. Jesus reverses the Old Testament system of clean and unclean by moving toward the morally and socially reviled. He touches lepers, spends time with sinners, and heals the sick, not becoming unclean himself but making them clean. His touch is not a reluctant one but a loving embrace.

Restoring Humanity. Jesus's miracles are not interruptions of the natural order but restorations of it. He rehumanizes the dehumanized, cleansing the unclean, and driving out the powers of destruction. His earthly ministry was one of giving back to undeserving sinners their humanity.

3. Christ's Joy: Finding Delight in Mercy

Christ’s “own joy, comfort, happiness, and glory are increased and enlarged by his showing grace and mercy, in pardoning, relieving, and comforting his members here on earth.”

Joy in Mercy. Christ's joy is not solely found in our obedience but also in showing grace and mercy to his people. He delights in pardoning, relieving, and comforting us, finding his own happiness enlarged by our coming to him for help.

Mutual Comfort. When we come to Christ for mercy, we are not detracting from him but actually increasing his joy. He gets more comfort from our healing than we do, like a loving husband who finds more relief in his wife's healing than his own.

Anticipating Forgiveness. Jesus endured the cross "for the joy that was set before him," which included the joy of seeing his people forgiven and made clean. When we draw on his atoning work, we are participating in his deepest longing and joy.

4. Sympathy: Christ's Shared Weakness

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Solidarity in Weakness. Jesus is not a distant, aloof high priest but one who intimately understands our weaknesses. He has been tempted in every way we have, yet without sin, making him uniquely qualified to sympathize with our struggles.

Shared Experience. Jesus's solidarity with us is not just intellectual but deeply felt. He knows what it is to be hungry, thirsty, despised, rejected, and abandoned. He has walked the same difficult path we are on, making him a true companion in our pain.

Sinless Yet Tested. Jesus's sinlessness does not diminish his ability to sympathize with our temptations. On the contrary, his purity allows him to understand the strength of temptation more acutely than we ever could. He endured all our temptations without ever giving in.

5. Gentleness: Christ's Tender Approach

He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward.

Gentle Dealing. Jesus, as our high priest, deals gently with us, not harshly or reactively. He is patient, understanding, and restrained, never throwing his hands up in exasperation when we come to him with our sins and failures.

For All Sinners. Jesus's gentleness is not reserved for milder sinners but extends to all who come to him, whether ignorant or wayward, accidental or deliberate. His tenderness is not determined by the severity of our sin but by our willingness to come to him.

Like a Nursing Father. Jesus's gentleness is like that of a nursing father who does not cast away a crying child. He bears with our infirmities, sins, and provocations with patience and moderation, always ready to embrace us.

6. Unconditional Welcome: Christ Never Casts Out

Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

Open Invitation. Jesus's invitation is open to all who come to him, regardless of their past or present condition. He does not require us to clean ourselves up before approaching him; our very need qualifies us to come.

Emphatic Promise. Jesus's promise "I will never cast out" is an emphatic negation, designed to cut through all our objections and fears. No matter how great or old or hard-hearted or backsliding we are, he will never turn us away.

Persevering Heart. The promise of never being cast out is not just a matter of divine decree but also of divine desire. Christ's heart is so bound up with his people that he cannot bear to part with them, even when they most deserve to be forsaken.

7. Sin's Effect: Evoking Christ's Pity

There is comfort concerning such infirmities, in that your very sins move him to pity more than to anger.

Pity over Anger. Our sins, rather than provoking anger in Christ, move him to pity. He takes our side against our sin, hating the sin but loving the sinner. His anger is directed at our sin, not at us.

Fatherly Love. Christ's love for us is like a father's love for a child with a loathsome disease. He hates the disease but loves the child all the more, drawing his affections out to the afflicted one.

Motives for Pity. Our sins, which are both against Christ and us, become motives for him to pity us all the more. The greater our misery, the more his pity is drawn out, especially when we look at our sin as such.

8. Uttermost Salvation: Christ's Endless Intercession

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Complete Salvation. Christ's salvation is not partial or incomplete but "to the uttermost," reaching into the darkest crevices of our souls. He saves us fully, completely, and comprehensively.

Ongoing Intercession. Christ's intercession is not a one-time event but a continuous, ongoing work. He always lives to make intercession for us, applying his atoning work to our lives moment by moment.

Present Help. Christ's intercession is not just a past accomplishment but a present reality. He is actively pleading on our behalf in heaven, ensuring that we are always welcomed into the Father's presence.

9. Advocacy: Christ's Defense of Sinners

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Our Defender. Jesus is not only our intercessor but also our advocate, aligning himself with us as we approach the Father. He is our comforting defender, the one who speaks on our behalf when we sin.

Righteous Advocate. Jesus's righteousness is the basis of his advocacy. He is the only one who can make a perfect defense for us, pointing to his all-sufficient sacrifice and sufferings on the cross.

Present Help. Christ's advocacy is not something we will receive in the future but something we have right now. He stands up and defends our cause, silencing all accusations and ensuring our acceptance by the Father.

10. Christ's Beauty: The Alluring Heart

There is no love so great and so wonderful as that which is in the heart of Christ.

Attraction to Beauty. We are drawn to Christ not just by his truth but also by his beauty. His gentle, tender, and humble heart is what makes him most attractive and alluring.

Moral and Spiritual Glory. It is not just God's greatness that draws us to him but his goodness. The moral and spiritual glory of Christ, his supreme amiableness, is what overcomes our opposition and inclines our souls to him.

Welcoming Heart. When we come to Christ, we are surprised by the beauty of his welcoming heart. He is not only majestic and pure but also mild, meek, and loving, ready to embrace us with open arms.

11. Christ's Emotions: Perfect Human Feelings

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

Full Humanity. Jesus experienced the full range of human emotions, including compassion, anger, and sorrow. His emotions were not a weakness but a reflection of his perfect humanity.

Perfect Compassion. Jesus's compassion was not a detached pity but a deep, visceral feeling that moved him to action. He felt the pain of others as his own, responding with a profound internal movement of his emotional nature.

Righteous Anger. Jesus's anger was not a sinful outburst but a righteous indignation against evil and injustice. His anger was fueled by his love for the oppressed and his desire to see God's will done.

12. Christ's Friendship: A Tender Companion

. . . a friend of tax collectors and sinners!

Friend to Sinners. Jesus is not only our Savior but also our friend, a companion who enjoys spending time with us and makes us feel welcome and comfortable. He is the friend of sinners, drawing near to those who are despised and rejected.

Mutual Communion. Christ's friendship is not a one-way relationship but a mutual communion of joy, comfort, and openness. He opens his heart to us, and we are invited to open our hearts to him.

Never-Failing Friend. Christ is a friend who will never fail us, no matter what we go through. He is a constant companion who walks with us through every moment, offering us his endless gentleness and supremely accessible lowliness.

Last updated: April 25, 2025