The Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness

Written By Melvin Jones

"And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables;" - John 2:13-15

And Jesus, the one the passage is talking about, describes Himself as gentle (Matthew 11:29). Turning over tables, driving people out of the temple with a whip, and pouring out the coins of the moneychangers aren't actions we associate with gentleness. So what are we missing?

As with the rest of the qualities of the Fruit of the Spirit, the meaning God puts into the word "gentleness" is not what the rest of the world puts into that same word. Most of us tend to think of gentleness as being mild mannered and soft spoken. Or we think of it as never being abrasive or irritating. Gentle people are willing to do whatever it takes to get along. Yet Jesus regularly irritated the Sadducees and the Pharisees to the point they wanted to kill him. He called them vipers, whited sepulchers, and hypocrites. He refused to simply go along with the traditions they had made more important than the law. So what did Jesus mean when He described Himself as gentle? And what should gentleness look like in our lives?

First, let's see what Jesus says about Himself. He makes an invitation and, in Matthew 11:29 says: "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls." Who was He talking to in this passage? Those who seek to please God and find themselves trying to do it in their own strength.

People, who seek to please God by their own efforts, if they are honest with themselves, soon become weary of the burden because they soon see the hopelessness of trying to please God in their own strength. They become burdened with the guilt of their continuous failures. But Jesus, through His gentleness, relieves the weariness brought on by the self-effort and He lifts the burden of self-condemnation. He forgives us when, as the creator of the universe and the personification of righteousness, He has the power, and the right to condemn us. But instead, when we come to Him, He forgives us. And this is one of the ways "gentleness" is used. It's the idea of exercising mercy and withholding condemnation and punishment when it is fully within my power and right to punish.

Galatians 6:1 and 2 relate this idea of gentleness to us in our relationships with each other. It says: "Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:1-2 NASB

If someone is caught in a moral failure, our natural response is to condemn the brother or sister. But, if we are to emulate Christ in our lives, our first reaction should be to seek the restoration of the brother. Our love for them should move us to help them bear their burdens, just as Christ bears the burden of our sins.

Gentleness, as used in the bible, requires humility, which requires us to have a good understanding of what Jesus Christ did for us, even though we in no way deserved it. That understanding should cause us to be more than willing to refrain from reacting to those who have clearly wronged us in one way or another.

This doesn't mean we don't call each other into account when needed. Rather, it means that our motivation for speaking out is to restore a brother or sister. And when done in the spirit of gentleness, there is no condemnation.