Christ's Gentle Example

Grace To You.org ^ | 1997 | John MacArthur, Grace Community Church

[metmom]

“Walk . . . with all . . . gentleness” (Ephesians 4:1-2).

Jesus is the greatest example of gentleness: He became angry when God the Father was dishonored, but not when He, the Son, was.

Jesus Christ is our supreme example of gentleness. Paul refers specifically to this in 2 Corinthians 10:1. Jesus Himself said, “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29).

Jesus showed righteous indignation when it was proper. When He found the Temple filled with people selling exorbitantly priced sacrificial animals, He drove them out, pouring out their money and overturning tables (Matt. 21:12). He told them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den” (v. 13). Jesus later said to the scribes and Pharisees, “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell?” (23:33). He did not stand idly by while the Temple was defiled. He spoke out in judgment against hypocrites who dishonored God.

Even though Jesus became angry when God was maligned, He neither retaliated against nor condemned those who attacked Him. “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:21-23). When God’s Temple was defiled, Jesus cleaned it out. But when the temple of His body was defiled, enduring the agony of the cross, with mockers all around, all He said was, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). That’s supreme gentleness—total selflessness.

It’s so easy to strike back when someone criticizes or attacks us, but that’s not the way of the gentle Christian trying to walk worthy. The only time we should let the lion in us roar is when God’s honor is at stake. Jesus forgave those who crucified Him. How can we do any less to those who hurt us?

Suggestions for Prayer

We all fall short of Christ’s example of gentleness. Pray that God would help you each day to reflect more and more the gentleness of Christ.

For Further Study

Read the account of Christ’s arrest and crucifixion in Matthew 26:47—27:50.

Did He have the power to strike back (26:53)? Find all the instances you can in which Christ demonstrated His gentleness.

[metmom]

Studying God’s Word ping

[QBFimi]

Gentle, yes - but NOT weak and wimpy:

In Matthew 5:5, the third of the Beatitudes uses the word “meek”. The Greek root word refers to those who are capable of whacking your head off in the blink of an eye, but keep their swords sheathed.

My dear brothers and sisters, may you retain your strength and power, but keep your swords in their scabbards.

[metmom]

Yes, the word has been corrupted over the years as so many English words have.

Jesus has been presented, especially in paintings, as a weak, pale, weak chested, effeminate looking wimp.

For crying out loud, He was carpenter. I’d be pretty sure he was *ripped*, as were all men in those days who did hard physical labor as a means of supporting themselves.

The Jesus who made the whip and drove the money changers out of the Temple, was NOT passive nor weak nor wimpy.

[Ezekiel]

The gentle, compassionate carpenter, but in no way a pushover. That's him.

Even better is that the word carpenter isn't limited to wood. He really knows how to build and repair anything and anyone, being an exceedingly focused, accomplished individual, motivated by a love that transcends the degraded inclinations of this present world.

[QBFimi]

Here are two other poor translations:

“Thou shall not kill”. The prohibition is against murder. In modern English, it should read “You shall not murder”. The now archaic “Thou” is the singular subject of a verb.

“Lead us not into temptation” doesn’t mean “help us stay out of the whorehouses and away from the booze”. It means “I think I’m among the faithful, and strong in my beliefs, but pulleeeeze ... keep me out of a “trial by fire” test”.

[metmom]

Yeah, I’ve seen that translation from the Greek, that the word would be better translated as *trial.*

I love being able to look up the Greek and getting a clearer meaning of what was said.