Tending the Garden for a Good Harvest: Gentleness
I was in 7th grade, and I made our town’s all-star soccer team. This year we’d be playing against a team from Detroit - they played good soccer in Detroit. So we practiced hard in anticipation for our big game. On game day, we were disappointed to find out that instead of a high-powered Detroit soccer team, our opponent was a rag-tag group of inner city kids. We were to follow the older age group’s game, and that game wasn’t pretty. Our coaches offered us a choice; we could split up and play: ½ of them with ½ of us, or play as a team. If we chose option 2, we had to keep the game close. We chose to play as a team; after all, we’d trained together for this game, the only chance we would have to play together. We could have scored as many goals as we wanted to that day and blown them out, but instead we kept the score close.
When Paul was talking about gentleness as an aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit, this is what he was talking about. He wasn’t talking about the visitors from Detroit who were outsized, underprepared, and overmatched. They couldn’t do anything else but lose.
When we use the word “gentleness” we often think of something little and helpless. This isn’t what Paul is talking about. Gentleness, from the Greek prautes, doesn’t denote a lack of spirit, courage, vigor, or energy. Instead, this is someone in whom strength and humility go hand-in-hand. This attribute is best equated with the meekness of the beatitude: great strength held under control.
We often run around all scared about the world, about $, about diseases. That’s ridiculous. We as Christians have great power. We have at our disposal the power of the Holy Spirit, God Himself living within us. We read in 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. The Christian should be full of power! Not cowering like a bunch of wimps.
This is background; this shouldn’t be new news to us as Christians. We have the Almighty living in us. The creator of heavens and earth. We are people of great power. So how do we use our power? Because true gentleness is all about how we use our great power. Want an example? Isaiah 40:10-11 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. He is powerful beyond compare, but he treats his people with gentleness.
In the Greek Old Testament, gentleness always signified a humble disposition which submits to the divine will. It is never used for its own gain or for personal goals and ambitions. In the New Testament, gentleness is always associated with love, patience, humility, and avoiding quarrels The question is asked, “Would you rather be right or happy?”
There are sometimes when I am embarrassed to be a Christian. When Tara was at Ohio State, I would often go along with her to class and hang out in the oval, there was always this preacher out there shouting condemnation on the whole campus. The sad thing: they were often speaking biblical truth, but it was hidden by his anger. I admire his commitment to get out there and speak, but there is a better way. And gentleness is one aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit that itself is designed to bear fruit. The Apostle Paul told his protégé Timothy how to deal with people who don’t agree with him: 2 Timothy 2:23-26 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
I know I’ve gotten suckered into foolish and stupid arguments, and sometimes there are really passionate people talking about their view. Sometimes there are foolish and stupid arguments about which kind of church music is “right” or what kind of clothes are “right” or this or that minor Christian celebrity is a heretic, or which translation of the Bible is “right” – these foolish arguments only serve one purpose: to distract from God’s purpose, and to “win” an argument. Paul tells Timothy that you’re not going to win with a quarrel, and that quarrelling simply does not work toward God’s purpose. Instead, gently instruct.
I once got suckered into going to a time-share presentation, and this very nice person gave a very nice presentation – rather compelling, actually, but then they brought in their “hard-sell” guy to try to “close the deal.” He gave a bunch of statistics and so forth that were stilted in such a way that I had to answer the way he wanted me to. Then he would press the point to get me to tell him he was right, that his deal was the best deal and I’d be stupid not to take it. I wanted to punch him. I told the very nice person who I had been talking to that because of that guy’s presentation, I would never buy their product. I’m embarrassed as well when I see certain street-preachers who force people to admit they’ve broken the 10 Commandments. Sure, it may be true, but it’s not being done in love, and it likely produces the opposite results as hoped for; people turning away from Christ.
But you know what? This isn’t the big issue in our congregation. I don’t know any of you who are so in-your-face about your faith with others that you’re turning people off. Honestly, most of us could stand to be a lot bolder in how we share Jesus.
But here is somewhere we could use gentleness. Galatians 6:1-5 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.
How have you responded to a brother or sister who is caught in sin? Or one who has sinned against you? Or doesn’t agree with you? Listen to what the Apostle Paul told the church in Philippi (Philippians 2:1-11): If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
What happened here is important. Paul stresses that if anyone has decided to follow Jesus, we’re supposed to be unified in spirit and purpose. In other words, he’s telling us to discard our own agenda and live completely for Jesus. How do we do this? Consider others before yourself. You aren’t any better than anyone out there. It’s easy to assume the worst about someone: you get cut off in traffic and you just assume that this jerk yakking on his cell phone is just careless. Would you be a little more forgiving if you found out that he was on the phone with his wife, who was telling him, “The baby is coming now!” Most of us don’t realize how selfish we are until it smacks us in the face. I remember being on a retreat and I’d had a horrible night’s sleep. I’d only gotten about an hour or two of sleep, and I’d spent much of the night sitting in a stairwell, reading my Bible. At first light, I went out for a run and had some good prayer time. I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal to my heart those sins I wasn’t even aware of (that’s a dangerous prayer, but one of the best prayers you’ll ever pray).
When I got back, I hurried to get my stuff to get cleaned up. I wanted to make sure that there was still warm water when I got my shower. Then the Holy Spirit answered the prayer I had just prayed, “Why do you deserve the warm shower any more than these other guys?” The fact was, I was the most in need of the cold water after my run.
Now, with Jesus, there wasn’t any sin to be convicted of, but there was the temptation. He was tempted to hold on to His divinity, to His God nature. But instead he humbled himself and served us, even to the point of going to the cross! We as Christians talk about the cross so much that it sometimes loses its impact – but think of this: Jesus put others first to the extent that he died on a cross for who? Not for himself. For us.
This is God, who had the power and the historical background to destroy all of us for our sins. I know he promised no more worldwide floods, but what about fire? In fact, this is what Jesus’ disciples wanted. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and he sent messengers on ahead to a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. When the villagers didn’t welcome Jesus, James and John asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” (Luke 9:54). (Can you see why they were known as the Sons of Thunder?) Jesus simply rebuked them and they went to another village.
You may say, “People have done a lot worse to me than just not inviting me over.” You need to understand that their act of not welcoming Jesus was more than just a “hey, don’t come over” attitude; to withhold hospitality was serious. Yet Jesus wasn’t willing to punish them for this personal offense. You might say, “Well, he’s Jesus; I’m more like James and John. I’m a person of passion and temper. That’s just who I am.”
Maybe. But even a person of passion can be transformed. King David was obviously a man of passion if you checked out the account of his affair with Bathsheba and his following attempted cover-up. Yet later, David and his most trusted men were on the run from David’s son Absalom. While they were on the road, a man from (former) King Saul’s family came out, cursing David and pelting him with stones (2 Samuel 16:7-14). “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel. The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood.”
Did you notice how David dealt with this guy who is cursing him and throwing stones at him? He said, “Maybe God told him to curse me. Leave him alone.” He took this nut job who was throwing rocks at him and said, “Maybe God is trying to speak to me through him.”
At the Catalyst Conference, Malcolm Gladwell told us that an overconfident leader is one who doesn’t listen to anyone, while a humble leader listens to others. I would add to this that a gentle leader listens to the Holy Spirit speaking through others. Even unpleasant people, even annoying people, even people whose theological stance we don’t agree with. In New Knoxville, I participated in a Monday Morning Bible study. One of the guys was a retired pastor who was a universalist: he believed that God would let everyone into heaven. I obviously do not share his belief. But I learned a lot from him and we became good friends. That wouldn’t have happened if I’d simply plugged my ears when he talked because I didn’t agree with him on who will get to heaven.
Many of us are determined to be right when it comes to doctrine – this isn’t a bad pursuit, by the way, but sometimes we are so rigid, condescending, and hard-hearted that we end up treating people who we don’t agree with horribly. Or we become bitter and angry.
James 3:13-18 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
If the Holy Spirit lives within you, prove it by the way you live. And do your good works with humility. What does humility look like? It looks like this: I pride myself in being athletic. I’m pretty great, if I say so myself, which I just did. Once last winter it was nasty out so instead of running outside, I went over to the Kennedy’s garage down the street to run on their treadmill. It was toward the end of the run, and I was running as fast as I could to get it over with (I don’t like running on the dreadmill much). Now you have to know John Mark for this to make sense, but the guy is a monster. I can’t even carry his water bottle. Anyway, he came in to work out just when I was finishing up. I hit the stop button on the treadmill and jumped to the sides… and missed. Did you know that a treadmill will throw a 185# man against the wall? Remember, I’m athletic. Pretty great. Yeah, I looked pretty great in a heap against the garage wall. That’s a sure path to humility. Any time you think you’ve arrived, that you’re at the top of the ladder, start looking up. You’ll find there’s someone above you. And as you learn about the Bible, God, the Trinity, you’ll find the more you learn, the more there is you’d like to know.
And did you notice where God’s kind of wisdom comes from? It doesn’t come from us; it comes from God. When you come to a humility that comes from following God, it leads to gentleness when dealing with others.
The benefit of gentleness is clear; when we deal gently with someone, they see God through us. And this is exactly what we’re called to. To receive a blessing to be a blessing to the world.
When Paul was talking about gentleness as an aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit, this is what he was talking about. He wasn’t talking about the visitors from Detroit who were outsized, underprepared, and overmatched. They couldn’t do anything else but lose.
When we use the word “gentleness” we often think of something little and helpless. This isn’t what Paul is talking about. Gentleness, from the Greek prautes, doesn’t denote a lack of spirit, courage, vigor, or energy. Instead, this is someone in whom strength and humility go hand-in-hand. This attribute is best equated with the meekness of the beatitude: great strength held under control.
We often run around all scared about the world, about $, about diseases. That’s ridiculous. We as Christians have great power. We have at our disposal the power of the Holy Spirit, God Himself living within us. We read in 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. The Christian should be full of power! Not cowering like a bunch of wimps.
This is background; this shouldn’t be new news to us as Christians. We have the Almighty living in us. The creator of heavens and earth. We are people of great power. So how do we use our power? Because true gentleness is all about how we use our great power. Want an example? Isaiah 40:10-11 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. He is powerful beyond compare, but he treats his people with gentleness.
In the Greek Old Testament, gentleness always signified a humble disposition which submits to the divine will. It is never used for its own gain or for personal goals and ambitions. In the New Testament, gentleness is always associated with love, patience, humility, and avoiding quarrels The question is asked, “Would you rather be right or happy?”
There are sometimes when I am embarrassed to be a Christian. When Tara was at Ohio State, I would often go along with her to class and hang out in the oval, there was always this preacher out there shouting condemnation on the whole campus. The sad thing: they were often speaking biblical truth, but it was hidden by his anger. I admire his commitment to get out there and speak, but there is a better way. And gentleness is one aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit that itself is designed to bear fruit. The Apostle Paul told his protégé Timothy how to deal with people who don’t agree with him: 2 Timothy 2:23-26 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
I know I’ve gotten suckered into foolish and stupid arguments, and sometimes there are really passionate people talking about their view. Sometimes there are foolish and stupid arguments about which kind of church music is “right” or what kind of clothes are “right” or this or that minor Christian celebrity is a heretic, or which translation of the Bible is “right” – these foolish arguments only serve one purpose: to distract from God’s purpose, and to “win” an argument. Paul tells Timothy that you’re not going to win with a quarrel, and that quarrelling simply does not work toward God’s purpose. Instead, gently instruct.
I once got suckered into going to a time-share presentation, and this very nice person gave a very nice presentation – rather compelling, actually, but then they brought in their “hard-sell” guy to try to “close the deal.” He gave a bunch of statistics and so forth that were stilted in such a way that I had to answer the way he wanted me to. Then he would press the point to get me to tell him he was right, that his deal was the best deal and I’d be stupid not to take it. I wanted to punch him. I told the very nice person who I had been talking to that because of that guy’s presentation, I would never buy their product. I’m embarrassed as well when I see certain street-preachers who force people to admit they’ve broken the 10 Commandments. Sure, it may be true, but it’s not being done in love, and it likely produces the opposite results as hoped for; people turning away from Christ.
But you know what? This isn’t the big issue in our congregation. I don’t know any of you who are so in-your-face about your faith with others that you’re turning people off. Honestly, most of us could stand to be a lot bolder in how we share Jesus.
But here is somewhere we could use gentleness. Galatians 6:1-5 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.
How have you responded to a brother or sister who is caught in sin? Or one who has sinned against you? Or doesn’t agree with you? Listen to what the Apostle Paul told the church in Philippi (Philippians 2:1-11): If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
When I got back, I hurried to get my stuff to get cleaned up. I wanted to make sure that there was still warm water when I got my shower. Then the Holy Spirit answered the prayer I had just prayed, “Why do you deserve the warm shower any more than these other guys?” The fact was, I was the most in need of the cold water after my run.
Now, with Jesus, there wasn’t any sin to be convicted of, but there was the temptation. He was tempted to hold on to His divinity, to His God nature. But instead he humbled himself and served us, even to the point of going to the cross! We as Christians talk about the cross so much that it sometimes loses its impact – but think of this: Jesus put others first to the extent that he died on a cross for who? Not for himself. For us.
This is God, who had the power and the historical background to destroy all of us for our sins. I know he promised no more worldwide floods, but what about fire? In fact, this is what Jesus’ disciples wanted. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and he sent messengers on ahead to a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. When the villagers didn’t welcome Jesus, James and John asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” (Luke 9:54). (Can you see why they were known as the Sons of Thunder?) Jesus simply rebuked them and they went to another village.
You may say, “People have done a lot worse to me than just not inviting me over.” You need to understand that their act of not welcoming Jesus was more than just a “hey, don’t come over” attitude; to withhold hospitality was serious. Yet Jesus wasn’t willing to punish them for this personal offense. You might say, “Well, he’s Jesus; I’m more like James and John. I’m a person of passion and temper. That’s just who I am.”
Maybe. But even a person of passion can be transformed. King David was obviously a man of passion if you checked out the account of his affair with Bathsheba and his following attempted cover-up. Yet later, David and his most trusted men were on the run from David’s son Absalom. While they were on the road, a man from (former) King Saul’s family came out, cursing David and pelting him with stones (2 Samuel 16:7-14). “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel. The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood.”
Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head." But the king said, "What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD said to him, 'Curse David,' who can ask, 'Why do you do this?' " David then said to Abishai and all his officials, "My son, who is of my own flesh, is trying to take my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. It may be that the LORD will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today."
So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.
Did you notice how David dealt with this guy who is cursing him and throwing stones at him? He said, “Maybe God told him to curse me. Leave him alone.” He took this nut job who was throwing rocks at him and said, “Maybe God is trying to speak to me through him.”
At the Catalyst Conference, Malcolm Gladwell told us that an overconfident leader is one who doesn’t listen to anyone, while a humble leader listens to others. I would add to this that a gentle leader listens to the Holy Spirit speaking through others. Even unpleasant people, even annoying people, even people whose theological stance we don’t agree with. In New Knoxville, I participated in a Monday Morning Bible study. One of the guys was a retired pastor who was a universalist: he believed that God would let everyone into heaven. I obviously do not share his belief. But I learned a lot from him and we became good friends. That wouldn’t have happened if I’d simply plugged my ears when he talked because I didn’t agree with him on who will get to heaven.
Many of us are determined to be right when it comes to doctrine – this isn’t a bad pursuit, by the way, but sometimes we are so rigid, condescending, and hard-hearted that we end up treating people who we don’t agree with horribly. Or we become bitter and angry.
James 3:13-18 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
If the Holy Spirit lives within you, prove it by the way you live. And do your good works with humility. What does humility look like? It looks like this: I pride myself in being athletic. I’m pretty great, if I say so myself, which I just did. Once last winter it was nasty out so instead of running outside, I went over to the Kennedy’s garage down the street to run on their treadmill. It was toward the end of the run, and I was running as fast as I could to get it over with (I don’t like running on the dreadmill much). Now you have to know John Mark for this to make sense, but the guy is a monster. I can’t even carry his water bottle. Anyway, he came in to work out just when I was finishing up. I hit the stop button on the treadmill and jumped to the sides… and missed. Did you know that a treadmill will throw a 185# man against the wall? Remember, I’m athletic. Pretty great. Yeah, I looked pretty great in a heap against the garage wall. That’s a sure path to humility. Any time you think you’ve arrived, that you’re at the top of the ladder, start looking up. You’ll find there’s someone above you. And as you learn about the Bible, God, the Trinity, you’ll find the more you learn, the more there is you’d like to know.
And did you notice where God’s kind of wisdom comes from? It doesn’t come from us; it comes from God. When you come to a humility that comes from following God, it leads to gentleness when dealing with others.
The benefit of gentleness is clear; when we deal gently with someone, they see God through us. And this is exactly what we’re called to. To receive a blessing to be a blessing to the world.
Comments