Matthew 11:29 - The Humble, Gentle, and Meek Jesus - Our Model.
Matthew 11:29 (NIV) Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
WORD STUDY
The meaning of prautes "is not readily
expressed in English, for the terms meekness,
mildness, commonly used, suggest weakness and
pusillanimity to a greater or less extent, whereas prautes
does nothing of the kind. Nevertheless, it is
difficult to find a rendering less open to objection
than `meekness'; `gentleness' has been suggested,
but as prautes describes a condition of mind and
heart, and as `gentleness' is appropriate rather to
actions, this word is no better than that used in
both English Versions. It must be clearly
understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by
the Lord and commended to the believer is the
fruit of power. The common assumption is that when
a man is meek it is because he cannot help
himself; but the Lord was `meek' because he had the
infinite resources of God at His command. Described
negatively, meekness is the opposite to
self-assertiveness and self-interest; it is equanimity of
spirit that is neither elated nor cast down, simply
because it is not occupied with self at all. [Vines
Expository Dictionary]
Meekness: A personality trait of gentleness
and humility, the opposite of which is pride.
Meekness does not refer to weakness or passivity but
to controlled power. [Holmans Bible Dictionary]
COMMENTARY PEARL
A Rare Virtue
Meekness is a quality that is lacking in
many people today. Its the opposite of being
proud and arrogant.
Jesus said, Blessed are the meek, for
they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5
NKJV).
But what does it mean to be meek? A
literal translation of the word is power under
control. In the original language, it means riding a
stallion but having control over it. It isnt that
the stallion no longer has the ability to do
what it wants to do, but it has surrendered its
will to the rider. That is strength under
control.
We once had a German shepherd we adopted
from a program that trained guide dogs for the
blind. He had some slight hip dysplasia, which
prevented him from staying in the program, but he was
a very loving, intelligent animal.
One day, I took him to an outdoor mall
where a lot of people walked their dogs. My dog
was friendly and always approached people, but
they moved out of the way. They thought he wanted
to attack them, but he probably wanted to lick
them. He had been trained since he was a puppy to
be a companion.
He still had power. He still had teeth
and could inflict harm. But he wasnt trained
to attack. He was in love with the world. That
is power under control. That is meekness.
And who is a better example of meekness
than Jesus, God in human form, who took the abuse
and suffering of the Crucifixion? With one word,
He could have wiped everyone out. But He
embraced the abuse and suffering for us.
Meekness results from having a correct
assessment of ones self before God. It leads one to
approach others in a new way. A blessed, or happy,
person will be a meek person. [Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
A Self-Description of Jesus
I've been involved in a serious study of
Scripture for more than fifty years of my life, and in
all that time I have found only one place where
Jesus Christ - in His own words - describes His
own "inner man." In doing so, He uses only two
words. Unlike most celebrities, those words are not
phenomenal and great. Jesus doesn't even mention that
He was sought after as a speaker.
Although it is true, He doesn't say: "I
am wise and powerful," or "I am holy and
eternal," or "I am all-knowing and absolute deity." Do
you remember what He says? Hold on, it may
surprise you.
"Come to Me, all who are weary and
heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon
you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls." (Matthew 11:28"29)
I am gentle. I am humble. These are
servant terms. Gentle means "strength under
control." It is used of a wild stallion that has been
tamed. Humble in heart means "lowly" - the word
picture of a helper. Unselfishness and
thoughtfulness are in the description. It doesn't mean weak
and insignificant, however.
Frankly, I find it extremely significant
that when Jesus lifts the veil of silence and
once for all gives us a glimpse of Himself, the
real stuff of His inner person, He uses gentle
and humble. When we read that God the Father is
committed to forming us to the image of His Son,
qualities such as these are what He wants to see
emerge. We are never more like Christ than when we
fit into His description of Himself.
And how do those things reveal
themselves? In what way do we reveal them the best? In
our obedience. Servanthood and obedience go
together like Siamese twins. And the finest
illustration of this is the Son Himself who openly
confesses, "I do nothing on My own initiative I
always do the things that are pleasing to Him"
(John 8:28, 29).
In other words, Jesus's self-description
is verified by His obedience. Like no one else
who has ever lived, He practices what He
preaches.
We are never more like Christ than when
we fit into His description of Himself: gentle
and humble. - Charles R. Swindoll [Chuck
Swindoll www.insight.org.]
Who was the strongest man to ever walk
the face of the earth? Jesus Christ. No one was
stronger. As the Creator in human form, He simply
could have spoken His enemies out of existence.
Do you think He had to submit himself to
Pontius Pilate?
Jesus could have said, Youre
getting on my nerves. Youre dead. Bye.
He could have walked out of there.
On one occasion, people from the
synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth tried to throw
him off a cliff. But the Bible tells us that
passing through the midst of them, He went His
way (Luke 4:30 NKJV). It was as if to say,
Yeah, Im not going off a cliff today. Im
going right through here, and youre getting out
of my way.
Jesus controlled that power, submitted,
gave up his rights, and laid himself down. He
didnt lay aside His divinity, but He did lay aside
his rights. He suffered for us and died on the
cross.
In Matthew 11:29 Jesus said of himself,
I am gentle and lowly in heart (NKJV).
Joseph, too, is a classic example of
meekness. Even though his brothers betrayed him and
sold him into slavery, he became the second most
powerful man in Egypt through Gods providence.
And later, when a famine struck the land
and his brothers went to Egypt in search of
food, Joseph was in charge of the food supply.
They didnt recognize him. Certainly they
didnt think he was alive.
Joseph, with a snap of his finger, could
have had them all put to death. But instead he
forgave them. That was meekness - power under
constraint.
Jesus said, Blessed are the meek
(Matthew 5:5 NKJV). If you want to be a happy person,
then seek to become a man or woman of meekness.
[Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
CLOSING THOUGHT
My husband is a football coach and his
days are devoted to helping young men develop
character even as they learn the ins and outs of the
game. One of the things he does is meet regularly
with members of the team who aspire to be leaders
and discuss what makes someone a good leader.
Theyve talked about grit, courage, and work
ethic. The lesson this week was humility. It seemed
to be the hardest one for them so far, and yet
its probably the most important.
Its easy to get confused about what
humility is. The football guys wanted to associate it
with being quiet and shy, not being competitive,
lacking self-confidence. While mental toughness,
being brave, and working hard all made sense to
them as leaders, humility seemed foreign. Its
not what they thought of as a leadership skill.
C. S. Lewis said, Humility is not
thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself
less. My husband told the players that humility is
really just keeping your accomplishments and talent
in proper perspective. Its confidence
without arrogance. Its being strong enough to
lift others up.
Our perfect example in this is Jesus.
What kind of God issues the invitation in the
verse above? The same God who chose to be born in
a barn, work as a carpenter, hang out with
prostitutes, and die on a cross. For His followers,
humility is not optional. Its the essence of being
a Christian. by Gwen Ford Faulkenberry
Faith Step: Is humility a word most
people associate with Christianity in America? With
you? Find a humble way to serve. Help at the food
bank. Babysit someones kids. Clean out your
neighbors flower bed. The options arent glamorous,
but theyre endless. [Mornings With Jesus 2020
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Matthew 5:5 - The Way Of Meekness.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220822-0819.html
Matthew 5:5 - Blessed Are The Meek, For They
Will Inherit The Earth.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220301-0944.html
Matthew 5:5 - Blessed Are The Meek, Gentle
Or Is It The Humble?
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210825-0841.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
