For I Am Gentle and Humble In Heart
Jesus & Joseph exemplifying gentleness.
I’m breaking my own rules today. It’s the last entry on gentleness, but I just can’t narrow down the gospel passage to one. So I’m using two.
We’ve already seen the first in this series, when thinking on kindness. And that makes sense because kindness and gentleness are twin siblings, born from the same parent (love). In that passage, remember, Jesus says that his yoke is kind to bear (yes - kind, read the whole entry if you missed it). But he calls himself gentle and humble, inviting all who are struggling to come and experience it. Beautiful.
But this story of Joseph of Arimathea taking Jesus’s body and caring for it is also beautiful. We could just as easily use this passage as an example of kindness. Joseph’s action is all of both kindness and gentleness. There was nothing for Joseph to gain, at least as far as he or anyone else knew at the time. And there was quite a bit he could have lost - reputation, money, power, prestige, even safety if he had caught Pilate at the wrong moment. But he persisted and saw through on what seems like a pretty simple, yet profound act.
Holding these two passages together, we can begin to see what gentleness looks like. It is not strictly softness, nor is it hesitation. It is strength that has been rightly ordered toward care. In Jesus, gentleness looks like an invitation to the weary. As such, coming from the Son of God, it’s a power that stoops, shoulders burdens, and gives rest. In Joseph, gentleness looks like courage exercised quietly - power that does not withdraw in fear (though some element of fear may even be present!). Nor does it lash out in anger, but shows up faithfully when nothing can be fixed and everything can still be honored. This is the gentleness the Spirit forms in us: not dramatic, not self-protective, not performative, but steady, embodied, and rooted in love. A gentleness that bears weight without breaking, and tends life even in the shadow of death.
(We should note that each of the women who showed up to care for Jesus’ body demonstrated a similar kindness and gentleness.)
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 27:57-61
That evening a man named Joseph came. He was a rich man from Arimathea who had become a disciple of Jesus. He came to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission to take it. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had carved out of the rock. After he rolled a large stone at the door of the tomb, he went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting in front of the tomb.