The Gentle (1)
Matthew 5:5 says, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”
The gentleness in the third blessing is different from the gentleness the worldly people commonly think. If you look into the dictionary, it explains “gentleness” as lack of vanity or self-importance: humbleness, humility, lowliness, and modesty. And sometimes, worldly people say that those who are reserved, pusillanimous, unwise, silly and don’t get angry are gentle.
- Spiritual Gentleness
But the gentleness that God tells you here is not such a thing. The spiritual gentleness that God talks about is being virtuous on top of having a gentle and modest heart.
It’s the heart that can embrace all people and where many people can nest just as a big tree in full leaf gives shadow for people to take a rest in a hot summer. It is also a very soft and warm heart like downy hair.
If you throw a stone on a piece of steel, it makes a metallic sound and if you throw a stone at a window, it will break with a crashing sound. Likewise, a man full of pride and selfish heart makes a crashing and abrasive reaction like a metallic sound in a situation that he doesn’t like.
But if you throw a stone at a wad of cotton wool or poke it, it doesn’t make any sound, but rather it covers it over. There is a wad of cotton wool and you throw a stone or a lump of iron on it. Then it is just covered over completely by the cotton wool. It doesn’t make any sound. As no one could hear His voice in the streets when our Lord walked in the streets, there is no sound. There is only peace without any quarrel.
The gentle have this kind of heart like a cotton wool. So they can have peace with every person at any situation. They are not fools but embrace others like a cotton wool, because they have the virtue.
They can embrace even those whose actions do not agree with their thought and education and never judge or condemn others with evil. They understand from others’ standpoint and serve them with humbleness. They don’t either have discomfort or give discomfort to others. They don’t turn their backs against others but wait until they are changed to the end even though they have weak faith or are evil.
Those who are gentle lead and help others if they know better way for them. They don’t make a noise nor fight nor show off but they are gentle and calm and say only essential word of truth.
They understand even those who hate them. They don’t have bad feeling on others and don’t get hurt. They don’t feel bad when they are pointed out but accept it.
To have this kind of heart, you have to cultivate the field of your heart. The Bible likens human heart to the field. Just like cultivating the wild field by pulling out thorns and picking up stones to make it good soil, you can make the gentle heart if you get rid of hatred, envy, jealousy, quarrel, judgment or condemnation.
There is a man whom God complimented especially on his gentleness in the Bible. He is Moses. Numbers 12:3 says, “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” Moses passed through many hard and difficult situations for 40 years while he was taking the Israelites from Egypt to the land of Canaan.
Although they saw numerous signs and wonders shown through Moses as God was with him, the evil people complained to Moses whenever they met difficulties.
Moreover, they blamed Moses for their hardships. They cried to God as they suffered in Egypt and God saved them from Egypt through Moses. But now they blamed Moses for all bad things. They even tried to stone Moses.
But Moses could teach those people and lead them to the truth living with them for 40 years. It tells you how gentle Moses was. Because Moses was gentle like this, God loved him so much and attested him. God always approved him with wonderful power and, moreover, God didn’t forgive those among the Israelites who were against Moses even if they were Moses’ brother or sister.
Here, we should distinguish the fleshly gentleness and spiritual gentleness. The spiritually gentle are those who have made their heart good soil already. You can produce fruits from good soil very quickly no matter what you sow.
So they can become holy very quickly and they can also easily bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit, fruit of love and fruit of light just as you can produce abundantly from fertile land. Also, they can receive answers from God to their prayers very soon.
However, there are many people whose gentleness cannot be recognized before God although they look very gentle in the sight of people. They cannot bear spiritual fruits in their souls and in their duties. That is because their gentleness is not spiritual gentleness. As I told you before, the gentleness that God is pleased with is not just being reserved and gentle in character.
Some people endure with something uncomfortable outwardly but they are suffering within themselves or they just try to suppress their anger, so that they burst into anger after enduring again and again. Some people compromise with others and act indecisively although they see untruth. Some are very mild and moderate in character but don’t have passion in their hearts to devote themselves for their duties. They may seem to be gentle in the sight of other people but these attitudes are not spiritually gentle.
Moses was also surely gentle but he taught the people by the truth very strictly and rebuked them in rage if they committed sins before God greatly.
It is said in Numbers 12:7, “[Moses] is faithful in all God’s house.” The faithfulness and passion for the kingdom of God can be recognized by God. Also, even though Jesus was very gentle, He sometimes strongly rebuked the Pharisees and teachers of the law who were hypocritical saying, “You brood of vipers!”
He overturned the tables, made a whip out of cords, and drove all sheep and cattle from the temple area when He found men selling in the temple. He overturned the tables saying, “Woe to you!” He did this for the Father as they disgraced the holy temple and the Father with such things. Those who are truly gentle not only hold many people with the mild and warm heart but also are stronger and bolder than any others if needed in the truth.