Day 236, Year 1

Learn the Lord’s Gentleness and Humility

Jesus said, “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 11:29 NASB)

The word “humble” in today’s verse, tapeinos in Greek, is a psychological and spiritual quality that means “not rising far from the ground, low in spirit.” Jesus, humble and obedient, became human and died on the cross because of His gentleness and humbleness. “Gentle,” praos in Greek, also means “meek, mild,” especially in being submissive toward God. Believers need to strive to follow the example set by Jesus and let our humbleness and obedience spring from our hearts. We also need to ask the Lord for grace to transform our hearts. Today’s verse explains exactly why He is so gentle with people most of the time before His return. From knocking on the doors of people’s hearts to inviting us to dine with Him together, Jesus is like a gentleman, sharing His truth with calmness and poise.

Here, Jesus reveals the essence of humbleness: we need to learn from Him to find rest for our souls. Taking up Jesus’ yoke is obeying His commands and serving Him. In the past, a “yoke” was commonly used for oxen, allowing their owners to utilize them for transportation or plowing the fields. Unlike oxen, Jesus anticipates believers to proactively carry His “yoke” rather than passively being yoked by Him. We should take the initiative to learn from Him, obey and serve Him, because He humbly and actively obeys the heavenly Father’s command to do His will. This is what it means to learn from Jesus—to learn how He listens to the Father in everything. Indeed, true humility for us is to imitate the humility of Jesus and be obedient to the Father God. This allows us to find true and lasting rest for our souls.

Jesus has a gentle humility that flowed from His heart. But in what He said and did, such as castigating the Pharisees with woes, or cleansing the temple with force, it might not seem so humble. Similarly, when we learn from His meekness and humility, our words and deeds may sometimes appear not humble in the eyes of others. However, the standard of humility is not in anyone, but in Christ alone. Furthermore, the rest for our souls promised by Jesus does not negate the possibility that believers may encounter difficulties and hardships, which sometimes require us to be forceful or tough. In other words, we can still be filled with the Lord Jesus’ peace in the face of enemies or conflicts.

Reflection questions:

1) Are you willing to obey Jesus’ commands, to live for Him and serve Him all your life, just as Jesus obeyed the heavenly Father?

2) Have you ever experienced the Lord’s inner peace and rest, even when your surroundings or circumstances have made you feel uneasy or difficult?