Meekness, Gentleness, Humility

by L.A. Hickling, Cromer, U.K. | Category: Never Man So Spake - Great Truths From The Lord's Min | Mar 1985

Meekness, gentleness and humility; these graces were not characteristic of the ancient world. They were not thought to be attitudes becoming to strong men, but were interpreted as signs of weakness. Such was the teaching of worldly wisdom. The Lord's teaching was not like that. He taught His disciples, "Blessed are the meek" and they saw His teaching in practice as they walked with Him day by day. "I am meek and lowly in heart", He said, and they saw the evident truth of this every day of His life. Eternal Son of God though He was, yet

Gentleness and tender feeling,

Pity too, and grace,

Softly lustred all His dealings

With our stricken race.

Many are the instances given in Scripture showing the Lord's meekness, gentleness and humility. We may think of two examples.

MARK 9: 33-37

The Lord had been telling His disciples of the things that were to happen to Him. He was to be delivered up to men to be killed and then, after three days, He was to rise from the dead. They failed to understand what He told them and they were afraid to ask Him to explain more fully. Surely what He had said to them would occupy their thoughts and their talk on their journey to Capernaum. Certainly they did talk to one another on the way and the Lord must have heard them discussing as they walked. So, at the end of the journey, He asked them, "What were ye reasoning in the way?" Not surprisingly, they gave no answer as they thought of what had been their topic of conversation. They had not talked about Him, but about themselves. He had spoken to them of His humiliation; they had disputed about their greatness: who was the greatest amongst them. So He, who was the Master of gentle dealing, sat down and called them to Him. Then He taught them the secret of true greatness. "If any man would be first, he shall be last of all, and minister of all". In the world's reckoning greatness may be measured by power, or wealth, or position. But not in His kingdom. "I am in the midst of you as He that serveth," He said (Luke 22:27). He deliberately chose that humble place of service and in due course God exalted Him. So it must be with His followers. Only those who humble themselves can be exalted, and God Himself will see to that.

JOHN 13: 1-17

Someone has said that fine counsel is confusing, but example is quite clear and the disciples had the greatest example always before them. Consider the day when "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He came forth from God, and goeth unto God", took water and a towel and began to wash the disciples' feet. No wonder Peter was moved to remonstrate with Him as he saw his Lord and master take the servant's place to wash their feet. His action must have emphasized the words that He spoke to them afterwards, "If I then, the Lord and the Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you ... If you know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them".

So, by listening to the Master and by seeing what He did the disciples learned that in their lives (as in ours) God should see, and men should see, meekness, gentleness and humility.

MEEKNESS

The word really describes that which is under control. It is that yielding attitude of character which does not insist upon its own rights (though there will be no yielding where matters of principle are involved). It is an attitude to God which accepts His dealings with us without complaining and an attitude to man which does not seek to retaliate for unkindness or insults. It is not weakness, though it is often confused with it. The Lord Jesus had all the resources of deity at His command and yet He was meek. We may think of Him standing, a lonely figure, before the chief priests and the whole council, listening as one and another brought false witness against Him. He held His peace and answered nothing until the direct question was asked, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" and to that He gave a direct answer, without any reproach, for when He was reviled He reviled not again; when He suffered He threatened not. That was meekness. One day the tables will be turned and those men who stood in judgement upon the Son of God will themselves stand before the same Person, for God has committed all judgement to Him.

The teaching of the Lord was passed on by His apostles. In the epistles we are told that walking worthily of the calling wherewith we were called involves an attitude of lowliness and meekness (Ephesians 4:2). Meekness is the spirit in which those who are spiritual must seek to restore one overtaken in a trespass (Galatians 6:1). It is the spirit which in the sight of God is of great price in sisters (1 Peter 3:4). It is the Spirit in which we receive the implanted word which is able to save our souls (James 1:21).

GENTLENESS

Gentleness expresses reasonableness in our dealings with others. In James 3:17 gentleness is characterized as one of the fruits of the wisdom that is from above as contrasted with carnal wisdom. It is something which all men should see in disciples (Phil. 4:5 RVM), and something which must be characteristic of an overseer (1 Tim. 3:3). It is an attitude, too, which should be seen in those entrusted to preach the gospel. As Paul writes in reference to his work amongst the Thessalonians, "We were gentle in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherisheth her own children" (1 Thess. 2:7).

HUMILITY

Humility is lowliness of mind not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but willing to take the low place so that God's purpose can be worked out in us. "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus", the Scripture says. He was always completely devoted to doing God's will and to do it He must leave the glories of heaven and come to the squalor of earth. After humbling Himself to be found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself yet more, becoming obedient even unto death. We are exhorted to have this mind. Humility of mind leads to humility of character and of action.

In 1 Peter 5:5 we have the exhortation addressed to overseers and applicable to all of us, "Gird yourselves with humility". The expression describes putting on a garment over another garment, as the putting on of an apron. It takes our thoughts back to the incident already mentioned when the Lord girded Himself with a towel, showing true humility in the service of others. The Lord looks on the heart, and James 4:10 emphasizes, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord".

The practical outworking of the Lord's teaching should be seen in our individual lives and also in the people of God together. "Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye" (Colossians 3:12,13). We do have complaints against each other. Sometimes they are just irritations, in which case we show the meekness of forbearance; sometimes they may arise from more definite wrong, in which case we need the humility to forgive, remembering always how the Lord dealt with us. "And above all these things put on love". Love is the bond of perfectness and as we develop in love so shall we grow in meekness, gentleness and humility.

L.A. Hickling, Cromer, U.K. | Mar 1985
Never Man So Spake - Great Truths From The Lord's Min