The OrchardExemplo

Gentleness: Matthew 11:25–30 and 12:18–21

Read through both poems twice. After taking time on the first reading to familiarize yourself with the passage, on the second, take time to ponder and notice.

Jesus’ Prayer and Invitation

25–26 I praise you, Father, Master of heaven and earth,
that it was your good pleasure to veil
these truths from the shrewd and intelligent
and to reveal them to children.

27 No one knows the Son except the Father;
no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him—
these are the ones given to me by my Father.

28 Come to me, all you who are heavy and weary,
and I will relieve you.

29–30 Shoulder my yoke by learning from me—
my yoke is easy and my load is light,
my heart is gentle, and I am meek.
I will give your souls repose.

Jesus, the Chosen Servant

18 Look at my Servant, my chosen One,
my beloved, my soul’s delight.
When I pour my Spirit upon him,
he will restore the world to justice—

19 not by raising his voice or crying out,
so as to be heard in the streets.

20 He will not snap a bruised, bent reed;
he will not snuff a smoldering wick,
for he has come to restore the way of justice

21 and give all nations reason for hope.

Philip Comfort, The Poems and Hymns of the New Testament. Used by permission of Wipf and Stock Publishers. www.wipfandstock.com

These two poems sit side by side in Philip Comfort’s book and both speak of the gentleness of Jesus.

In the first poem, the first two stanzas speak of revelation or knowledge and being truly known. It wasn’t the intelligent or smart people who recognized Jesus or understood what he said but children. Those who were intelligent tried to explain away or dismiss Jesus and what he was saying about himself but to “children” it was obvious. Also, children tend not to put on a front, they tend to show how they feel in the moment. In coming to Jesus, we need to believe him at his word and come as we are without pretense. He meets us where we are and does not add extra burden but helps us carry a lighter burden. Just as in the passage on Patience, Jesus walks with us in our struggles and shows us gentleness and leads us to our true rest.

The second poem consists of two Old Testament texts quoted by Jesus in self-description of a servant-king but this description is unrecognizable to any historic king or present political leader. It speaks of an upside-down kingdom, the leader a true servant of the people, justice being restored and the oppressed being seen and heard. A leader who embodies gentleness and kindness.

As I meditated on these poems, I had a picture in my mind of sitting by a lake bordered by reeds, listening to their quiet rustling in a soft breeze that slowly rises and falls.