August 3 | Gentle & Humble

What two words describe you? Take some time and really think about it. Someone focused on career might think of words like “driven” and “dedicated.” A high school or college athlete might choose “competitive” and “coachable.” Someone working in a helping profession could select “compassionate” and “caring.” A mom might pick “encourager” and “disciplinarian.” A researcher could select “inquisitive” and “persevering.” We all can come up with two words that accurately describe us.

Jesus picked two words that perfectly described himself, but it might not be the two words we expect. There is good reason to think he would pick words like “healer” and “listener.” He did both well. A religious leader in Jesus’ day might have described him as “disrupting” and “controversial.” Someone who Jesus healed could have selected “compassionate” and “observant.” All of these words describe Jesus in one way or another. But they’re not what he chose to describe himself.

Jesus said he was “gentle” and “humble.” He chooses these two words out of all of the things he wanted fearful and exhausted people to know about himself. He wanted his first disciples to know it, and he wants us never to forget it. It’s as if he knew we would need to be continuously reminded of it.