...Gentleness...

Disclaimer:

The Greek word is prautes (pr-ow-ta [long a]-s). As I was preparing for this lesson I kept reading the definition in my Greek dictionary over and over. The more I read it, the less I understood it. I finally got to the point where I almost didn't understand the words I was reading, and out of desperation I picked up William Barclay's commentary on Galatians and Ephesians only to be greeted by this, "Gentleness: prautes is the most untranslatable of words."

I put that as my facebook status and my college Greek professor said, "If Barclay says, 'I dunno' then there isn't much hope for the rest of us." That made me feel great, so as we begin this one all I can promise is to try and explain it.


The Greek word prautes, translates as "gentlenss, kindness". Most versions of the Bible have this word translated as gentleness, however, the King James uses a different word, "meekness". In our current culture the idea of being meek is one that is equivalent with weakness and submission.

Meek

1. humbly patient or docile, as under provocation from others.
2. overly submissive or compliant; spiritless; tame.
3. Obsolete: gentle; kind.

The word docile is defined, "easily managed or handled; readily trained or taught"

Spiritless is defined, "without spirit; without ardor, vigor, zeal"

Tame is defined, "changed from the wild or saved state; spiritless; lacking in excitement; dull; not to be taken very seriously; without real power"

This is how people see the word meek today. The Biblical definition however, is one of strength, power, and virtue. Meekness, "Moral quality of humility and gentleness, usually exhibited during suffering or difficulty and accomplished by faith in God."

This is what the attribute listed in the Fruit of the Spirit is all about. In my best effort to explain this word (and with the aid of William Barclay [a lot of aid]) we see three characteristics of the word prautes.

First we see the someone who possesses prautes is submissive to the will of God. We see this in the life of Jesus. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a white stallion as a conquering warrior would have. He came to die, not to kill. In the Garden we see He prays, "Father, your will be done." He knew the cost of that prayer, but Jesus was submissive to the will of the Father, and He was exalted for it. Matthew 5.5, "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. "

Second, a person who posesses prautes is teachable. This person is humble and learns from others.

Third, a person with prautes is considerate, they don't offer insults and condemnation, but they preach the truth in love, they reach out to those in need. We see this in Jesus, He welcomed the little children, He touched lepers, He healed people who were unclean, He raised the dead. Jesus was gentle in His words, in His message. If you look at His teaching, the only peopel He ever got on were the religious leaders of the day, they people who should have recognized Him as the Messiah He is. He met people where they were, He taught in ways they could understand and relate to.

Prautes is all of those things, but it does not carry the negetive idea of meekness with it. I think part of prautes is also the righteous anger. It is being angry about the right things. It is angry about sin, it is angry about cancer, it is angry about abortion, it is angry about child abuse. It is not hateful towards the people that do these things, but it is angry towards the act itself.

Jesus was not a sissy, one of my professors said, "It took a stronger man to hang there and die than it would have to come off the cross and beat everyone."

Gentleness is an essential quality, it allows us to live together in society. It allows the younger generation to learn from the older generation. It allows churches to function together in harmony as we seek the will of God, or atleast is should.

If all of us would strive for gentleness, if all of us would strive to be submissive to God, humble and teachable, and considerate of others, that society could function very effeciantly, and honestly it would be a pretty plesant place to live.

Prautes, gentleness, the state of beign submissive, teachable, and considerate comes from pistis, faithfulness which is honesty and integrity.

Faithfulness flows out of goodness, agathosune, moral excellence, striving to be more like God, to do what God would do. Goodness is an exaltation of kindness, chrestotes, which is goodness expressed through action, doing the right thing becasue its the right thing to do.

I am able to have kindness because I have had patience, makrothumia, enduring hardship and trial without complaint or retaliation. I can endure because of eirene, peace, which is contentment and satisfaction. I have contentment because of joy, chara, the reason to rejoice, and the source of joy is the agape, the unconditional love, that I have from God.