Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers

By Dane C. Ortlund

Christians can easily feel that Jesus is perpetually disappointed and frustrated, maybe even close to giving up on them. They know what Christ has done for them—but who is he? How does he feel about his people amid all their sins and failures?

In Matthew 11, Jesus describes himself as “gentle and lowly in heart,” longing for his people to find rest in him. This book reflects on his words, diving deep into Bible passages that speak of Christ’s affections for sinners and encouraging believers as they journey, weary and faltering, toward heaven.

  • Introduction

    1. His Very Heart

    2. His Heart in Action

    3. The Happiness of Christ

    4. Able to Sympathize

    5. He Can Deal Gently

    6. I Will Never Cast Out

    7. What Our Sins Evoke

    8. To the Uttermost

    9. An Advocate

    10. The Beauty of the Heart of Christ

    11. The Emotional Life of Christ

    12. A Tender Friend

    13. Why the Spirit?

    14. Father of Mercies

    15. His “Natural” Work and His “Strange” Work

    16. The Lord, the Lord

    17. His Ways Are Not Our Ways

    18. Yearning Bowels

    19. Rich in Mercy

    20. Our Law-ish Hearts, His Lavish Heart

    21. He Loved Us Then; He’ll Love Us Now

    22. To the End

    23. Buried in His Heart Forevermore

    Epilogue

    Acknowledgments

    General Index

    Scripture Index

  • “Gentle and Lowly comes from the pen of someone who has not just profited from reading the Puritans—but who, more importantly, has read the Bible under their tutelage. One short book can never be enough to convey all the glory of the character of Christ, but this book deftly unpacks something we often overlook: Christ is meek and lowly in heart and gives rest to those who labor and are burdened. Written with pastoral gentleness and quiet beauty, it teases out what twenty biblical texts contribute to this portrait of the heart of Christ, all of it brought together to bring comfort, strength, and rest to believers.”

    D. A. Carson, Cofounder and Theologian-at-Large, The Gospel Coalition

    “In this timely work, Dane Ortlund directs our attention back to the person of Jesus. Centered on the Scriptures and drawing upon the best of the Puritan tradition, Ortlund helps us see the heart of God as it is revealed to us in Christ. He reminds us not only of Jesus’s promises of rest and comfort, but of the Bible’s vision of Jesus: a kind and gracious King.”

    Russell Moore, Public Theologian, Christianity Today; Director, Christianity Today's Public Theology Project