Right When It Hurts

Now I Paul myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ  2 Corinthians 10:1

Gentleness – Don’t be fooled!  Epieikos (Greek for “gentleness”) is a far cry from quiet calm and tranquility.  It’s not about soft tones and balmy breezes.  This word is about power; the power to do what is right even when it hurts.

Originally, this word meant, “what is right, fitting or equitable.”  It is a word from the courts of law.  Aristotle uses this word to describe the man who does not insist on the exercise of letter of the law but rather shows mercy because mercy is called for.  In the Greek Old Testament, the word is usually used to describe God as the One Who demonstrates mercy toward all because He is the ruler of all.  In other words, epieikos is action on the part of one who has power not to exercise that power but to show compassion instead.

Jesus, as the incarnate Son of God, could have exercised His divine power at any moment, overwhelming His enemies in a display of majesty that would have shocked the world.  Jesus, Who had the “shock and awe” power, chose epieikos.  He chose to forgive even those who sought His life.  That is the biblical meaning of gentleness.

No man who ever lived had more right to demand justice than Jesus.  No man was more able to bring about personal justice than Jesus.  And no man was more “gentle” than Jesus.  But that does not paint Jesus as soft, pliant, tranquil or passive.  Never!  Read the gospels for what they say, not what you’ve been told.  You will find a Jesus Who is a warrior for the truth, uncompromising with all evil, ready to stand no matter what the cost, demanding total commitment and unwavering trust.  Then through this man, Jesus, you will glimpse the dangerous God, the Holy One of all creation. 

You will appreciate epieikos when you realize that the dangerous, holy God could have insisted on the letter of the law, and you and I would be condemned to eternal punishment.  But the God of all majesty and power sent His Son, Who was worthy of all honor and glory, to act in our stead and take upon Himself what we so rightly deserved. 

Gentle?  Hardly!  Epieikos?  Thank God, yes!  Men without God clamor for their rights and demand personal justification.  Men who have encountered God know better.

Which one are you?