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

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. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dane C. Ortlund (PhD, Wheaton College) is chief publishing officer and Bible publisher at Crossway. He serves as an editor for the Knowing the Bible series and the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series, and is the author of several books, including Edwards on the Christian Life. serves as senior pastor of Naperville Presbyterian Church in Naperville, Illinois. He is the author of Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers and Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners. Dane and his wife, Stacey, have five children. Executive Vice President of Bible Publishing and Bible Publisher, Crossway REVIEWS 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, President, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention The title of this book immediately evoked within me a sense of longing, hope, and gratitude. The message it contains is a balm for every heart that feels pierced by sin or sorrow whether from within or without. It is an invitation to experience the sweet consolations of a Savior who moves toward us with tenderness and grace, when we know we deserve just the opposite from him. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author; Founder, Revive Our Hearts and True Woman On the rough, rocky, and often dark path between the already' and the not yet,' there is nothing your weary heart needs more than to know the beauty of the heart of Jesus. It is that beauty that alone has the power to overwhelm all the ugly you will encounter along the way. I have read no book that more carefully, thoroughly, and tenderly displays Christ's heart than what Dane Ortlund has written. As if I was listening to a great symphony, I was moved in different ways in different passages but left each feeling hugely blessed to know that what was being described was the heart of my Savior, my Lord, my Friend, and my Redeemer. I can't think of anyone in the family of God who wouldn't be greatly helped by spending time seeing the heart of Jesus through the eyes of such a gifted guide as Ortlund. Paul David Tripp, President, Paul Tripp Ministries; author, New Morning Mercies and My Heart Cries Out