God has a Gentle and Humble Nature

When Mashiach entered Jerusalem, He came riding on a lowly donkey, a beast of burden. This is the same reality foretold in Isaiah 42:3, that when Messiah comes, “A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish.” He would be sensitive and caring. He would not be unnecessarily harsh, rashly plowing over everybody. He would not exert Himself in a way that may damage the vulnerable ones.

This is an astonishing perspective of the very character of God. The all-powerful One who has been from everlasting, the One who has always been, the One who could do anything He wants is gentle, sensitive, and humble of heart. I love David’s words to the Father: “Your gentleness makes me great” (Ps. 18:35). The scene in Zechariah 9 is an unveiling of who God has been all along. He is all-powerful yet gentle in His core. He has made Himself one with us.

When we choose to follow Yeshua even when it hurts, it moves His heart. He is not aloof or distant but is vulnerable and makes Himself available to us, just as we make ourselves available to one another. It is hard to comprehend that He is moved by our love and touched by our feelings. And here is another mind-and heart-bender: we can actually add to His happiness when we choose to love Him. Even though God is complete and needs nothing, there is a mystery in that the Lord actually receives joy when you and I love Him. I know for many of us this may seem far-fetched and require a paradigm shift, but consider that the Bible teaches that “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

Stunningly, we are even able to make Him weep. When Yeshua’s dear friend Lazarus had died and the crowd that had gathered expected the most brilliant teacher who ever lived to say something profound, Jesus simply wept (John 11:35). His response was not to offer superficial words or pat anyone on the head to make them feel better, but He allowed tears to fall from His face. In Yeshua, the Lord has united Himself to us in our humanity. He feels us and responds to us.

We can actually touch the One who made us. We can touch the One who made Himself low. Yeshua entered Jerusalem, as recorded in Zechariah 9:9 and Matthew 21:1–5, the same way He enters our lives now—in gentleness and humility.