Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

Week 1: Introduction — His Very Heart

Read the Introduction of Gentle and Lowly. Primary Scripture: Matthew 11:28–30.

Before diving into the chapters, Ortlund lays out the one question the whole book exists to answer: what is Jesus Christ actually like in his heart toward us? Sit with that question this week.

Discussion Questions

7 questions

1.Ortlund opens by noting that while Christians know the facts of what Jesus has done, they often feel that Jesus is perpetually disappointed or frustrated with them. Does that description resonate with you? How would you honestly describe your felt sense of how Jesus views you on an ordinary day?

2.The book's entire argument pivots on Matthew 11:29, where Jesus says, "I am gentle and lowly in heart." Why does Ortlund consider this verse so remarkable? What is surprising about Jesus making this the one self-description of his inner life found in all four Gospels?

3.Ortlund draws a distinction between what Jesus has done (his works) and who Jesus is (his heart). Why does this distinction matter? Can you think of a relationship in your own life where knowing someone's heart changed how you received their actions?

4.The introduction frames the Puritans — writers like Thomas Goodwin, Richard Sibbes, and John Owen — as guides for this journey. What hesitations, if any, do you have about learning from writers who lived 400 years ago? What might they offer that contemporary writers sometimes miss?

5.Ortlund says the goal of the book is not to give readers a theological upgrade but to give them a new felt sense of Christ's heart. What is the difference between knowing a truth intellectually and feeling its weight? Where in your spiritual life do you sense that gap most acutely?

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Closing Prayer

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Lord Jesus, you have told us that you are gentle and lowly in heart, and yet we confess that we often approach you as though you were something else entirely — a disappointed taskmaster, a reluctant helper, a Savior who barely tolerates us. Forgive us for the ways we have misread your heart. As we begin this study, soften the image of you that we have constructed in our minds, and replace it with the true you. Give us the courage to come to you heavily laden, trusting that your invitation is real and that your rest is genuine. Amen.

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Week 1: Introduction — His Very Heart

Discussion Questions

Closing Prayer

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