Week 2: Chapter 1 — His Very Heart

1.Ortlund argues that when Jesus says "I am gentle and lowly in heart," the word "heart" points to Jesus' most central, defining reality — not merely an emotion he sometimes feels. How does this change the way you think about Jesus' gentleness? Is it easier to believe Jesus is sometimes gentle, or that gentleness is his deepest nature?

2.The chapter examines the healing of the leper in Mark 1:40–41, where Jesus is moved with "compassion" (or in some manuscripts, "anger") and reaches out to touch the man. Ortlund says this touch was socially and religiously unnecessary — Jesus could have healed with a word. What does the unnecessary touch reveal about the heart of Christ?

3."Gentle" in Matthew 11:29 translates the Greek word praus, often rendered "meek." Ortlund explains this word conveys not weakness but a kind of strength held in restraint, condescending to the lowly. How does this definition reshape what it means that Jesus is gentle toward you specifically?