Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund
Week 4: Chapter 3 — Yearning
Read Chapter 3 of Gentle and Lowly. Primary Scripture: Luke 19:41–44; Matthew 23:37.
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This chapter explores what may be the most surprising dimension of Christ's heart: a deep, aching yearning for people who are turning away from him. Take a moment before answering to let that sink in.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Ortlund highlights two moments where Jesus weeps or laments — over Jerusalem in Luke 19 and his cry in Matthew 23 ("O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often would I have gathered your children together"). What do these moments reveal about Christ's emotional life?
2.The chapter argues that Christ's yearning is not passive wishing but an active, aching desire — a word Ortlund connects to the Hebrew and Greek terms for the deep interior of a person (the bowels, the womb). Why do you think the Bible uses such visceral, bodily language to describe God's longing?
3.Jesus weeps over Jerusalem knowing Jerusalem will reject and crucify him. What does this tell us about the relationship between Christ's love and human rejection? Does his love diminish or intensify in the face of rejection?
a.Have you ever been in a human relationship where your love for someone deepened even as they pulled away? How did that feel?
b.How does that experience help or hinder your understanding of Christ's yearning?
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