Below I discuss my key take-aways, themes, and ideas drawn from the book.
The heart is the biblical metaphor for who we are at our core. It is how we see the world and why we do the things we do.
Gentle and lowly are the two major essences of His character. He is gentle in that He is meek and humble; not trigger happy, harsh, reactionary, easily exasperated or pointing fingers but has open arms. He is lowly in that he is accessible to all. No one is more Supreme or more approachable. And it is precisely our burdens which qualify us to come to him (Matthew 11:28).
He prescribes rest for:
Jesus asks us to take His yoke upon ourselves and learn from him to find rest. Though rest for the body is not a guarantee, the soul will find its rest under Him for his yoke is easy and his burden is light. It is kind to the one who bears it, looking out for his or her interest.
Jesus stated his hope for us in John 15:11, “that my joy may be in your and thar your joy may be full.” His joy increases to the degree that the sick come to him for help and healing. It’s the whole reason he came (Luke 5:32).
Jesus’ deepest impulse and instinct is to move toward sin and suffering - not away from it.
To sympathize is to suffer with or alongside another. Our tendency is to feel intuitively that the more difficult life gets, the more alone we are...the Bible corrects us (p. 48). If earthly priests could deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, how much more can the Great High Priest? Looking inside ourselves, we can expect only harshness from heaven. Looking out to Christ, we can anticipate only gentleness. We are to bow in humble submission, letting God set the terms by which He will love us (p. 75). He is ever present among us, always living to make intercession for those who are His (Heb 7:25).
Christ’s heart is as drawn to his people now as ever it was in his incarnate state.