Our Savior’s kindness is not tepid, selfish, or utilitarian. This is demonstrated clearly in the moments of His greatest suffering. Jesus, while bearing the curse for humanity, made arrangements for the care of His mother after His death, prayed for the forgiveness of those who killed Him, and spoke kind words of comfort to the dying criminal next to Him.

Kindness is easily pondered, but not so easily carried out. We live in an age of velliety, where simply publishing our desires for kumbaya and world peace are lauded as good deeds, and nice intentions are stated as if they are triumphs. However, we struggle daily to be kind across the internet, across the aisle, and even across our own dinner tables. Any honest couple will admit that as time goes on and familiarity with each other grows, the kindness that seemed so effortless in early days becomes more difficult to convey.

Our world is cursed with cruelty and hatred, and the grain of our hearts towards others is bent towards selfishness. The fruit of the Spirit does not flourish naturally in humans. It is supernaturally planted, and blooms as it is grounded in the Spirit. The word “kind” in Galatians 5:22 translates most accurately to “useful,” and represents the gentle disposition we should have towards meeting the needs of others, that God Himself has shown to us. In light of how half-heartedly kindness is practiced today, it is often forgotten how precious and rare these fruits of the Spirit are, and how carefully they must be cultivated.

Without the Spirit, although our kindness may look as if it is directed towards others, it is brimming with self-love and fueled by pride and fear of man. Without a connection to the True Vine, we can only show false kindness. What is false kindness? False kindness is being useful to others only when it is useful to me. False kindness has contingencies. It will appear at advantageous times, such as when we are being observed, or around those we like, or to get what we want. False kindness is touted by the world as a slogan or a feeling. False kindness is Judas Iscariot feigning concern for the poor while skimming off the top of the money bag.

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