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Volume. XXXVI, No. 5 Blessed Are the Meek In Matthew 5:5, Jesus proclaims, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." The advice given here is contrary to the spirit in our society. Everyone knows aggressiveness, self-confidence and pride is crucial in surviving and thriving in society. Like the cliché, 'fortune favours the bold' is the spirit of the age. According to the world, we must assert ourselves to rule; we must conqueror our fear by boldness and courage. We must grab every successful opportunity with all our might, for the power is in us. Jesus again gives a paradoxical beatitude: the meek will inherit the earth. What does Jesus mean by this beatitude?
To understand this, we must remember that all the beatitudes are about God's children's characteristics. The first two beatitudes are related to our wretched unworthiness when seen through God's eyes. A Christian who understands this knows he is poor in spirit, spiritually bankrupt, helpless and unworthy before God. He will also mourn for sin and repent of it. The third beatitude, 'blessed are the meek', flows out of the other two beatitudes and relates to a Christian's relationship to others. The first two beatitudes will always keep us humble or meek in spirit. Since we know who we are in the sight of God, we stay meek and lowly.
What is humility? We must not equate meekness to being soft-spoken or to the spirit of compromise. Meekness is not weakness. One can have a strong personality and be a great vocal leader yet be meek and humble in spirit. It is something that can only be produced by the Spirit of God (Gal. 5:23). Only when enabled by God's grace, can we be meek. By nature, a man's spirit is like a roaring sea and will spill out wrath and anger. But a genuinely meek man will be quick to forgive others and possess the grace to bear the injuries caused by others. The meek man has yielded all his power and rights to God. He does not fight or insist on his ways. Regardless of our power, position, gifts, and abilities, we must always be meek, for 'blessed are the meek and they shall inherit the earth.'
The biblical examples help us understand meekness better. Let us begin with the example of Abraham. When the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot argued about water and grass, Abraham proposed a parting of the way as the solution. Being the older one of the two. Abraham had the right to choose. Lot was following Abraham, whom God called to the promised land. Yet Abraham being meek, gave the right to Lot, his nephew. We do not find Abraham murmuring or complaining. This is meekness on display. We see such great humility again when he rescued Lot from the enemy king and when he interceded with God on Lot's behalf.
Another great example of meekness is Moses. He was called the meekest man on earth. What a credential to have as a leader! In Numbers 12, we find that injustice was done towards Moses by Miriam and Aaron. They were unhappy because Moses had married a Cushite woman. The Bible records that he responded in meekness. "Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the people who were on the face of the earth." (Numbers 12:3). God had to appear in a pillar of cloud to vindicate his servant, Moses. Moses' meekness was further on display when he pleaded with God to heal Miriam, who was struck with leprosy. He let go of all his rights during the accusation and only opened his mouth to pray for Miriam. Blessed indeed are the meek.
Joseph is another excellent example of meekness. The story is very familiar to us. Joseph was abandoned and sold by his very own siblings, yet he became a prominent Egyptian leader. In God's sovereignty and providence, Joseph thrived, and famine brought his siblings to Egypt. Joseph had the perfect opportunity to take vengeance. Instead, what we saw in Joseph was meekness. He extended grace and favour instead of revenge. Joseph responded to his brothers in Genesis 50:19-21: "And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now, therefore, fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them."
Let me also give you a few New Testament examples of meekness. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ, was an influential figure, yet his response is always one of meekness. "He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." (John 1:23). In other words, he is nobody important. John the Baptist also said he was unfit even to untie Jesus' shoe (John 1:27). Meekness is also seen in his life motto, "He must increase; I must decrease" (John 3:30). The apostle Paul was also a meek man though we all know him as a mighty apostle of Jesus Christ. Yet he calls himself the worst of all sinners and the least of the apostles in 1 Tim.1:15 and 1 Cor. 15:9. Therefore, meekness must be the character trait of every Christian, especially leaders of God's Church.
The supreme example of the meek man in the New Testament is none other than our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Look to His humility and meekness when the eternal Son, the second person of the holy trinity, the One who created all things, humbled Himself and made Himself an ordinary man like us and became obedient to death for our sake (Phil. 2:6). When Jesus faced rejection, slander and persecution, He never fought back with vengeance. He gave up on all His rights, and never demanded to be treated like a son of God or king. Jesus Himself knew He was meek and humble in heart and gave the invitation to come and learn from Him in Matt.11:28-29.
There is a promise attached to this beatitude, "… for they will inherit the earth." What does that mean? What it does not mean is that Christians will acquire acres of land. It means more in the spiritual sense and somewhat in the physical sense. In His promise in the third beatitude, Jesus is alluding to Psalm 37:9-11, "For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth…But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." The blessings of peace and abundance are contrasted to the pride and destruction of the wicked one. The meek man is completely satisfied and contented in his life. He may have nothing yet possessing everything (2 Cor. 6:10). Nevertheless, he reigns on this earth with Christ.
Let us endow ourselves with the spirit of meekness, as this is a defining trait of a Spirit-filled Christian. Let us demonstrate it by submitting ourselves to God's delegated authority in the spirit of meekness. Leaders of their churches should possess this spirit of meekness when relating to others, especially those who oppose them (2 Timothy 2:25). In Galatians 6:1, we read, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently," with meekness. A meek wife is a blessing to a husband and joyfully submits to her husband (1 Peter 3:1-6).
May God help us to put away arrogance and to be meek. Brethren, let us imitate the meekness of Jesus Christ for, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
Rev Mathews |
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