Matthew 5:5
I’m no fashion plate. Pat and I have ongoing discussions about the appropriate color socks to wear with certain shoes. So you won’t be surprised to discover I was unaware of a popular line of clothing from Australia called “Blessed Are the Meek.” I stumbled across it when I googled “blessed are the meek.” The line claims to be low-priced yet able to make you stand out in any situation. I’ll let you decide if that is the idea behind the beatitude.
The clothing line is popular but this is not an especially popular beatitude.
Ambrose Bierce offered a cynical definition of meekness. He said it was “uncommon patience in planning a revenge that is worthwhile.”
Maybe you remember the episode of TV’s Designing Women when the sometimes mousy Mary Jo and the ever-sure-of-herself Julia Sugarbaker had this exchange.
Mary Jo defended her failure to assert herself by saying, “After all, the meek will inherit the earth.”
Julia replied, “Yes, but they won’t be able to hold on to it very long.”
Meekness is often thought of as weakness. Yet, Jesus called the “meek” blessed. What in the world did he mean “blessed”? And what did he mean when he said they would “inherit the earth?”
To begin to answer those questions we have to understand the word “meek.” The Greek word praus, sometimes translated “humble” or “gentle,” has an interesting history. According to William Barclay, Aristotle used the word to describe the balance between excessive anger and excessive angerlessness. Barclay says, “We might put it this way—the man who is praus is always angry at the right time and never angry at the wrong time.” When we read of Jesus, who called himself “meek,” clearing the temple of the money-changers with a whip and kicking over their tables, we see this quality exhibited.
Barclay also points out that the word is frequently used in secular Greek to describe an animal which has been brought under control. He says, “Now herein lies the secret of the meaning of praus. Their is a gentleness in praus but behind the gentleness there is the strength of steel, for the supreme characteristic of the man who is praus is that he is a man who is under perfect control.” To put the matter another way, the man or woman who is praus has been tamed. They are not ruled by their passions—anger, lust, hate, fear—they control their passions.
This is an important quality in so many situations, not simply in the church. Without this quality a strong person is at risk of becoming a bully. Without this quality the smart person may become the brash know-it-all. Without this quality a teacher may become the worst of all teachers, one who is unteachable. Without this quality a society may become a hotbed of hostility.
Many people have this quality of meekness. They are both Christian and not-Christian. The gospel teaches us that those who would tame their darker emotions need not rely simply upon self-control, they may open themselves to the work of the Spirt so they may be God-controlled.
The attitude that opens the way to eternal blessing is one that allows God to be in control. This quality manifests itself in humility, gentleness, and trust.
Being Meek Involves Humble Attitude toward Ourselves.
While Jesus had no sin, the same cannot be said about us. We have all failed. We need God’s grace. Humility is what we need to grasp the significance of the salvation God gives to us.
We have forgiveness of sin, we have a relationship with God that allows us to call him Father, and we have the hope of eternal life, not because of anything we have done, but solely because of what Christ has done for us. That’s true no matter how saintly any individual Christian may become.
When Harry Truman became president at the death of Franklin Roosevelt, Texan Sam Rayburn gave him some sound advice: "From here on out you're going to have lots of people around you. They'll try to put a wall around you and cut you off from any ideas but theirs. They'll tell you what a great man you are, Harry," and he continued, "but you and I both know you ain't."
No matter how many accolades are heaped onto a Christian man or woman, if they possess meekness, they will know all glory belongs to God.
If we possess this quality it allow us to be open to receiving God’s grace and mercy, for we have emptied our hands of pride, presumption, and spiritual self-aggrandizing.
Being Meek Involves Gentle Treatment of Others.
Whenever Jesus is described as “meek” the focus seems to be on how he treats others. Later in Matthew 11 Jesus invites people to follow him with these words:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Jesus is the pattern for how we ought to treat others. Throughout the New Testament believers are challenged to exhibit this Christlike gentleness or meekness in dealing with others.
When Peter tells the women reading his epistle that they should go beyond mere outward adornments, he says they should exhibit a “gentle” spirit (1 Pet. 3:4). Paul lists “gentleness” as part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23). He tells the Galatians they should restore a fallen Christian with gentleness (Gal. 6:1). Paul urges Timothy to develop the quality of gentleness as a proper personality trait for a man of God (1 Tim. 6:11). James tells his readers that those who would demonstrate real wisdom will do so with gentleness (Jas. 3:13). Again, when Peter instructs Christians who have an opportunity to speak on behalf of their faith, he tells them to do so with gentleness. They are to always be “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” (1 Pet. 3:15) The apologist who humiliates every opponent may win arguments but will win few souls.
The word “reverence” suggests a sense of wonder and awe. In this context, coupled with the idea of gentleness, it tells us we should share our faith with patience and understanding, that our attitude should be, “Look, I’m amazed God should invite me to have a place in his Kingdom, but I want you to know he has a place for you too.”
You see, at the heart of our attitude toward ourselves and our treatment of others is the notion of grace. One of the reasons this beatitude is so often misunderstood is that it is misread. It does not say, the meek will conquer the earth. The meek will “inherit” the earth. An inheritance is not earned, it is given. The meek do not win the earth, conquer the earth, or vanquish the earth; they are given the earth.
The meek understand that because we have been treated with grace we ought to treat others with grace.
Being Meek Produces Peace Regarding the Future.
Jesus knew his listeners were realists. They were keenly aware of injustice in their world. Like them, we yearn to see some evidence of justice in the world. We cling to any story which seem to hint that sometimes justice prevails. Maybe that’s why you’ll find this story satisfying.
A young woman was visiting New York City for the first time. While walking down a street she was assaulted by a mugger who tore her necklace off. The force of his action caused her to lose her balance and she instinctively grabbed for him. As he pulled away, she unintentionally tore his necklace off. The mugger ran down the street holding her costume jewelry necklace, leaving the young woman holding his 18 karat-gold necklace.
Frankly, I don’t know if that story is true but, like a good Texan, I’m not going to let the facts spoil a good story. On the eternal level, the principle is true.
This beatitude is a direct quotation of Psalm 37:11. In that Psalm the psalmist wrestles with the problem of the seeming prosperity of the wicked and the continuing success of evil. This is the psalmist’s conclusion.
Ps 37: 7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11 But the [meek] will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
When Jesus set forth the principles which operate in his Kingdom he made it clear that this isn’t all there is or all there will be. The earth which the meek will inherit is not our war-weary, polluted, and scarred planet; it will be the new earth, the eternal Kingdom which will know no war or injustice.
One writer says, “The blessedness of the meek is that they will inherit by divine decree what the human race has struggled and killed to attain from the earliest records of civilization.”
The meek are not those who refuse to seek justice out of some distorted notion that this world is not our home; the meek Jesus sought justice for the here and now. The meek are those who understand that final justice will be won on their behalf by God himself.
Conclusion
Remember how the Greek word translated “meek” was used to describe the process of taming a horse. The horse wasn’t tamed so it could spend its life grazing around a pasture. A horse’s power and strength was tamed so it could be useful. It was tamed for good.
In the same way, Jesus calls for us to be “meek,” to be tamed for good. He wants us to be useful.
