Meek and Strong

 

And he [Jesus] opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:2-5 ESV).

 

When we hear the word meek, or meekness, we might think it means the same as weakness. We might picture a person who never stands up for himself, or a nervous student who blushes whenever a teacher calls on them. We might think that being meek means acting submissive in all circumstances of life. I doubt there’s anyone who wants to be that person. All of us like to imagine ourselves as strong and independent. So, to hear Jesus in this third teaching say that it is the meek who will inherit the earth, we certainly recoil a bit.

 

However, meekness is actually about making the choice to put someone ahead of yourself. The root of the word used in the original language of our text should be seen as restrained strength. It is laying down your rights, your authority, or your power for the sake of another.

 

Jesus set this example in His life. He calls us to be meek as he is meek. Jesus is one with the Father, and yet he left heaven and became a helpless baby. Jesus subjected himself to all of the restraints of humanity. All of our weakness in the flesh, hunger and thirst, bickering disciples and sleepless nights were a part of his life. He became tired; He wept in sorrow, He struggled with life. When Jesus was arrested, he could have poured out his wrath and destroyed the entire Roman Empire if he wanted to. But instead, he chose to accept the taunting and beating, the excruciating pain of hanging on a cross, and death. Jesus displayed meekness so that you and I could be free from our sin, so that we could be made right with God.

 

As disciples, we are now called to go and live like Jesus. He calls us to die to ourselves and to carry our own cross. He calls us to lay down our power and privilege as we point others to Christ and his kingdom. He calls us to meekness to inherit the earth!