Why Meekness Matters
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Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). The word meek from the original language was used to describe reining in a stallion. It is the idea of a horse being controlled by a bit and bridle. The horse is choosing to submit to authority. That is meekness. It is power under constraint.
Meekness is not weakness; it is power under control. As the writer of Proverbs says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city” (Proverbs 16:32). In contrast, the individual who is not gentle is likened to “a city that is broken into and without walls” (Proverbs 25:28). Gentleness always uses its resources appropriately, unlike the out-of-control emotions that so often are destructive and have no place in your life as a believer.
Pride has been redefined in American culture as a virtue. The strong, the beautiful, the powerful, the intelligent, and the privileged take every opportunity to put themselves forward. Politicians manifest pride in speeches and debates; entertainers glamorize pride in their movies and lifestyles; educators teach pride by emphasizing self-esteem and making every child a winner (whether they deserve it or not), and sports icons reinforce pride as the path to greatness.
Probably the least admired character quality in America is meekness. And yet the greatest Person who ever lived was a meek and humble man—“learn from Me, for I am gentle [meek] and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Jesus exemplified meekness during His first advent, even as He ministered in the power of God. Those who follow Him will also demonstrate meekness, or gentleness, as the fruit of a Spirit-filled life (Galatians 5:22). …
Gentleness characterizes our Lord Jesus Christ. He always defended God’s glory and ultimately gave Himself in sacrifice for others (see 1 Peter 2:21–23). Jesus didn’t lash back when criticized, slandered, or treated unjustly, but He did respond fittingly and firmly when God’s honor was profaned or His truth was perverted or neglected. He twice cleansed the Temple by force (Matthew 21:12–17; John 2:14–15), and He repeatedly and fearlessly denounced the hypocrisy of the Jewish religious leaders (Matthew 23:13–36; Mark 12:13–40; John 8:12–59).
When His time of suffering came, however, Jesus submitted to the will of His Father and endured the abuse and murderous intentions of the hypocritical leaders. He demonstrated meekness to the very end. “While being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).
Although Jesus said, “Blessed [happy] are the meek,” we don’t celebrate meekness in our culture. Instead, we celebrate assertiveness. We celebrate getting things from other people, sometimes even taking advantage of other people. When is the last time you saw a movie that celebrated the virtue of meekness? …
How different this is from what the Bible teaches. The Bible celebrates meekness. The biblical worldview says last is first. Giving is receiving. Dying is living. Losing is finding. The least is the greatest. Meekness is a strength. The idea that we are living by God’s truth—not by what our culture says—should make us happy.—Christianity.com1
Blessings for the meek
The apostle Peter tells us, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5). And in Psalm 37:11, we are told that “the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.” Being meek and humble are character traits that greatly please God because it gives glory to Him—the one to whom the glory truly belongs.
The Bible tells us that “Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). Moses knew a secret: his power and anointing came from God. It couldn’t be taken away by humans. It was God who had ordained Moses, and it would be God who would defend Moses and enable him to play the role God had called him to. This enabled Moses to be gentle, meek, and humble, because he trusted that God was in control.
Jesus manifested the greatest meekness, which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).
Jesus knew that we would find it difficult to be gentle, meek, and humble, so He gave us examples through His actions during His life on earth. For example, at the Last Supper, leading up to when Jesus would die for our redemption, He washed each of His disciples’ feet, taking on the duties of a servant (John 13:4–17). Jesus told His disciples that “if anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).
To “be a servant of all” means placing the needs of others above our own. Having a servant’s heart gives us a humble and meek disposition. When we have this attitude, we are also gentle—whether or not we are physically stronger, more intelligent, or have more influence or privilege than somebody else—because we remember that God is the one who gave us these gifts in the first place.
When we are more aware of God in our lives, we depend on Him for strength, we realize that we are created by Him, and that our talents and abilities are gifts from God to be used for His glory and purpose—and this realization helps us to act with meekness, gentleness, and humility.—R. A. Watterson
Who are the meek?
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus opens with a series of statements known as the Beatitudes. The third Beatitude is “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Jesus’ words echo Psalm 37:11, which says, “The meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.” ...
The Greek word translated “blessed” in this verse can also be translated “happy.” The idea is that a person will have joy if he or she is meek. The blessedness is from God’s perspective, not our own. It is a spiritual prosperity, not necessarily an earthly happiness.
Also, we must understand what “meek” means. The Greek word translated “meek” is praeis and refers to mildness, gentleness of spirit, or humility. ... Meekness is humility toward God and toward others. … Meekness models the humility of Jesus Christ. … Being “in the very nature God,” Jesus had the right to do whatever He wanted, but, for our sake, He submitted to “death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6–8). That is the ultimate in meekness. …
It may seem counterintuitive, but Jesus’ promise stands—a meek person will be happy or blessed.—GotQuestions.org2
Meekness in the workplace
The third beatitude puzzles many people in the workplace, in part because they don’t understand what it means to be meek. Many assume the term means weak, tame, or deficient in courage. But the biblical understanding of meekness is power under control. In the Old Testament, Moses was described as the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). Jesus described himself as “meek and lowly” (Matthew 11:28–29), which was consistent with his vigorous action in cleansing the temple (Matthew 21:12–13).
Power under God’s control means two things: (1) refusal to inflate our own self-estimation, and (2) reticence to assert ourselves for ourselves. Paul captures the first aspect perfectly in Romans 12:3. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”
Meek people see themselves as servants of God, not thinking more highly of themselves than they ought to think. To be meek is to accept our strengths and limitations for what they truly are, instead of constantly trying to portray ourselves in the best possible light. But it does not mean that we should deny our strengths and abilities.
When asked if he was the Messiah, Jesus replied, “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me” (Matthew 11:4–6). He had neither an inflated self-image nor an inferiority complex, but a servant’s heart based on what Paul would later call “sober judgment” (Romans 12:3). …
In the fallen world, it seems to be the aggressive and the self-promoting who get ahead. … In the workplace, the arrogant and powerful seem to win, but in the end they lose. They don’t win in personal relationships. No one wants an arrogant, self-seeking friend. Men and women who are hungry for power are often lonely people. Nor do they win in financial security. They think they possess the world, but the world possesses them. The more money they have, the less financially secure they feel.
In contrast, Jesus said that the meek “will inherit the earth.” As we have seen, the earth has become the location of the kingdom of heaven. We tend to think of the kingdom of heaven as heaven, a place completely different (golden streets, gates of pearl, a mansion over the hilltop) from anything we know here. But God’s promise of the kingdom is a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1). Those who submit their power to God will inherit the perfect kingdom coming to earth.—Theology of Work, Bible Commentary3
Published on Anchor June 2024. Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by Michael Dooley.
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