Some verses in the Bible are harder for me to believe than others.
Like, I truly struggle with Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.”
Really? Because I don’t see that happening.
I mean, I know it’s true because I trust that what is written in the Bible will come to pass but I see our world and the meek don’t get anything but ignored, mocked and passed over.
Main Entry: meek (adj)
1 : enduring injury with patience and without resentment : MILD
2 : deficient in spirit and courage : SUBMISSIVE
3 : not violent or strong : MODERATE
Yeah, WOW. That’s not the type of character trait I’m racing out to develop. It inspires visions of Clark Kent, not Superman. Of, fictional characters at the beginning of their stories, not the glorious ends where they find their courage and their voice. Of the cowardly lion. Of Sponge Bob. Of Jesus.
Wait. Jesus?
Yup.
In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Later versions translate meek as gentle. Wow, I’m not so won over by that in a leader.
Not what draws my eye on recruitment posters, right? Follow me, I lead meekly.
The leaders and heroes of my world are everything BUT meek. They arrive with guns blazing asking if I feel lucky. They ‘re assertive, aggressive, in-your-face, bold, brash, pace-setting, trend-breaking, audacious, cocksure, self-determined and blunt. Lead, follow, or get out of the way, baby. That’s how they roll.
So, in my struggle with the word “meek,” I search the original Greek for clarity and find this:
“1) mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness
Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting.
In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time (Isa 41:17, Luk 18:1-8).
Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will (Gal 5:23).”
In other words, meekness isn’t about letting the bullies of this world off the hook. It’s about taking them off OUR hook and putting them on GOD’S hook which is actually way worse. I can only exact revenge for a moment – God’s revenge can last, well, much longer.
But, meek is tough. It definitely takes the work of the Holy Spirit to pull it off in this world.
Imagine we’re going into battle and designing the logo for our shields. We’re meeting with Jesus, our commander and chief. We need to know the symbols for our armor, the images that define us.
“OK, first, paint a tree because those who follow me are like oaks, trees of righteousness with well-watered roots able to endure any storm.” Jesus says.
“Way cool.” We happily paint trees onto our shield logos. Trees are imposing and it’s hard to take them down. We love being trees.
“Beside that, add a stone. All who follow me are being built like living stones into a spiritual house.” Jesus adds.
“Stones, excellent. Stones are hard and stone buildings are like castles, enduring and strong.” We’re good with stones.
We paint solid stones, impregnable stones on our shields and we’re getting psyched. “OK, Lord, now we need an animal. Every other army has an animal. So, what are we? Lions? Bulls? Rams? Hawks? This is going to be great!”
Jesus looks us straight in the eye, not one glimmer of jesting and replies, “Sheep. Those who follow me are sheep.”
We stare at him, our mouths open and our brushes poised in the air waiting for the punch line. When none comes, we explode with protests. “Sheep? We can’t be sheep! There’s nothing intimidating or scary about fighting sheep! Are you hoping our enemies die laughing before we die of embarrassment? Come on with this.”
One of us attempts to paint an assertive looking sheep and it just looks like it’s having a seizure or something. We can see He means business but we’re not liking it. Still. Can’t argue with the commander and chief, the king, the Alpha and the Omega.
We are an army of sheep, that’s our logo, that’s how we roll!
Jesus is the Lion of Judah. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. We are his followers, like sheep.
The meek will inherit the earth – man, that has got to be one of the MOST fantastic and hard to believe prophecies of scripture.
If you wrestle with this whole meekness deal like I do. Rent Ghandi and ask yourself who seems stronger, who prevails? Those who followed Ghandi in his Christ-inspired path of passive resistance or the brutal armed colonial forces? Then rent Schindler’s List and watch Itzhak Stern. Ask yourself who you would rather be like – him, the soldiers, or Schindler?
The meek will inherit the earth because it belongs to their Father and it’s His to give. It cannot be taken by force. Think about it.
Then, don’t look up meek in the dictionary or the Greek to find the definition – look to Christ who lived it, who invented the very idea of meek, who defines it for us in the way He lived. He is not only the Lion of Judah – He is also the Lamb of God.
What’s painted on your shield? I’ll give you a hint what’s painted on mine: “Baaahhhhhh.”
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