The Meek

“And the earth goes to…”
 
In this world, we are taught that the strongest survive. Those who reach their goals will do so because they’ve beat everyone else and made those goals priority one. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there; watch your back.
 
So it’s pretty ironic when Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)
 
The kingdoms of this world tell us we have to push and shove our way to the top if we’ll ever make it. God’s kingdom does not work in the same way as the kingdoms of this world.
 
As we look at meekness as described here, I think it would be good to be good to note that the Greek word (prau, for those who wanted to know J) that is translated “meek” is also used a couple of other times in Matthew to describe Jesus. In Matthew 11, Jesus invites anyone weary and weighed down to come to Him for rest, noting that He is “gentle and humble of heart.” (The Greek word translated “gentle” here is translated “meek” in Matthew 5.) Then as Jesus enters Jerusalem in the week prior to the crucifixion, Matthew quotes the Old Testament prophet Zechariah in a description of Jesus, saying, “See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey.” (Matthew 21:5) Remember, this is the same Jesus who tossed tables in the temple and boldly faced Satan in the wilderness. When Matthew describes Jesus as “meek” or “gentle,” that doesn’t mean Jesus was weak or a pushover. It means something else…
 
I’m reminded of a scene from the C.S. Lewis classic The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The children, newly arrived to the land of Narnia, are learning about Aslan (Narnia’s true king) for the first time and are surprised to learn that he is a lion. Lucy asks one of the talking beavers if Aslan is safe. Mrs. Beaver replies, “‘Course he’s not safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.’”
 
Jesus is no pushover. Not at all “safe.” But He’s good. Good enough to rest in. Good enough to show mercy to sinners. Good enough to welcome children and bless them. And when Jesus comes for the first time, He is absolutely the King. But He chooses to ride in gently, not as a conquistador, not as the oppressive Romans rode in.
 
So when Jesus calls His followers to be “meek” (or when Peter later instructs Christian women to have “gentle and quiet spirits,” in 1 Peter 3, for that matter), I don’t think He is saying that the pushovers will inherit the earth. I think He’s saying that those who know how to channel the power they’ve been given and direct it as God wills, for the sake of serving God and others, will inherit the earth. In the end, it’s not those who lord their strength over others but those who submit their strength to God who are lifted up by Him.
 
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

-Candyce