Matthew 5:5 5Blessed are the meek, because they shall inherit the earth.
Meekness is often misunderstood because of how the English word is often used in association with being weak, timid, or shy. Being meek (praeis) requires having great strength while also being humble and dependent upon God. It is not feeling haughty or self-important. It is related to being gentle and considerate of others. Meekness is a relational term, especially in our relationship with God. This verse is similar to Psalm 37:11, “But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.”
The way of strength in this world is not the way of meekness. It is usually the strong and forceful who get their way. The world operates by survival of the fittest. With this type of perspective, people who are meek are often taken advantage of. The meek do not fight evil with evil and refuse to resort to evil to get their way, such as by deceit, manipulation, or brute force. In the face of evil, they remain patient, calm, and resolute.
As with all the beatitudes, Jesus is the model for meekness. He is “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:28-30). He modeled meekness on the cross. “When he was reviled, he did not revile back; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). What enabled Jesus to be meek? He counted on his Father to give him life. His authority, identity, and purpose came from his relationship with his Father.
Being meek means that we do not rely on ourselves but on God. Meekness is the result of mourning over our self-sovereignty, coming to realize that we need God more than anything else. It is being humble and gentle in our dealing with others because we realize the greatness of God. Meekness is a response of our worship of God.
The blessing that the meek inherit is the earth. The irony of the kingdom is that the very thing we give up we inherit. Land in the Old Testament represented security, peace, prosperity, good health, and strong family bonds. The earth for us will also involve these things but these will be viewed and experience through the filter of God’s kingdom. Meekness comes as we are humble ourselves before God. We rely on God as our source of all of life, and the result is wholeness and happiness. When we seek our own agendas and do not care about others, we will find our lives becoming miserable. What we have can so easily be taken from us.
We may think that the Christian life is all about getting to heaven and forget that God’s kingdom is breaking into our earthly existence now. Our life here is blessed with God’s presence, which makes all the difference in how we live. As citizens of God’s kingdom, every activity we do now is a reflection of our citizenship in his kingdom. The irony of the kingdom is that the earth belongs to the very people who are rejected by it. Those who humble themselves before God have the deepest insight into what life here on earth is all about and experience the most blessed, joyful, and purposeful life. Why would we want anything else since we can receive the very world that God created and loved so much that he sent his Son into it?
Meekness brings healing to those we come in contact with the Christ of the cross. Meekness is the key ingredient to restore relationships and marriages. If we want a blessed and good life here on earth, meekness is the secret ingredient.
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