BLESSED ARE THE MEEK
By Matt Watson
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” — Matthew 5:5
America has sometimes been called the land of opportunity, where the American Dream is to succeed and win in whatever you desire to do or be. In philosophical terms this is existentialism, or “you are what you choose to be.” You want money and success? Work hard for it. There is no room for weakness here. Only the aggressive win in the boardroom, on the battlefield, or in the stadium.
But King Jesus says something different. He says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” That is counter to everything we know in this world, that the meek will win in the end. The reason we do not accept this is because we don’t know what true meekness looks like. We think it is weakness and passivity, letting people walk all over you, getting bullied, or pushed around.
Instead, Biblical meekness looks like humility during injustice, and patient endurance through suffering. It’s a deeper strength than anything we can muster in ourselves. Meekness is neither passivity nor aggression. It is a level of security that can only be found in Christ by the person who knows exactly who they are in relation to God: a pardoned criminal adopted and loved by the very one they committed their crimes against.
In his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Martyn Lloyd Jones says, “Meekness is compatible with great strength. Meekness is compatible with great authority and power. These people we have looked at [Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, and Jesus] have been great defenders of the truth. The meek man is one who may so believe in standing for the truth that he will die for it if necessary. The martyrs were meek, but they were never weak; strong men, yet meek men.”
We see this humility and deep patience best in Jesus. Paul says in Philippians 2:3-11, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” That is strong, and meek.
Here is what that means for us: The gospel says that we can do nothing to earn our justification in God’s court of law, nor be reconciled to him in right relationship. We are dead in our sins, and everything you do outside of faith condemns you. But while we were still sinners Christ died for us, reconciling us to the Father and justifying us (Rom 5:1-11). This is the message of meekness and humility that is so counter to the world. Where it says, “you are what you choose to be,” the Bible says that only through Jesus you are made alive and free.
Yes, it also means that you will be walked on by the world. You will be looked down on, made fun of on social media, slandered, and possibly worse. However, that isn’t a result from being meek, but because man is evil and when we follow Jesus we will be opposed by the world. Enduring being walked on by others, as with other forms of suffering, without demanding vindication is a reflection of Jesus. It is trusting in him to justify, rather than in yourself to justify. The meek will inherit the earth, not the ones who try to win it themselves.
Pray to God and ask the Holy Spirit to make you meek and strong like Jesus. That is the only way we can be meek. We cannot just try to be non-aggressive, nor should we try to become monks. Both of those options are still trying to win by your own strength. You have to know the only way you can win is admitting you can’t at all, and trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ to rescue you. Then you will inherit the earth, because all of what belongs to him he gives to us.