The Virtue of Meekness
#3. The Bliss of those who are Meek. Meekness is usually associated with a willy-nilly, weak, doormat, who is uncourageous enough to stand up or unsure and insecure, spineless. However, we need to look deeper than our current usage to understand what Jesus taught here.
Description—In Greek, “meek’ is a strong word. For Aristotle, it meant the happy medium between excessive anger and passivity. A second use was for an animal (e.g., stallion) when broken or domesticated. The powerful stallion was strong, but under a bridle and used positively rather than merely forcefully. Thus, it meant “Power under control.” To be meek means to let God control your passions and use them constructively for others. This is supremely true of Jesus (Mt. 11:28) who exhibited a “Controlled desire to see the others interest advance ahead of one’s own.” (Carson)
We tend to misunderstand what it means to be meek as the Bible uses that word. Perhaps you’ve heard of the group founded by J. Upton Dickson called DOORMATS. That stands for “Dependent Organization Of Really Meek And Timid Souls.” Their motto was: “The meek shall inherit the earth -- if that’s okay with everybody.” Their symbol is the yellow traffic light, whose message is, Slow down and prepare to yield the right of way to others.
That’s not what the Bible is talking about when it speaks of meekness. The biblical concept of meekness does not imply softness or weakness. It does not mean wimpy. We know this because of whom the Bible sets before us as the premier examples of meekness. The Old Testament model of meekness is Moses (Numbers 12:3), and the New Testament example is Jesus (Mt. 11:29). Whatever Biblical meekness is, it is not being a doormat. All we have to do is to think of Moses confronting Pharaoh or to think of Jesus with a scourge of cords driving the moneychangers out of the temple.
Meekness is this gentleness rooted in a devotion to God’s cause & a confidence in God’s strength.
One of the greatest athletes of all time illustrates meekness. Michael Jordan’s team was once down by 20 points in a game. The super-star pumped it up into over-drive, and began to contest every shot, scrapped for every rebound, swiped at every pass. He was aggressive, nearly ruthless. But in each play he was supremely talented and powerful. He seemed like a basketball juggernaut. He mowed over the other merely-human players. He was a scoring machine, and a defensive fortress. Overpowering is the word.
The next week, however, he was meek. He had all the same power that he’d shown in the previous game. It was just that he had the ball stolen several times in the next game. He was blocked out from collecting rebounds, he couldn’t hit a basket because of the tough defensive pressure, and he turned the ball over repeatedly. The difference? He was playing in a benefit game against disabled students. He let them steal the ball from him. He let them beat him. He was meek; he had all the power of the previous game, it was just governed, under control.
That is the kind of meekness God wants us to have.
1 Peter 3:15 speaks even about answering those who inquire about our faith with meekness & gentleness. That certainly does not mean with wimpiness. Rather, it means that we answer with real conviction but tempered with a controlled gentleness.
Jesus’ character was always tethered to the cause of God, and he let God defend him. “A lion in God’s cause,” Matthew Henry once said, “must be a lamb in his own.”
Meekness is the abdication of our rights. It is the person who is ready to say, “I will not stand on my rights, I will not demand to have my way. I will be concerned about the interests of others, and about the cause of God, and I will let God care for me.”
How will this meekness affect our apologetic manner? It will eliminate any defensiveness, any proud concern about our winning the argument, any protective sensitivity about our reputation. It will give us patience. It will enable us to ignore personal affronts. It will enable us to maintain a quiet dignity. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that the meek will inherit the earth. The meek will also prevail in defending the faith. The meek are those who care the least about obtaining any personal honor & acclaim, & they are also those most likely to win the apologetic victory.’
Jesus says these—not the over-achievers, not the success stories, not the famous ones—but the meek will inherit the earth. That’s quite an endowment program. Christians will inherit the earth in two ways (1) with Christ as our Lord, our inheritance can never be defiled or perish (1 Peter 1:4) & (2) one day we will inherit the New Earth. Are you meek? Power under God’s controlling hand.
“Meekness is the companion grace of humility and repentance. It is gentleness, freedom from self-assertion, freedom from unholy ambition. . . . Whatever else this meekness may be, the Pharisee laid no claim to it. He was the very opposite, self-assertive, resentful of injury, vengeful, proud, and malignant.” (Shearer, p. 30)
Ryle: “Those with a patient and contented spirit . . . are willing to put up with little honor here below; they can bear injuries without resentment; they are not quick to take offense. These are never ‘losers’ in the long run.”
Take these three beatitudes this week and focus on them—Just these three for starters. Learn to know God and yourself better by looking at yourself in the mirror of these beatitudes. Are you growing in these areas? You only will by God’s Spirit.
Pray that God will make you meek; it may take a while.
Look for opportunities to mourn with the broken-hearted.
Above all, you are blessed when you are out of spiritual reserves, if you depend on God. That is what Jesus wanted his people to do. Blessing lies in dependence on God
Those who are approved of God certainly do have peace and joy as a result. But the point of the term “blessed” is to describe what God thinks of them, not how they feel in response.