Meekness, Not Weakness

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”  Matthew 5:5

One who is meek is not weak.  A meek person doesn’t cower in fear or become a “doormat” for others to step on.  Neither does a meek person follow whichever way the wind blows.  On the contrary, to be meek means to have strength, but have it under control.  Meekness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23).  “Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3) and look how he led thousands of people out of Egypt, not afraid to face Pharaoh and his entire Egyptian army.  Moses certainly wasn’t a wimp!

Psalm 22:26 says that “the meek shall eat and be satisfied”.  Psalm 25:9 tells us that “the meek God will guide in judgment; and the meek He will teach His way”.  Jesus described Himself as “meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:28).  He exemplified meekness when He hung on the cross without complaining or blaming.  He had the power to come down off the cross and destroy every single enemy who called for His crucifixion.  When He was arrested in the garden, Peter drew his sword in an effort to protect Jesus, but Jesus told him to put his sword away.  He said to Peter that He could ask His Father for help, and God would send more than twelve legions (72,000) of angels to rescue Him, but then the scriptures would not be fulfilled (John 18:10; Matthew 26:52-54).  Years ago when “The Passion of the Christ” was released, my son took my neighbor, who was not a Christian, to see the movie.  My son told me that my neighbor remarked after they left the theater (and I am going to repeat it just as he said), “Jesus was a hell of a Man.”  My neighbor was impressed by the strength displayed and the suffering that was endured without retaliating.

The meek have many characteristics:  they are submissive and obedient to the Lord and obey those in authority over them.  They do not “get even” when wronged, are always prepared to do a good deed when the opportunity arises, are gentle toward others, speak no evil, and do not pick fights, verbal or physical (Titus 3:2).  They can be “righteously indignant” at those who do them an injustice, but in a controlled and calm manner.  The goal is not to “fly off the handle”, but to speak peaceably to avoid further strife.  As the commentator Matthew Henry wrote over 300 years ago, “…be cool when others are hot”.

It is a mature Christian who is able to rise above circumstances and allow the Lord to control his or her responses.  Or as some might say, “Be the adult in the room”.