Today is the first day of December! Can you believe it? Only 24 more days until Christmas! It is my favorite time of year. I love being able to spend time with my family. Our youngest grand-baby, Riley, turned one year old last week, and we are expecting our third granddaughter in January. God is so good to us, and we are most grateful.
This week, we are studying Jesus' third Beatitude in His famous Sermon on the Mount recorded in
Matthew 5-7. Today, we will look at what it means to be meek. Who are the meek? Are they weak? You might be tempted to ignore Jesus' teaching during the Christmas Holidays because if you practice meekness, then you are surely going to be trampled over by the more aggressive and eager souls shopping for their presents! But it is never a good idea to set aside or ignore Jesus' teachings. Let us explore who exactly are the meek souls Jesus is talking about.
In
Matthew 5:4, Jesus said,
"Blessed are the meek." The Greek word translated "meek" is prays, which means a gentleness of spirit, meekness. A form of this word is used in
Matthew 11:29:
praos, which means gentle, mild, and meek. A form of the word
praos is used also in
Galatians 5:23:
praotes, which means gentleness, mildness, and meekness (
BlueletterBible.org). Before you get the idea in your mind that this state of meekness is best described as weak, try to understand what it really means. It does not mean weakness, but a great way to describe this state of being is strength under control, like a mighty stallion who has been broken so much so that a small child can ride on its back.
Throughout the Bible, you read of those who were meek. Abraham is called the friend of God, and he was a strong man who fought battles and accomplished much for the Lord. In
Genesis 13:8-9, Abraham told his nephew Lot to choose which direction he would go, and he would choose the opposite. What great humility and deference by the older, more mature man. In Genesis, we read the remarkable story of Joseph and his brothers. They betrayed him and threw him in a pit and sold him into slavery. But God exalted Joseph all the way to the position of prime minister over Egypt. And when his brothers came to him starving, he did not mistreat them, though he surely could have. He instead served them and blessed them. That is meekness, not weakness or spinelessness, but strength under control (
Genesis 45:5). Moses, Gideon, Ruth, and Jeremiah are other Old Testament examples of those who were meek, not weak, and who received and extended the grace of God. In the New Testament, we read of Peter, John, Mary, Stephen, Barnabus, and many others who exemplified this Beatitude, but the one who personified it above all others was Jesus Christ, of whom Paul wrote in
Philippians 2:7-8:
"But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."
Who are the meek? They are the passionate Christ-followers who lay aside their rights, do not make demands, and do not exert their forceful and powerful will; they humbly serve and put God and others first. They are gentle, kind, and yet incredibly strong. They are those who have strength under control.
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