"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5
Two men faced each other on the pavement before the governor's palace. One was Jesus Christ, the meekest man who had ever lived. The other was Pontius Pilate, a man of extraordinary pride. Jesus appeared as the epitome of weakness, a poor Jew caught in the inexorable tides of Roman history, frail and impotent, a man destined to be extirpated from the face of the earth. Pilate, on the other hand, was the very personification of Roman power. The tides of history were on his side, and as a part of Rome, he was heir to the earth.
The two figures are opposite ends of a tragic paradox. Jesus Christ, the prisoner, was the free man. He was in absolute control. Jesus, the meek, would inherit not only the earth but the entire universe. Whereas, Pilate, the governor, was the prisoner of his own pride and sin. He could not control even his own soul, and thus, he had no inheritance.
Jesus not only taught the paradox "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" -- He actually lived it. He, in fact, was the master of the paradox. His teaching was typically salted with shining contrasts like: "Last is first; Giving is receiving; Dying is living; Losing is finding; Least is greatest; Poor is rich; Weakness is strength; Serving is ruling." For Christ, paradoxes were an especially effective way of enabling people to see essential spiritual truth.
The beauty of a paradox is that it grabs our attention because it falls on our ears with an elevating dissonance. In the case of Matthew 5:5, it would seem far truer to say "Blessed are the proud, the strong, the intimidating, for they will inherit the earth." But Jesus is teaching survival not of the fittest but of the meekest! And immediately we wonder, "how in the world are the meek going to inherit anything?" Does Jesus not know that life does not work that way? Just look at those who occupy the White House, the Capitol, the executive suites of Wall Street or Fifth Avenue -- the strong, the self-sufficient, the overbearing, the more than capable, the aggressive, the ambitious. The world seemingly belongs to such as those. So it would seem that the last thing the average man would want to be known for is meekness. It would seem that Jesus has made a great mistake, but of course, He hasn't. Indeed, the third Beatitude provides an infallible law of life and a remarkable power for living and dying.
So to begin, what does "Blessed are the meek" mean? Or more specifically, what does the word "meek" -- or as many translations render it, "gentle" -- mean? As before it will be helpful to begin with what it does NOT mean. Understand first that meekness is not weakness. It does not denote cowardice or spinelessness or timidity or a willingness to have peace at any cost. Neither does it suggest indecisiveness, wishy-washiness, or a lack of confidence. Meekness does not imply shyness or a withdrawn personality. And it cannot be reduced down to mere niceness.
In classical Greek, the word was used to describe tame animals, soothing medicine, a mild word and a gentle breeze. William Barclay described it a word "with a caress in it." Meekness/gentleness also implies self-control. And Barclay went on to describe it as "strength under control." The meek person is strong! He is gentle, meek, and mild; but he is in control and he is as strong as steel.
To read Psalm 37 would show that Jesus consciously alluded to verse 11, "But the meek will inherit the land," when he formulated the third Beatitude. This statement's location in the heart of this Psalm is deeply revelatory of just what meekness/gentleness rests upon. The Israelites to who the Psalm was written, despite living in the land, did not truly possess the land because of the working of evil men. What were they to do? In a word, trust ["trust," v. 3, 5; "be still ... wait," v. 7]. Thus a deep trust in the sovereign power of God is the key to meekness. Jesus, of course, perfectly displayed this dynamic of trust that is fundamental to meekness. "When," as Peter records, "they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly" [1 Peter 2:23].
Jesus said of Himself, "I am gentle and humble in heart" [Matthew 11:29]. As the incarnation of meekness, He displayed it in two distinct ways, both of which showed His power. In respect to His own person, He practiced neither retaliation nor vindictiveness. When He was mocked and spat upon, He answered nothing, for He trusted His Father. When confronted by Pilate, He kept silent. When His friends betrayed Him and fled, He uttered no reproach. When Peter denied Him, Jesus restored him to both fellowship and service. When Judas came and kissed him in Gethsemane, Jesus called him "friend." And Jesus meant it. He was never insincere. Even in the throes of death, He pleaded, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" [Luke 23:34]. Yet in all of this, Jesus, meek and mild, was in control. He radiated power.
On the other hand, when it came to matters of faith and the welfare of others, Jesus was a lion. He rebuked the Pharisees' hardness of heart when He healed the man's withered hand on the Sabbath [Matthew 12:9-45]. He was angered when His disciples tried to prevent little children from coming to Him [Mark 10:13-16]. He made a whip and drove the moneychangers from the Temple [John 2:14-17]. He called Peter "Satan" after the outspoken fisherman tried to deter Him from His heavenly mission [Matthew 16: 21-23]. All of this came from the very same Jesus, the incarnation of gentleness.
To put it all together is to make an amazing picture. The one who is meek has a gentle spirit because he trusts God. Indeed, there is even a caress about his presence. At the same time, the meek person possesses immense strength and self-control, which he exhibits in extending love rather than retaliation against those who do him evil. But he stands up fearlessly in defense of others or of the truth as the occasion demands.
The reward for meekness is nothing short of amazing: "They will inherit the earth." As mentioned previously, the inspiration for this magnificent paradox is Psalm 37, which encouraged God's people not to fret because of evil, but rather to trust because "the meek inherit the land." In the New Testament, God's people are not a physical nation -- they are gathered from all nations and tongues. And the land/earth they inherit is not a physical plot of ground -- it is Heaven itself. The time is coming when, as fellow heirs with Christ [Romans 8:17], we will reign with Him in his earthly kingdom. We will inherit the earth. We will judge the world [1 Corinthians 6:2]. The paradox will be literally fulfilled, far beyond our wildest dreams.
But there is also a present inheritance that abundantly enriches our earthly existence even now. There is a sense in which those who set their minds on riches never truly possess anything. This was illustrated most classically when one of the world's wealthiest men was asked how much money was enough and his answer was "Just a little more." He owned everything, yet possessed nothing. It is the meek who own the earth now, for when their life is free from the tyranny of "just a little more," when a gentle spirit caresses their approach to their rights, then they possess all. The meek are the only ones who inherit the earth. As in the two Beatitudes preceding it, the "they" in "they shall inherit" is emphatic: "They alone, only they, shall inherit the earth." They are rich right now; and fifty billion years into eternity they will still be lavishing in the unfolding of "the incomparable riches of His grace" [Ephesians 2:7].
So how do we become Christlike in our meekness? There are three concurrent pathways. First, we must realize that a gentle spirit is a gift of the Holy Spirit [Galatians 5:23]. Therefore, it only comes through grace. We must cast ourselves on God, asking in humble prayer that He give us life, make us His children, and instill in us a spirit of meekness. At the same time, we can ask confidently because we know that if we ask anything according to His will, He will do it [John 14:13, 1 John 5:14]. Such asking ought to be continual because every soul needs to grow in grace regardless of one's level of spiritual maturity.
Secondly, we must yoke ourselves to Jesus, for He was the incarnation of meekness. Our Lord said of Himself, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" [Matthew 11:29, 30]. Jesus promises us that if we yoke ourselves to Him, we will learn gentleness and humility. Lastly, we must notice the progression of thought in the Beatitudes, for it provides us with a three-step ladder to meekness. The initial step begins with the first Beatitude [Matthew 5:3] with poverty of spirit, which comes from a true knowledge of ourselves. We realize that there is nothing within us that would commend us to God. We fall short. We need God. In the next Beatitude [v. 4] we progress to mourning. We most naturally lament the state of our spiritual poverty. Yet this mourning is an enviable state because in it we are blessed and comforted.
We should note that poverty of spirit and mourning are negative. However, when true poverty of spirit and spiritual mourning are present, they make way for the positive virtue of meekness. In a sense, meekness is superior to the two preceding states because it grows out of them. The process is all so natural, so beautiful, and yet also quite supernatural. The test as to whether we are truly meek is not whether we can say we are poor sinners, but rather what we do when someone else calls us vile sinners.
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