We Aren’t Weak When We Are Meek
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 ESV
Mr. Bates is a character in the popular television series Downton Abbey. He is a valet for Lord Grantham. A crippled man, he has trouble walking and performing his duties. The other servants often make fun of him and look for ways to embarrass him, kicking his cane in front of the guests to make him fall. Despite this, Mr. Bates refuses to criticize them or defend himself but apologizes when things happen. One can say that Mr. Bates is a meek man.
Our next beatitude has to do with meekness. What is meekness anyways? It sure isn’t a term used today. In Greek, the word used for meek in the beatitude is praus. It means gentleness. The same word in Hebrew means to be lowly, humble, or to be gentle.
Our best example of someone who was meek while on this earth was Jesus. A couple of incidents during Jesus’ ministry come to mind. First, in John chapter 8, the woman caught in adultery. After each of the Pharisees left (perhaps due to what Jesus wrote on the ground) and it was Jesus and the woman, we don’t see Jesus being harsh with her. Though he points out her sin, he gently tells her he doesn’t condemn her for it but tells her to stop sinning. Another example of Jesus’ meekness we find four chapters back when Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman asking her for a drink. She had a pretty shady past, yet Jesus is not harsh with her. Though Jesus points out the truth of her life, he does it gently. That is what meekness is.
Our verse says the meek will inherit the earth, meaning it will happen in the future. Many bible scholars believe it refers to the new heaven and the new earth referenced in Revelation chapter 21.
As those who follow Christ, we ought to conduct ourselves with gentleness, which makes sense because it is a fruit of the Spirit.
The fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 are a list of character traits that Christians strive to live out. Gentleness mentioned in verse 23 is the same word in our verse today. Unfortunately, it is one character trait Christians struggle with, especially in our society today. It is becoming more acceptable to be assertive and rude to get what we want. Many see meekness as weakness. I see the opposite: it is strength. When someone is rude or unkind to us, and we let it go, that shows strength. It isn’t easy. Our society says to get even, but we must do the opposite if we want to show meekness.
So, how do we do this? I came across an article that shared 10 ways to show gentleness. I will list 5 of them here.
1. Show empathy – acknowledge another’s viewpoint to understand their feelings.
2. Speak with respect to everyone.
3. Seek peace – search for solutions and common ground.
4. Listen more and talk less.
5. Be humble.
I hope this list helps both of us to become meek people.
The list is taken from an online article at https://gentlechristianparenting.com/gentleness-in-the-bible/