Before I dive into the whole meek inheriting the earth bit I want to start with my take on the beatitudes as a whole.
Christianity has been pretty good at the old rules and regulation side of things for many centuries. We love a list of things that are prohibited and you should most definitely not ever do and those things that are good and the more you do them the bigger your mansion in heaven will be. The problem with rules is that it often oversimplifies things and creates a mathematic formula that puts the power into our hands. So as long as you don’t murder anyone or covet their wife you are all good but if you take the Lord’s name in vain then you are doomed.
When we read the beatitudes in this way, that is as a list of things we should become in order to receive the blessing. Then it just becomes another list of rules for us to succeed or fail at, another set of goals to achieve… or not. When I read the beatitudes I have come to understand them much more about what God’s kingdom is about and a message to those who find themselves with nothing. No one can attain the blessing by mourning more, making sure they have a really poor spirit, or getting themselves persecuted as often as possible. Instead the beatitudes offer a promise to those who are overlooked, undervalued, remain hidden or struggle to work out why God would care about them at all.
I like this quote from Dallas Willard in his book the Divine Conspiracy;
“The Beatitudes, in particular, are not teachings on how to be blessed. They are not instructions to do anything. They do not indicate conditions that are especially pleasing to God or good for human beings. No one is actually being told that they are better off for being poor, for mourning, for being persecuted, and so on, or that the conditions listed are recommended ways to well-being before God or man. Nor are the Beatitudes indications of who will be on top “after the revolution.” They are explanations and illustrations, drawn from the immediate setting, of the present availability of the kingdom through personal relationship to Jesus. They single out cases that provide proof that, in him, the rule of God from the heavens truly is available in life circumstances that are beyond all human hope.”
So! Blessed are the meek.
No one wants to be described as meek… I mean no one.
The dictionary definition says meek means – quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive. It basically describes the kind of people who are walked over by others. Look at those in any kind of power or with any kind of influence and ask yourself are any of these people meek? Or think about how you would feel if someone described you as a meek individual. Would you take it as a positive or negative statement.
When Jesus was sharing the beatitudes with the gathered crowd he could probably see the meek amongst them. Probably way at the back because others pushed in front of them to get a better view and they didn’t say anything about it. Some may have been forced into giving another a lift up so they could see and hear better whilst they have to bear the weight of them on their shoulders and only catch muffled snippets of what is being said. The meek would have been all around in that crowd and Jesus wanted to tell them about a God and a kingdom that was for them.
I will leave you with a poem written by Eugene Peterson (creator of the Message translation of the bible)
The Lucky Meek
“Blessed are the meek”
Moses, by turns raging and afraid,
Was meek under the thunderhead whiteness,
The glorious opacity of cloudy pillar.
Each cloud is meek, buffeted by winds
It changes shape but never loses
Being: not quite liquid, hardly
Solid, in medias res. Like me.
Yielding to the gusting spirit
All become what ministering angels
Command: sign, promise, portent.
Vigorous in image and color, oh, colors
Of earth pigments mixed with sun
Make hues that raise praises at dusk,
At dawn, collect storms, release
Rain, filter sun in arranged
And weather measured shadows. Sunpatches.
Questions
Are you a rule keeper, rule bender or ruler breaker?
What is the most trouble you have ever got in?
Who is the most famous person you know that you would describe as meek?
How would you feel if someone called you a meek person?
If you are joining us to discuss this blog we will be at Cullercoats Crescent Club from 7:30pm – see you there
Photo by San Fermin Pamplona: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bird-s-eye-view-of-group-of-people-1299086/
Has been a part of BeachcomberFX since his arrival in the North East in 2014. He is well travelled (at least in the UK) having lived in Manchester, Nottingham, Derbyshire, Southport, Doncaster, Berwick and Edinburgh. Supporter of Newcastle United, will watch any sport.