“Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5, NIV). “God blesses o those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth” (Matthew 5:5 NLT). This is the third beatitude. In some ways this is probably the hardest for us in the U.S. to swallow. We live in a society which is all about advancements, having the latest and greatest. A society which teaches us to strive to be the head rat in the rat race. We seek to climb the corporate ladder at the risk of our morals, our family and even our own health. Wither we like to admit it or not we are a society which is often about us, and not others.
So meekness and humility is something we think we strive for and desire; but in reality we often see these as qualities to be avoided; qualities of weakness instead of strength. Yet these are attributes, qualities and attitudes Jesus is looking for in His disciples.
If you will bear with me for a second, let’s unpack these two words; meekness and humility. In the original Greek the meaning of meekness is: gentle, humble, considerate and unassuming. I am sure when I listed the meaning of the word meekness from the Greek, someone popped into your mind. Someone who gives of themselves to others. Someone who can make any situation better just by them being there. A person who is kind and gentle.
Let’s play with the word humble for a moment. I am a very humble person, just ask me. I write this as a joke, but we all know people like this. One moment they say they are humble but the next they are bragging about you name it. Most of us would say this is not humility. But what about the person who cannot take a compliment? Is this humility or is it just poor self-esteem? The answer could be either (c both a and b). Or the answer could just be (b).
Over the years as I have read the scripture, especially the letters from the Apostle Paul. I would say humility is not thinking less about ourselves, but it is about taking our eyes of ourselves and placing them on God. It is thinking rightly about ourselves. Humility is about properly ordering our life. It is about loving the Lord our God with all our heart and life and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
So why would Jesus say these individuals are what He is looking for? Well why not? After all his first disciples, as well as many of the early church leaders were the oppressed, the down trodden. Those without any earthly power. So it is easy to see why meekness/humility would be the mark of a true disciple. After all Jesus humbled himself to the cross.
A while back, I had a discussion with a person who is part of a congregation which used to be very influential in their community. It was conveyed to me they were quickly losing the younger generation. They are not the only congregation which is experiencing this loss. Could it be from a lack of humility/meekness among those who call themselves Christians?
We in the church have the answers to what is wrong in society. Yet society does not want to listen. What would happen if we lived the attitude of humility/meekness? What if we approached everyone we knew with love and compassion in a non-assuming way? Humility and meekness are not only marks/attributes of a true Christian/disciple of Christ. It is also part of doing the will and work of the Father. Food for thought. Pastor Travis out.
