The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth
Notes
Transcript
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
I want you for a moment to think of the kind of characteristics that generally describe the kind of person who would aspire to take over the world.
When you think of someone like Alexander the Great, or Genghis Khan, or Napoleon Bonaparte…you might think of them as crazy… but in terms that might be descriptive of that goal, you would probably think: ambitious, strategic, disciplined, proud, highly intelligent - but also highly impressed with themselves.… but you certainly would not find any historians defining them as meek. You might be more likely to find the opposite of meekness.
But our beatitude for this morning instead states that the meek are the ones who will inherit the earth.
The meek shall inherit the earth. Last week, I used the Chesterton definition of a paradox as a truth standing on its head shouting for attention. That concept remain trust in this beatitude as well. Generally speaking, when you think of someone who is aiming for world conquest you normally are not thinking of someone who would be defined as meek.
But unfortunately, even the dictionary doesn’t help in defining meek.
As we look at this text this morning, our outline is this:
The Meaning of Meekness
The Model of Meekness
The Majesty of Meekness
The Meaning of Meekness
The Meaning of Meekness
When it comes to the word meek, much like many of Jesus’ other beatitudes we start off on the wrong foot if we just look at the dictionary definition. Dictionary.com defines meek as “humbly patient or quiet in nature, as under provocation from others” followed by the second definition of “overly submissive or compliant.” That doesn’t really seem to fit the Biblical definition of meekness.
Merriam-Webster provides the definition for meek as “enduring harm or injury with patience and without resentment.” And then uses Matthew 5:5 as the example. That seems to be an expression of meekness, but not necessarily the definition of meekness.
Both of these definitions seem to truly miss the mark.
It is unfortunate that modern dictionaries seem to really neuter the definition of meek. And while, I don’t want to claim intent… if we gravely misunderstand this word that Jesus uses here to mean weak, or passive, we end up looking like something other than what Jesus commanded,
The modern definition of meekness looks more like a spineless jellyfish than a bold disciple of Jesus who would endure persecution for righteousness sake.
This week has been filled with the death of celebrities. Dolly Parton, Tim Curry and Peter Cullen. Peter Cullen, I imagine might be the least known among many of you. But Peter Cullen was a pretty significant part of my Saturdays as a child. He was a prolific voice actor. In the 80s he provided the voice for Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh. But he was most known for his role as Optimus Prime from Transformers. And I saw a clip this past week where he spoke of where he got the inspiration for the voice of his most known role. It was from his brother Larry, a retired marine.
He was describing the role to his brother Larry, stating that this character is a hero truck. And his brother said to him, “Peter, if you’re going to be a hero, be a real hero. Don’t be a Hollywood hero, with all the [nonsense], and the yelling and screaming. And trying to be tough. Be Strong Enough to be Gentle.”
His brother’s voice in how he said that inspired the voice he would use for this character. And the voice of that character sets the tone for the meekness of that character. And I think that definition of being strong enough to be gentle, is a great definition for the word meekness.
One new testament commentator came up with the definition “strength under control” and that has it’s limitations but
Both of those are a better idea of what the Bible means than the dictionaries. To give a fuller view:
One lexicon, BDAG, defines the word for meek as: not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self importance, gentle, humble, considerate.
To be meek, one must have a true understanding of themself. They do not think more highly of themself than they ought - they ought to also not think too lowly of themselves. They don’t think of themselves, they think of others. Since they do not think too highly of themselves. They are not easily offended. They are not on the defensive. Because the self does not matter to them.
Meekness is not pacifism. They choose their battles well.
To come to the end of one’s self - to understand that you cannot do it on your own - but you need the help of another to make it through life, and to make it into eternity.
Like the other beatitudes, to be a Christian one must be meek. For one to come to Jesus in faith - they must not think higher than themselves than they ought to. However, we still ought to aspire to grow in meekness.
If one is full of themself, and plans to grit it out through life, and try their hardest, and survive by hustle - they are not meek, but they also will never feel their need of a savior.
The Bible gives us several examples of meek individuals. The first example we see is Moses.
It is kind of a funny example. Because it is Moses is the one telling us how meek he is.
3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.
And while meekness does have an aspect of humility - in this instance with Moses - he is merely reporting the news. However, it is also significant for the narrative, and it shows us the lack of meekness for the rest of the people around him. It’s not anymore arrogant for Moses to write that he was the meekest person on all the earth than for Usain Bolt to state that he is the fastest man alive.
Even so, Moses’ meekness is the result of the work of God in his life. And for any of us, true meekness is a work of the Holy Spirit.
Though Moses was credited, by himself, as the meekest person at the time of the writing of the book of Numbers. Moses is still not our model for meekness, because Moses still has moments where he shows a lack of meekness… striking a rock twice rather than speaking to it as he was commanded is one example.
The model of our meekness is of course Jesus, the one who pronounces the blessing on the meek.
The Model of Meekness
The Model of Meekness
Much like Moses describes himself to us as being meeker than everyone on the planet, the definition of Jesus’ meekness comes first from what he tells us about himself. And honestly, who better to tell us about Jesus than Jesus.
In Matthew 11:29, we read about Jesus’ very heart.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
When Jesus describes himself… it is that he is gentle. If you have a KJV, then you will see it reads meek. This word gentle is the same as the word for meek here in Matthew 5:5.
If we return back to part of our definition of meekness as “not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self importance.”
If anyone on earth would have a place to be impressed by their own self importance it would be Jesus… God’s literal gift to man… as he is indeed God in human flesh.
And yet Jesus spent his time with children, the poor, the sick, the least of these.
Paul demonstrates Jesus’ humility well in
Philippians 2:8-9
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Peter similarly demonstrates Jesus’ meekness in 1 Pe 2:23. He did not revile in return.
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
The complexity of Jesus… Ps 110, a conquering King but still strong enough to be gentle.
The Meekness of Jesus is displayed in the incarnation, as the eternal God takes on human flesh. But it is also displayed on the cross, where the incarnate God lays his life down for the sheep.
His meekness is shown as a king who rides into Jerusalem, humble and riding on a donkey.
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
When Jesus triumphantly enters into Jerusalem at the beginning of Holy Week, he enters as a King riding humbly on a colt. Jesus doesn’t enter on a war horse because he is not going into make war, but to humbly lay his life down. But when King Jesus returns, as we read in Revelation 19, it will be upon a white horse made ready for war.
Jesus meekness is demonstrated both in the zealous Son cleansing his Father’s temple (John 2) but also as the good shepherd laying his life down for the sheep (John 10).
Jesus is our model for meekness. To be Christlike is to be meek.
Augustine wrote “Christ does not bid us learn of him to work miracles, to open the eyes of the blind, to raise the dead, but he would have us learn of him to be meek.”
The Majesty of Meekness
The Majesty of Meekness
The second part of this beatitude might be equally misunderstood.
And to some degree it is because we don’t have a full view of what is promised in the eternal life that comes from Christ.
Many people think Christianity is “If I believe in Jesus, I will go to heaven when I die.”
The promise for the Christian is to the be with the Christ when we depart from the body.
This isn’t wrong, but it is not complete. We will inherit the earth. To inherit the earth is far more than how people describe heaven.
I’ve heard people make the critique of Christianity that they think sitting in heaven floating on clouds singing hymns all eternity long sounds boring… and whether it is boring or not is irrelevant because it’s not Biblical.
Then they might say something silly like it’s better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. But no one is reigning in hell, and the redeemed are promised to REIGN with Christ.
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;
Similarly in
1 Cor 6:2 The saints shall judge the world… and then Paul writes a few verses later the UNrighteous will NOT inherit the kingdom of God.
2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?
Revelation 5:10 - the people that Jesus ransomed are made into a kingdom and they shall reign on the earth.
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
The Scriptures teach us that to the poor in spirit belong the kingdom of heaven. But we also read that to the inheritance of the meek is the earth.
I began with the illustration of world domination, or I guess those aspiring to it, and inheriting the earth is not really the same. Inheritance is a gift. But part of that gift is that we will reign with Christ.
However, this language of the meek inheriting the earth is not new to Jesus. Jesus is making a reference back to Psalm 37.
Now you may have noticed during our Psalm reading this morning that the phrase “the meek shall inherit the earth” was originally written there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
And drawing ourselves back to this Psalm, and Jesus words should give us comfort. Especially, when you are worried about where the world is going.
This Psalm written by David is a comfort for those who trust in the Lord. He promises that the evildoers shall be cut off, and those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. In David’s writing of the Psalm it seems that David was thinking of the Land of Canaan - but Jesus clearly has a bigger scope in mind. The entire earth belongs to him, and he will gift that to the redeemed.
Jesus takes the promise that was given to Abraham and applies it to all his disciples.
When you worry because who is now being elected into office. Or when you worry because you see who is thinking about running for president. Or you see highly publicized court cases, and notice that the courts continue to mishandle justice and exonerate the wicked… in those moments draw back to this Psalm, and Jesus’ words. As he is promising that it is not the wicked who will inherit the earth.
It is the meek who will inherit the earth.
Conclusion:
Look to Jesus as the incarnation of meekness.
If you are in Christ, rejoice that the Holy Spirit have given you the meekness to understand that you are a sinner in need to a savior - and that he continues to lead you in meekness so that you might continue to aspire to model the gentle spirit of Jesus.
Seek to be meek. But understand that meekness is ultimately a work of the Holy Spirit in us. To open our eyes to who we really and truly are, and how we ought to view others. The appropriate response to this meekness is to turn to the Lord and ask him to increase meekness in us.
Finally, rejoice in the seemingly paradox, that Jesus does not give his kingdom to those who are filled up with themselves, proud, celebrating their own accomplishments. Jesus rather gives his kingdom to those who empty themselves and are filled up with him.
