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Matthew 5:5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth’ “Meekness! - Strength not Weakness!” In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus challenges so much that is accepted as “norms” in our modern world. All the way through our Lord emphasizes that His disciples are different, and it is this basic fact which makes the sermon on the mount, especially the beatitudes so revolutionary. Our Lord makes it plain that His disciples are to be :_ Different in nature, Different in action and reaction, Different in attitude and outlook, Different in motive, Above all, the difference is not just external, cosmetic differences, but is radical and all- pervasive. Paul expresses this difference in one of the New Testament’s greatest descriptions of a Christian. “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation - the old has gone, the new has come.” In fact John Stott, in his fine book “Christian Counter-Culture” says that for him, the key verse of the Sermon on the Mount is verse 8 of chapter 6, where Jesus, speaking of the Scribes and Pharisees says: “ Do not be like them”. He suggests that every Christian should underline those words in his or her Bible - “Do not be like them” for this lies at the heart of all true discipleship. In the deepest sense of the word, every Christian is a “non-conformist”.
We belong to another Kingdom.We own a different King.We march to a different drummer.We have different values and priorities
In a very pointed and challenging way, a way which makes us all uncomfortable,
the beatitudes show this difference - challenging the world at every level of life. J. B. Phillips in his book “Is God at home?” shows how the Beatitudes challenge the very roots of our daily attitudes and assumptions. He says the world says:- “Blessed are the pushers, for they get on in the world.”“Blessed are the hard-boiled for they never let life hurt them”“Blessed are those who complain loud enough for they shall be heard“Blessed are blasé, for they never worry over their sins”“Blessed are the slave-drivers, for they get results”“Blessed are the trouble makers for they make people notice them” All of these attitudes are self-assertive, but in the beatitude before us this morning, Jesus comes along and says the very opposite: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth”. What does the New Testament word “Meek” mean? 1. What it does not mean - It does not mean Weakness One of the most important questions we can ask about many Biblical passages is : “What do the words really mean?” Because the English language is a dynamic language, where the usage of words can change with the years, there are times when the words the Bible uses are not really understood in the modern world. The word “Meek” is one such word. While many of us love the old King James version, it has to be acknowledged that many of the English words used in the translation in 1611, almost 400 years ago, have changed their meaning - sometimes even meaning the opposite of our present day usage. It would be true to say that the word “meek” has come down in the world and does not suggest a characteristic generally admired. In fact a modern Thesaurus gives the following definitions of the word “meek”. “Quiet and ready to do what other people say”“Very docile” - “Tame obedience” - “Spiritless” - “Overly
Submissive”. “Overly submissive” - Is that how we understand the word meek
I heard a woman say of a man - “He’s rather a meek little soul.“ I am reminded of the story of Peter getting a group of men organised in the afterlife, putting them into various groupings. He said “All those who have been henpecked while on earth stand over here”. They all moved except one little chap. Peter said to him : “Why are you standing there?” He replied: “My wife told me to.” Overly submissive - that is the idea we often have when the word meekness is used. One modern writer, obviously a cynic rephrased this Beatitude As: “Blessed are the Meek, for they shall be flattened like pancakes.” That is the opinion many people have of meekness. They think that Jesus must have meant this when he said that the meek were blessed The world, you see, never would have let Jesus be born in a manger, ride on a donkey, or die on a Cross; because the world never has understood humility, or meekness, or gentleness. It never will. William Barclay, with his encyclopaedic knowledge of the N.T Greek language says that the real greatness of the Beatitude is hidden from modern eyes. He writes: “The word Meek has come down in the world. To modern ears it describes a weak, flabby, milk-and-water, spineless creature unable to stand up for himself or anyone else.” He goes on to say that this idea is very far removed from the meaning Jesus had when he uttered this Beatitude. We must never equate meekness with weakness.” He went on further to say that to the Hebrew mind, in other words to those who first Him speak, the word had a very different meaning. It is that meaning we want to consider today. The question is - What was Jesus speaking of? What did He mean by Meekness and how would those first disciples understand the word. 2. What it does mean - Controlled Strength A. In our relationship to God. The New Testament word, the word Jesus used, indicates controlled strength. The interesting thing is that in the days of Jesus, the word that He used described an animal which had become tamed or domesticated, and which had become subject to control. It was used of a horse which had been broken in and become obedient to the reins. It was used of a sheep dog which had been trained to obey every word of command. So here is the first meaning of the word - not weakness - the very opposite - controlled strength - strength which had been harnessed to a purpose. We see this controlled strength clearly illustrated in the life of our Lord. He described Himself as “meek and lowly of heart”. This is most vital connected passage to understand if we are to understand this beatitude. “Come unto Me all you that are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yolk upon you and learn of me - Yes! Learn of Me - for I am meek and lowly of heart and you will find rest for your souls.” What are we to learn? We are to learn of the meekness of Jesus. “I am meek …” There was nothing weak about our Lord, but His controlled strength was demonstrated again and again. This controlled strength is wonderfully seen in His death on the cross. When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter took his sword to defend the Lord, actually wounding the servant of the High priest. Rebuking Peter Jesus said something which is almost beyond our understanding: “Peter put your sword back in its place … Do you think I cannot call on My Father and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels ?” In other words, power unimaginable was at the Lord’s disposal, strength and power unknown to us, but He refused to use it - He had a completely different purpose, and His strength was directed to fulfil that purpose. Do you remember what Pilate said to Him during His trial. “Don‘t you realise that I have power either to release you or crucify you.” The reply of Jesus is amazing : “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” "He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world, and set Him free” as the song so richly describes, but "He died alone for you and me”. Meekness. Jesus, wrapped in power, withholding that power for a higher good. His death on the cross is not a sign of weakness but of controlled strength. On that same occasion when Jesus spoke of “twelve legions of angels at His disposal”, He also said something of immense importance to Peter: “Shall I not drink of the cup the Father has given me?”. This is how Jesus saw the cross - it was the Father’s will for Him - the cup given by the Father, and He was determined to drink it. That is meekness - power: but controlled. Submission - but always to the will of God. We could paraphrase this Beatitude with the words: “Blessed are those who are strong, because their lives have come under God’s control.” Strong because under God’s control! Seen in this way, this word of Jesus has a message for us all. The full blessing of the Christian life is found only as the reins of our lives are in the hands of Christ. To put the issue another way - why is it that we so often fail as Christians? Fail in attitudes! Fail in overcoming temptation! Fail in our relationships with other people! Fail in our priorities! Fail in prayer. There is one all embracing answer to those questions - we are failing to come under Christ’s control. We have not taken His yoke upon us and we are not learning of Him. “take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart…” Seen in this way, this beatitude is the most important of them all, for it embraces all the rest. To be a Christian is to come under Christ’s control. To be a disciple is to learn of Him. Here is the real contrast between the Christian way and the ay of the world. Happiness, to millions of people, is the freedom to do as we like. It is this uncontrolled freedom which leads to many disasters, heartaches and wasted lives. Very few people learn a vital principle of human living -There is a freedom which leads to bondage and there is a bondage that leads to freedom. I wish I could write that sentence indelibly on the heart of every young person. How many young people say , as they leave home for the first time to go to university, college or some new vocation - “Now I am Free! No longer the constraints and restrictions of home - I can do as I please!” This is exactly the story of the Prodigal Son as told by Jesus. Did he find happiness? We all know the answer to that question, and it is the answer given by so many who choose the way of so-called freedom. I say again - There is a freedom which leads to bondage and there is a bondage which leads to freedom Real happiness comes, and this is where we find rest to our souls as Jesus promised, when we join our lives to Christ. We then live by His strength and we then go in His direction. This is meekness. Someone has likened this freedom to a violin string. Left free and uncontrolled it has no power to achieve its purpose - to make great music. But fasten it in, secure it at both ends so that it is no longer free, and put it under its proper tension - then it is free to make glorious music. And this is how human life is meant to work. The last song a Christian can ever sing is “I did it my way” - for that is the opposite of how God intended us to live. Meekness is to recognise that we are made by God and are meant to be directed by Him in all things. So this is the first meaning of the word as we relate to God. B. In our relationship to other people. The word “meek” was also used to describe the way we treat other people. We usually use it that way in common speech, but it has a particular meaning in this beatitude. Again the word means controlled strength, and strangely enough could be translated : “Blessed is the man who is angry at the right time, and who is never angry at the wrong time.” Paul said “Be angry and sin not.” Ephesians 4 ; 26. We usually think that human anger, especially in the Christian is a bad thing to be condemned and avoided. But this word suggests that there is a God-given anger which should be a part of every true Christian’s life. Does that surprise you. But meekness suggests anger under control - again this idea of strength under control.God-given anger is the proper response to sin and evil. If we do not get angry about some things in our world, it suggests that we do not care, that we have little moral sense. There are things which should make every Christian angry. This element of anger has always been in the lives of all the great reformers - because they cared for people.
Martin Luther once said; “When I am angry I preach and pray better” I heard of one minister who said : “Ordinarily I weight 150 pounds, but when I am angry I weigh a ton.“ We could paraphrase the beatitude with the words : “Blessed is the man who is always angry at the right time and who is never angry at the wrong time.” But the word meekness indicates that anger must be controlled. And there is a rule which we can observe from the life of Jesus. The Gospels say about Him that there were times when He was angry. But there is a rule here that we must learn from Him and it is this : He was never angry about the things said about Him, or done against Him - about the slights and injuries He suffered. But He could blaze with anger as He spoke of those who abused little children, and as He watched God’s House being turned into a money making business instead of a place of prayer. He was angry at the cold hearted legalism of the Pharisees and the oppression of widows. But it was not an angry man those Roman soldiers nailed to the Cross - it was one who had only love and forgiveness for those who crucified Him. The one who said that He was meek and lowly in heart, and the one who said “learn of Me” was always angry at the right time, but never angry at the wrong time. The answer to the question :”What makes us angry” is very revealing for it shows us where the centre of our lives really are. If we are self-centred, when that self is touched by what people say about us, or do to us, we become angry and want to hit back. That was never the way of Christ. We often reverse the paraphrase we have suggested - and we are angry at the wrong time but never at the right time. Have you noticed this about yourself - and it is so true about most of us - we can listen to other people being criticized without turning a hair, but let someone criticize us and the is an explosion. In the biography of that remarkable preacher, Robertson of Brighton, a man who profoundly influenced the church of his day, it is recorded that after meeting a man on the street, he walked away in intense anger. It is said that so angry was he that he bit his lip until it bled. His biographer said of him ; “He knew that the man he had just left was corrupting a young girl, ruining her life by his own selfish lusts.” He was angry because he cared. That is the anger of the meek man, the kind of anger our Lord Himself would have exhibited. 3. What does it mean "the meek shall inherit the earth"? We can dismiss instantly any idea that our Lord was speaking of material possessions or earthly power. All His teaching would demolish that thought. The Beatitudes are about Spiritual things and we must look for a spiritual meaning in this promise. This is a direct quotation from Psalm 37 : 11 “The meek will inherit the land - land and earth are the same words in Scripture - and enjoy great peace.” “To the Jewish people, to inherit the land has to do with God’s promise to his people about the promised land. If they keep His commandments and do His will the inheritance will be theirs. Here is the promise to us - if we are meek, that is we do his will and live in His way, we also inherit His promises - the promises of the Kingdom of Heaven. . It is William Barclay again who says this is how the first hearers of the Beatitude would under stand it. The term “Inherit the earth” was in our Lord’s day a well known figure of speech, not to be taken literally, but standing for “The highest good” or “That which is most worth having.” It really underlines the first beatitude where the promise is “Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” To Jesus, this is what matters most in life - not money, possessions, houses or lands, but the Kingdom of God.“ And how does the Kingdom of God come to us? It comes when we crown Christ as King in our hearts - so submit to His kingly rule in our lives. This says Jesus, is the way to the highest good. We could paraphrase it thus; “Blessed are meek for under the rule of King Jesus they inherit all that really matters in life” It would be good for us all to saying in our hearts as we think of this beatitude: King of my life I crown thee now! Thine shall the glory be! Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow, Lead me to Calvary. When He is king, we are meek for we have come under His control. When He is King we are right with each other for He regulates our attitudes. When He is King we inherit the earth - not things, possessions, or wealth - but everything that really matters in life - those things which are for our highest good. Blessed are … Here is the way to true blessing, in this world and the next. It was Henry Beecher, one of America’s greatest preachers, who said, "A man who does not know how to be angry, does not know how to be good. A man who does not feel indignation over evil is either a fungus or a wicked man." When there are religious leaders who use Christianity as a cloak for their own greed and lust, my blood should start to boil. When atrocities are committed in against defenceless people, or when Communist governments in China and North Korea murder their own people, it is a time for anger. When wealthy countries have food surpluses, but which for economic reasons withhold that food from starving children, I should be angry. These are the things which would make Christ angry, and it is a sign of our indifference that we are not.
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