Meek

Way back when (and this would be 10 years ago, in the fall of 2001), I was taking a Bible class on the book of Matthew which was co-led by two of our teachers, Michael Popp and Joel Springer. They took turns, and right about this time of year (maybe even a couple of weeks earlier), Michael asked me if I could lead the class since both he and Joel were going to be gone on a given Sunday. I was a little surprised, given that I had no history of teaching Bible classes, but I had helped (and I use that word loosely and possibly incorrectly) Lisa teach Sunday School for the three prior years. I led that class, realized that not only was I capable of doing it, but was pretty good at it. From small steps like that can come service opportunities, and while this isn't my point today, keep in mind that every time someone taps you on the shoulder and asks you to do something, seriously consider the possibility that it's the Holy Spirit that's moving the other person's arm. The easiest way to tell if this is the case would be if you say "No" and keep having nagging thoughts that you should have said "Yes."

Matthew 5:5 states:

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

The reason for my opening paragraph was that when I led that Bible class, this part of the Sermon on the Mount was our focus of discussion. As a side note, the Sermon on the Mount is approximately 2500 words, which means it could be read aloud in approximately 20-25 minutes. Every pastor in the world would be well-advised to attempt to be more Christ-like and consider this simple fact.  Some definitions of "meek" that I found include "enduring injury with patience and without resentment : mild. 2. : deficient in spirit and courage : submissive. 3. : not violent or strong : moderate." There's an undercurrent to these definitions that suggest rolling over in the face of adversity, but I can tell you that for the Christian, this is definitely NOT the case. One of the main points from that lesson of ten years ago was that meek does NOT equal weak. We wouldn't have a church if it had cowered at every instance of persecution.

No, meekness in our terms is humility, and even more importantly, maintaining a sense of control when the wheels are coming off. The humility stems from a two-fold source--first, that sometimes in the world, events are beyond our control, and second, in spiritual events, EVERYTHING is out of our hands. When we really stop and think about it, at best, we're mere clay in the hands of the Holy Spirit, so a truly meek Christian understands his/her role in the Church and accepts it with humility and grace. An outstanding example of meekness in the Bible is the Publican in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, found in Luke 18:9-14. The tax collector understood his sin, understood his total and complete inability to do anything about it and put himself before the Lord. That's true meekness--NOT giving in when the times are tough, but understanding that God's will WILL be done, sometimes through us, sometimes not. It's God's world--the meek person understands that and adjusts to it, and there is absolutely nothing in that which would imply weakness. Indeed, it takes a strong person to understand when things are beyond their control, and that's when the Holy Spirit can do the greatest work--at those times when we think it's the most impossible.

Scott