Why Meek is What You Should Seek

(From the Greene County Dailies series...)

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”  Matthew 5:5

            There are few statements of Jesus that seem more “out of touch” than the third of his Beatitudes.  We see little evidence today of meekness winning contests or popularity.  Most view meekness as weakness.

            But what does the word actually mean?  If you search the dictionary or study how the word in the original language was used, you find it refers to great strength under measured control.  It spoke of a colt that had to be broken to be useful, or of a strong medicine that soothed a person’s injury.  It is not weakness, nor the opposite of self-confidence, but rather the possession of power, and the self-control to use it wisely. 

            Such people don’t need attention for validation.  They know who they are and what gives them value and significance.  That kind of knowledge is truly power.  It is the power of a Moses, and that of Jesus—both called “meek” in the Bible.  And it is God’s saving power within that assures people of their very bright future as inheritors of new heavens and new earth.