Blessed are the meek
“Meekness is essentially a true view of oneself, expressing itself in attitude and conduct with respect to others.” (Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Jesus’ sermon really is brilliant. In these first three beatitudes, He has presented to us a three step progression of the gospel’s work in a person’s life. Take a look:
Realization (poor in spirit). One must realize that sin has impoverished their spirit. They have nothing worthy to offer.
Emotion (those who mourn). Upon that realization, there is an emotion of sorrow for their sin and for the world.
Action (the meek). Once the individual has seen and felt their utter poverty and need, they will act toward God and others in light of it.
Jesus’ third blessing is pronounced on the meek. Meekness is much like humility. It is the natural outflowing of the realization of one’s condition. This means meekness is not something we can make ourselves do. It is something that will automatically come out from a heart with the right perspective. The first two beatitudes were more introspective. This one moves into the outward life of the believer.
If I really believe I am destitute of spirit, and I feel the emotional weight of that, I am going to have a hard time being prideful in my dealings with others. I am always going to see myself as less and others as more. This does not mean I will walk around with my head to the ground or that I will carry myself as a dejected, pitiful soul. It actually means increased joy and fulfillment.
You see, our natural tendency is to desire to be treated the way we deserve to be treated. We want just and fair treatment. Of course, in order to receive this treatment we have to fight for it. We have to work for it. For example, as a man I desire to be respected. Many times, I feel I deserve to be respected. What that means is that I always have to work to present myself as respectable. I cannot slip up or lose face. If I do, I may not receive my deserved treatment. And if I do not receive that respect, I feel cheated. This is an absolutely exhausting lifestyle because I am working for something I will never deserve.
The Bible clearly presents the wrench in this plan:
“…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23, ESV)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NASB)
There’s the problem. All have sinned so everyone is plagued with this thing. The wages of sin, what the sinner deserves, is death. You and I deserve to be submitted to eternal destruction under the wrath of God for our sins. Therefore, it is nothing short of ludicrous to ever feel cheated in this life. As long as we are not enduring eternal condemnation, we are receiving more and better than what we deserve.
The person who has embraced the first two beatitudes understands this and finds a joyful life. When we accept the fact that our just and fair treatment is to be crushed under the judgment of God, every breath and moment of our life becomes a celebration of grace and gratitude. Even our most miserable days will be received by us with joy because they are far better than we deserve. A man released from death row is less inclined to complain about his life. He is just happy to be alive. When believers see themselves in this light they are released from the burden of performance. You do not have to earn anything. Instead, Christ earned salvation and life for you, and took your deserved death upon Himself. Every blessing you have, you have by grace. Everything good about you comes from Him. You cannot claim personal credit for any of it.
If you truly embrace this truth, there is no place in you for prideful thinking or for complaints of unfair treatment. No one but God can give you what you truly deserve, and He has graciously rescued you from it by the sacrifice of Christ. And so, in this life, all is grace. To have this attitude and live in light of it is what it means to be meek. Those who are meek accept everything with thankfulness and treat everyone with humility, gentleness, and grace.
They shall inherit the earth
The reason the meek are blessed is because they will inherit the earth. I see two meanings to this blessing.
The present meaning
They inherit the earth now. Though they do not gain land and control nations, they have more in this world than those who do. Since they have the proper perspective of thankfulness and gratitude, they are content. Even if they have nothing of material in this world they have everything of value. It is the meek and humble who are the happiest here. Those who are trying to build their own kingdoms, gain wealth, and acquire possessions are constantly stressing over what they don’t have. Those who are meek are satisfied in what they do have. They inherit the earth in the sense that they are the only ones who can live truly happy in this world.
The future meaning
“Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2a, ESV)
You heard that right. In the new heaven and new earth, the saints will judge the world. Later, Paul even says we will judge the angels. How exactly you judge an angel is not clear to me, but the point here is that those who rule and reign with Christ for eternity will do so solely based on their life in Him here and now. It will not depend on their financial, political, social, or professional status. Their material possessions, nationality, or family line will not matter. The only determining factor will be whether they have seen and felt their need for the Savior, and come to Him in meekness for the forgiveness of their sins. This is why it is blessed to be meek.
If you are just now joining us, you can see the previous posts in this series here:
Introductory Thoughts on the Sermon on the Mount
Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
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