Blessed Are the Meek, For They Will Inherit the Earth
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“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 (NIV)
The people listening to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount were primed with expectation about the coming Kingdom of God and what that would mean. Not long before Jesus’ sermon, John the Baptist had been preaching in Matthew 3:2 (NIV), “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Then in Matthew 4:17 (NKJV), Jesus began His preaching with this promise, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
With all the miracles of healing they had witnessed as Jesus preached the good news about the kingdom, people were naturally asking, “How can I be a part of this kingdom?” and “What does it mean to be a kingdom person?” The first beatitude provided the way in – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” Matthew 5:3 (NIV). I must humble myself and admit my need. I could never qualify on my own to be part of His kingdom. I need His provision, His grace and forgiveness to enter in.
Then Jesus begins to describe the characteristics of kingdom living in the following beatitudes. What a contrast they would be to worldly living! One of the greatest contrasts is found in this third beatitude, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 (NIV)
Meekness? That must have raised an eyebrow or two among the crowd? When did being meek get me anything but last place? The world says, “Promote yourself! Do whatever it takes to get ahead!” It makes meekness seem like weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth, though, in the kingdom of God. Meekness is not weakness. Both Moses and Jesus were referred to as meek in Numbers 12:3 and Matthew 11:29. Neither of them were weak men. The word “meek” in this passage was used by the Greeks to describe a warhorse that was trained for battle. It had been broken to its own strong self-will and was under the control of the rider. Soldiers depended on such horses to respond to every command or shift on their reigns when they were in the thick of the fight. These horses had to be strong, brave and responsive on the first command to their riders for victory to be won! So the word picture here for meekness is far from weakness. Meekness is strength under control!
We find this same promise in Psalm 37:11 (Darby/TEV) where the Bible says, “But the meek shall possess the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of prosperity and peace.”
As a kingdom person, how do I become meek? In Matthew 11:29 (Darby) Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls.” Meekness will never come naturally. If I’m ever to become meek, I must be yoked with Christ and then learn from Him. It’s a decision followed by a process. If you’ve made the decision to be yoked with Christ, then spend time daily learning from Him what it means to be the kingdom person you have become.
The good news is that becoming meek is not the consequence of our ability to imitate Jesus or just “try harder.” In Galatians 5:23 (Darby), the Bible calls meekness a fruit of the Spirit. This means that meekness is not earned or achieved by our efforts. Meekness, like grace, is received by virtue of our union with Christ, who alone is meek. Meekness, then, is strength under His control. Only the Spirit of God can break us of our strong, self-will and make us meek. This is part of the transforming work of grace that He does in our lives as we grow in Christ. If we could produce meekness on our own it would only increase our pride. Then we would no longer be meek, would we?
It doesn’t seem like meekness gains anything in our world today. We live in a fallen world and the reward for meekness is often future. There is a new world coming! One over which Jesus Christ will rule and reign! The promise that the meek will inherit the earth is sure to come! In fact, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:2a (TLB), “Don’t you know that someday we Christians are going to judge and govern the world?” Take heart child of God, you are destined for a throne! Meekness is not weakness; it is strength under Christ’s control and one day you will inherit the earth.