When Jesus began His sermon in Matthew 5, He started out by giving the people quick statements of truth. Mini-lessons so to speak. These were meant to cause the people to think. Use their noggin. Use their heart. Jesus was preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. He was teaching repentance. He was telling the people what they needed to know if they wanted to be a part of His Heavenly kingdom.
The first 2 lessons were about true repentance from sin. Jesus said:
- “Blessed are the poor in spirit (humble, contrite), for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”
- “Blessed are those who mourn (over their sins), for they shall be comforted.”
The people needed to know that repentance required a broken heart over the guilt of sin. But if they did repent, God would forgive and comfort them.
Jesus moved on to His third mini-lesson in Matthew 5:5 when He said:
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Meek. What does that mean? We don’t use that word much in our vocabulary these days. But the meaning is simple. It is being Gentle. Patient. Humble. Someone who is meek is someone who doesn’t think of themselves as better than others. It is someone who loves. It is someone who is self-controlled and not quick to anger. Meekness is serving. Meekness is love. Meekness is Jesus. Jesus said of Himself (and proved it by His life), “I am gentle and lowly in heart.” Some versions say meek and humble. That’s Jesus. And that has to be me. It has to be us.
Blessed are the meek. Are we meek? Do you find yourself being patient? Are you gentle with your actions and words toward others? Are you humble? Meekness is not arrogant. It is not boastful. It is kindness and love. Meekness is not weakness. The world wants to look out for number one and treat others however they want. But that’s not meekness. That’s not Jesus. If we are going to be in Christ’s kingdom, then we have to follow His example. We have to obey His teaching. We have to be Meek. Let’s work on our meekness this week. Be gentle and patient. Be loving and kind. Be meek.
A Cord of Blue 