Pastor Tom Johnson, November 1, 2020
Blessed are the meek. The meek are the lowly, the powerless, the humble, the unassuming, the gentle. These words expose and challenge the way of the world—especially during this election season. Politicians insult one another, call each other names, and do and say whatever they can to elevate themselves and persuade you to vote for them. This is not the way of the meek, the lowly, the humble, and the gentle. Sadly, they are a reflection of us. Our friendships are strained. There’s a trail of casualties in our social media. Family dread to gather around the Thanksgiving table not just because of the viral pandemic but the epidemic of pride, partisanship, and self-righteousness. We need a lot more meekness in this world.
Meekness is wisdom. Meekness acknowledges that we are mere mortals—not gods. Meekness humbly recognizes that God is ultimately in control. In the midst of the chaos and confusion of this world, meekness is awareness of where true power resides—in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Meekness is not weakness. It is courage. It takes strong character—strengthened by God’s Spirit and his Word—to admit that we have fallen short of the glory of God. We have all sinned. We are not the best, the greatest, the most, the first. It is not those with the right pedigree, the entitled, but the meek who will inherit the earth. Meekness is not weakness. It wisely and courageously admits our own weakness, flaws, and—most importantly—our powerlessness in and of ourselves. The meek know we need a savior—someone to deliver us from evil, sin, and even ourselves. Meekness is not weakness. It acknowledges that God loves all people—every tribe, nation, tongue, and people. It is not all about me. Meekness puts God first, others second, and ourselves third. Meekness and empathy go hand in hand.
Hundreds of years before Jesus’ earthly ministry, the philosopher Aristotle said of meekness. “The meek are strong. They stand firmly balanced between apathy and excessive anger—between cowardice and recklessness.”
Jesus says the meek are the faithful—the faith-filled. Their confidence and trust is not in self or even in the “better angels” of our humanity. Their faith is in God almighty creator of heaven and earth.
We should go to the polling station or send in our ballots in meekness. God has got this—even if our candidate loses. Our inheritance will not be jeopardized by anyone or anything. Nothing and no one can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Meekness realizes that our prayers accomplish more than our ballots. Please vote! But don’t forget to pray! Scripture commanded those oppressed by the Roman government to pray for the Roman emperor and again for monarchs and all those in authority (1 Tim 2:2). Proverb 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” God alone can change the hearts of our leaders to better serve him and to better serve those to whom they are called.
Meekness open us up to come to Jesus in our weariness, weakness, and worries. “Come to me,” he says, “all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle—meek (same word!)—and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Jesus calls himself meek and humble. The eternal Son of God left his heavenly throne to take on our humanity. The Lord of glory was born as a lowly child in a manger—meek and mild.
Jesus did not rise to the top through insults, violence, and fear-mongering. He humbled himself. He was meek. He empathized with the lowly, healed the sick, and brought comfort to the anxious. He courageously took upon himself the burden of sin, evil, and death even though he did not deserve it. He wisely knew that only he can raise us up and deliver us from evil. His meekness is not weakness. As the saints in heaven sing: “Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever.” To him be all glory alone. He is the best, the greatest, the first, the last, the Alpha, the Omega—King of kings and Lord of lords. And he is all those things for us—to raise us up—to bless us. “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” Our inheritance is now. In Christ’s Kingdom we have all the benefits as daughters and sons of God. God’s kingdom is filled with the meek. They know they were sinners made saints—washed in the blood of Lamb. All credit goes to our Savior in eternal worship.
When Jesus returns in all his glory—or we precede him in our deaths—we enter a new reality. He makes all things new. He does not come to destroy the earth but renew it, recreate it, and make it perfect. And he does not do so to hoard it for himself but to bless us with it—so that we inherit all the goodness and beauty of creation. It is a spiritual inheritance of forgiveness and eternal life. And it is also true justice and peace and a remaking of this world into the way things are meant to be. And so we raise up our voices for his glory and for the benefit of all creation. We lift him up in our voices, hearts, and lives because he first raised us up to enjoy him forever.
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