Blessed
Are the Meek
by Ken Jones
It is not uncommon for
commentators and Bible
teachers to interpret the “blesseds” in the Beatitudes as
meaning “to be happy.”
The Greek work translated as “blessed”
is makarios, and while “happy” is one of the ways it can be
interpreted, in the broader context of the Beatitudes, happy seems to miss the
mark.
For one thing, being happy is a subjective
emotional state, and surely in verse 11 being reviled and persecuted do not
jibe with such a state.
Furthermore, interpreting makarios as happy leads to
the mistake of seeing the Beatitudes as a series of exhortations on how to be
happy, which does not seem to be what Jesus is doing here.
On the contrary, the Beatitudes are a series
of prophetic declarations of what God bestows on those whom He receives into His kingdom.
The reason these characteristics and virtues
are bestowed or given is because they are not naturally possessed by the
recipients, nor are their recipients in themselves able to produce these
qualities.
To take it one step further, the character traits
set forth in the Beatitudes are not what we in our fallen state aspire to.
This certainly is the case with Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall
inherit the earth.”
The idea of gaining the world, whether as
individuals or as a nation, is as old as human history, and the spirit of the
builders of the tower of Babel reverberates through all such efforts: “Let
us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens and let us
make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4).
This seems to be the goal of fallen humanity,
both individually and collectively: to make a name for ourselves through
accumulation, accomplishment, or through expanding our borders.
And when these things are the defining
pursuits of a person or a people, the defining character of that person or
people will lean in the direction of avarice and arrogance.
So in looking at Matthew 5:5, we note that this verse is connected to texts
such as Psalm 37, where the ruthless ambition of evildoers to gain the things
of the world is contrasted against the righteous who commit their way to the
Lord and trust in Him (Psalm 37:5).
In verses 9–10, we are told that the
evildoers will be cut off.
Moreover, the earth will not be earned but
will rather be inherited (verses. 9, 11, 22, and 34).
And here’s the kicker: the ones who will gain
the earth by inheritance are the meek.
Contrary to what many may think, meekness is
not weakness.
Both in Psalm 37 and in the Beatitudes,
meekness is humility and submission to God.
Again, with Psalm 37 in view, the wicked seek
gain at all cost.
In verse 14, they “draw the sword and bend their
bows to bring down the poor and needy,” and while they gain things that
will bring temporary pleasure, only the meek, those who delight in the Lord (verse 4), will
inherit the earth.
But this raises the question of how one
becomes meek.
I indicated earlier that the Beatitudes are a
series of declarations of what God bestows on those whom He receives into His
kingdom.
So, in light of Matthew 5:5, God gives the earth as an inheritance.
But He also gives meekness.
I say this based on two things:
- On the one hand, meekness is a virtue
possessed by Christ in His humanity (Matthew 11:29), which means that it is
part of His active righteousness that is credited to us for
our justification.
- But on the other hand, meekness is a fruit
of the Spirit that the Spirit causes us to manifest in our sanctification,
as Galatians 6:23 tells us.
Some translations begin that verse with “gentleness,”
whereas the King James Version renders it “meekness.”
But on the whole, the description of the
Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 describes meekness.
The point is that meekness is not native to
our fallen state.
So, in our justification, the meekness of
Christ is credited to us by faith alone, and in our sanctification, the Holy
Spirit is conforming us into the image of Christ, which includes His meekness.
So the blessing of this beatitude is that
those who look to Christ in faith will inherit the earth be-cause they have
been credited with His meekness and have been given the gift of the Spirit, who
connects us to Christ and conforms us to His likeness.
Rev. Ken Jones is pastor of Glendale Missionary Baptist
Church in Miami, Florida, and co-host of The White Horse Inn. He is also a
contributor to Experiencing the Truth:
Bringing the Reformation to the African-American Church.
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