Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”
I read this scripture right before I got on a plane to leave the United States, wondering how being meek is a characteristic that Jesus would describe as blessed. When I think of meek, I think of shy and reserved. Certainly not a characteristic that would be beneficial to building God’s kingdom. I feel like when people think of Christians, they think of someone who is put together, never in a bad mood, energetic, always smiling and talking to everyone. They’re posting pictures of their bible and coffee on Instagram and reposting scripture on Facebook and twitter. The Christians who are active on social media and brings attention to themselves are the ones that I thought influence people the most, the people who “inherit the earth”.
If anyone ever inherited the earth, it was Jesus. The tax collectors, the pharisees, and everyone in between knew who Jesus was. But He wasn’t this modern day Christian that I thought I had to be. He wasn’t seeking attention for himself. He let God take control. He submitted to God and was in direct relationship with Him His whole life. People weren’t drawn to him because of His high social status. This man was a carpenter with humble upbringings. He is the son of God who simply did what His father asked of Him.
The definition of meek is “quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive”. This is who Jesus was. He would heal people of leprosy and blindness and then say “tell no one” and “Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done” just so He could walk freely in a town. When people were questioning him, falsely accusing him, and torturing Him before He was sent to the cross, He remained silent because He knew He didn’t have to defend Himself. The way He lived and the way He loved people was enough evidence to prove He was the Messiah.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not meek. Most of the time, I’m in the middle of the action and I’m the class clown. I’m on social media and I’d be lying if I said I never try to bring attention to myself. But I’m learning a lot about what is means to be meek, to not draw attention to myself, and to let God bring people to me, like Jesus did.
I’m learning more and more about being gentle and submitting to God every day and becoming more like Jesus.
