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Blessed Are The Meek (Matthew 5:5)
I. The Definition Of Meekness
II. The Examples Of Meekness
III. The Importance Of Meekness
As we are studying the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, today we have come to the third Beatitude. Our text is taken from Matthew 5:5.
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).
The title of our message is Blessed Are the Meek.
The word Beatitude means blessedness. It can mean happy, fortunate, or blissful. It is a state of happiness. This blessedness that Jesus was talking about here is only for the believers. It is a biblical blessedness that can only come to us through our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.
To be blessed is not a superficial feeling of well-being based on the circumstances, as we have learned in our previous messages. If the situation is good, I'm blessed. If the situation is not good, I'm not blessed. It is not like that. It is a deep supernatural experience of happiness based on the fact that one's life is right with God.
Before we consider this verse, allow me to give you some background. The Jews believe in the Messiah, which was taught in the Old Testament. However, they had certain misconceptions of the Messiah. They believed that the Messiah would come from the line of David, which was correct. But nonetheless, he was nothing more than a man, a human being, a political leader who would deliver them from the Romans' oppression.
You see, in the history of the Israelites, they had been oppressed by the Egyptians, the Syrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and now the Romans. And they saw the Romans as the worst of all oppressions.
They believed in Malachi 4:5, that said, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD" (Malachi 4:5). So, they thought that they were in the period known as the day of the Lord.
When they saw John the Baptist, they assumed that he was the prophet like Elijah. When they saw Jesus performing all the supernatural miracles and taught all the wonderful doctrines, they assumed that he might be the Messiah. Therefore, the Jews had no issue accepting Jesus as the Messiah, even according to their misconceptions of the Messiah.
But what they could not accept was a meek Messiah, a humble Messiah. They were looking forward to a Messiah with great military power to deliver them from the Romans' oppression. That was why when Jesus taught his disciples about his death and resurrection, they could not accept the fact that the Messiah would die.
As the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:23, "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:23).
So, the rejection of Jesus started long before his crucifixion. Even when he was preaching at the Sermon on the Mount, teaching the Beatitudes, they already could not accept the concept of meekness. Because to them, the only way they could conquer the Romans and be victorious was to be strong and powerful, not being meek and humble.
Now, back to our text. "Blessed are the meek." What is the meaning of meek?
This brings us to our first point, the definition of meekness. Meek means gentle. It is a word sometimes used to describe a soothing medicine, or a gentle breeze, or an animal which was tamed by a trainer to do some useful work.
The difference between poor in spirit in verse 3 and being meek here in verse 5 is that poor in spirit focuses on our sinfulness, while meekness focuses on God's holiness. Though both have the idea of humility, there is a difference. Because when we look at ourselves honestly, we are made humble. Poor in spirit, seeing how sinful and unworthy we are. When we look at God, we are made humble. Meekness, seeing how righteous and worthy he is.
That is why there is this logical progression in the Beatitudes. Being poor in spirit will lead us to grieve for our sins. We will mourn for our sins. And that will humble us. And that meekness will cause us to turn to God and to seek his righteousness, which will be the fourth Beatitude.
Meekness is one of the facets of the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22–23 said, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22–23).
In other words, when we talk about meekness, biblical meekness, only the believers have it. Because it is the work of the Holy Spirit. That is why it is called the fruit of the Spirit. And only the believers have the Holy Spirit.
Meekness is not only taught by Jesus here in the Beatitudes, but elsewhere throughout the Scriptures. For example, Paul taught the Ephesians in Ephesians 4:1–2, "Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." Which means, live as a Christian. You say you are a believer, then live up to your faith that you profess to believe in. How? "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2). That is how we Christians should live our lives.
Meekness does not mean weakness. Whenever people think of meekness, it is inevitable that they would think of weakness. Remember the meaning of meekness is that of an animal which was tamed by a trainer to do some useful work. In other words, meekness is power put under control.
If I can give you an illustration, when you look at a tame horse, you will not say that it is weak. It is a very strong and powerful animal. It has the same power as all the other wild horses. But the difference is that it has its power put under control. That is what meekness means. Not weakness.
Now, if meekness is power put under control, what happens when a person is without meekness? That person will be like the one mentioned in Proverbs 25:28. "He that hath no rule over his own spirit," which means he cannot control himself. He cannot control his emotions. "Is like a city that is broken down, and without walls" (Proverbs 25:28). If he cannot even take care of himself, how can he protect the city?
Proverbs 16:32, "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city" (Proverbs 16:32). Someone who is slow to anger is someone who has put his anger under control. He is better than the one who is mighty but cannot control himself. Someone who ruleth his spirit is someone who has put all his emotions under control. Again, he is better than the conqueror who cannot control his emotions.
Dear friend, take a moment and consider this. A wild and strong animal is useless. Or the medicine that is too strong will harm rather than heal. Or the wind that is out of control will destroy, right? So, you may have a very strong character, a very strong desire and passion, a very strong emotion. Or angry easily. Or hot-tempered. It will destroy you if it is not put under control. God does not want to destroy us. He wants us to be useful. Therefore, he wants us to be meek, putting all these emotions under control.
Meekness is the opposite of violence and vengeance. Remember the poor in spirit looks at himself and sees his own sinfulness. He grieves for his sin. He is humbled. He is meek. And he looks to God and he sees his holiness. Such a person does not worry about personal loss or insults or abuses. Because he understand all these things as only temporary.
Why do you fight back and resort to violence and vengeance? At the end of the day, what do you profit from all these things? Nothing. The meek person understands it.
Meek is not the lack of conviction. It does not mean the meek person is afraid to speak and defend the truth. In fact, the opposite is true. The spirit of meekness is the spirit of Christ.
As 1 Peter 2:21–23 said, "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21). What kind of example? And what kind of steps? "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously" (1 Peter 2:22–23).
Though Jesus was sinless, therefore, he never deserved to be criticized, persecuted, or crucified. Yet, he did not resist the attacks or repay injustice or threaten his tormentors. He never fought back.
But, remember, when his Father's house was turned into a den of robbers by the moneychangers and merchants, what did Jesus do? He made a scourge out of cords and chased them out of the temple. When the Pharisees and scribes tried to corrupt the Word of God and caused the people to sin, Jesus preached very strongly against their hypocrisies.
So, you can see, when it comes to his own defence, he did not raise a finger to help himself. But, when it comes to God and his truth, he spoke most powerfully and strongly. That is meekness. It is not a lack of conviction.
So, the meek person is someone when you mock and laugh at him and insult him personally, he's willing to let go. But when it comes to God and his Word, he will stand and defend with a very strong passion.
The best way to describe meekness is to illustrate it. It is to see meekness in action. The Bible has given to us ample examples of men and women who have the spirit of meekness. I will just quote three examples.
First, the example of Abraham. After God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees to the promised land, and God made the marvellous unconditional covenant with him, there was a dispute about the lands between the servants of Abraham and the servants of his nephew Lot. All the lands of Canaan had been promised to Abraham. He was God's chosen man. His nephew Lot, on the other hand, was largely dependent on Abraham for his welfare and safety. And besides that, Abraham was his uncle, his senior, his elder.
Yet Abraham willingly let Lot choose whatever land you want. If you choose left, I will choose right. If you choose right, I will choose left. He gave up his rights and prerogatives for the sake of his nephew, to keep the peace and harmony between their servants, and most importantly, to maintain their testimonies before the Canaanites who were still living in the land at that time. That is meekness.
When you have the power to do certain things, but you bring that power under control for the sake of something which is far more important and valuable. Have you ever encountered such a situation? When you have the right to do certain things, or you are able to say certain things to defend yourself, but you chose not to do it for the sake of something which is far more important. Maybe you do not want to stumble another brother or sister in Christ. Or you do not want to tarnish the name of Jesus Christ before the unbelieving world. You have the right to do so, but you are able to compose yourself and put your feelings and emotions under subjection. That is meekness.
The second example is Moses. When God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, Moses felt completely inadequate. And he pleaded with God, "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11).
After God explained his plans to Moses about confronting Pharaoh, he again pleaded, "Please, Lord, I've never been eloquent. Not recently or even in the past. Never was I eloquent. I'm slow of speech and slow of the tongue." It is not false humility. Moses truly felt inadequate. Later on, God provided his brother Aaron to be his spokesperson.
Have you ever been asked to serve in a particular ministry? Maybe even taking up an office. What was your attitude? What was the first thought that came into your mind? Oh, they should have called me long ago. See, I'm better than all the rest to serve in this area. Or is your attitude like Moses, "Who am I?" It is such a privilege to serve in this ministry. Let me pray about it. Can I get back to you after I prayed about it?
Even if you are able to organise the programs for the church, or lead the ministries, or play the piano, you will still be thinking, Who am I? It is such a great privilege that God would call me to serve him. That is meekness in action. And it must truly come from your heart.
The third example would be Paul. Of all the examples of meekness in the New Testament, other than Jesus himself, perhaps the greatest was Paul. Why do I say so? He was by far the most educated of all the apostles, and the one whom God inspired to write the majority of the New Testament books.
There was a time in the past when he put his confidence in himself. "I was circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee" (Philippians 3:5). "Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless" (Philippians 3:6).
And when he met the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, where Jesus saved him and called him, he saw himself as nothing. That was when he experienced the poor in spirit, which led him to grieve for his sins. And he turned to God. And he was humble.
The same man who later on said, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8). I consider all these things as dung that I may win Christ. I'm willing to forsake all these things for my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
When he was asked how he could do all the things that God has called him to do, he said this, nothing of himself. He said, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).
Now, back to our text. "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." What does it mean to inherit the earth?
After God had created man in his image, he gave man dominion over the whole earth. You read about that in Genesis 1:28. But because of the fall of man, that inheritance was largely lost and perverted. But one day the believers are going to have this promised inheritance. Meaning to say, paradise will be regained.
One day Christ will return to this earth in his second coming. And he will rule this earth for 1,000 years. The believers will rule together with him. And who are the believers? They are characterized as the meek. The meek, not the proud, will rule together with Christ for 1,000 years. And that is what it means. They shall inherit the earth.
So, I've given you the definition of meekness. Meekness is one of the facets of the fruit of the Spirit. Meekness is taught throughout the Scriptures. Meekness is not weakness. It is power put under control. Meekness is the opposite of violence and vengeance. It is gentle. It is not a lack of conviction. And I have given you the examples of meekness, to see meekness in action in the persons of Abraham, Moses, and the Apostle Paul.
Now, we come to our final point. The importance of meekness. Why is it important to have meekness?
Meekness is necessary, first of all, because it is required for salvation. In Matthew 18:1–3, the disciples asked Jesus a question. Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? What did Jesus do? Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them. And then he said, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).
In other words, if you want to know who is the greatest, let me bring you to the point of your conversion. How were you saved? Remember, firstly, there is this sorrow for sin. This conviction and turning away from sin. This recognition that you could not save yourself and you need a Saviour to save. You recognize and acknowledge that you were totally depraved. And you cried, "Lord, save me." That was how you and I were saved.
Do you realize that at every point it is about humility? Without humility, you cannot repent. You cannot be convicted. You will not feel sorry for your sin. You will not turn away from your sin. You will not recognize that you are totally depraved. And ultimately, you will not turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. It is all about humility.
It is interesting why Jesus would use the illustration of a child. Though there are many negative characteristics about children. For example, children are simple, naïve, ignorant, sometimes stubborn, foolish, vulnerable, gullible, and so forth. But here it is not about those negative characteristics, but rather the positive characteristics that children are meek, humble, submissive, trusting, believing, and dependent.
So, when you want to talk about being the greatest, let me bring you to the point of your salvation. Do you remember your salvation? You were like a child. You were meek, humble, submissive, believing, and dependent upon me for your salvation. Like a child, you have entered into the kingdom of heaven. You were saved.
And what has changed since your conversion? Nothing. Why do you think that after your conversion, you do not need to be meek anymore? Why have you become so self-seeking? So consumed about self-glory and prominence? You still need to be meek. That is the emphasis of what Jesus was teaching the disciples. Nothing has changed.
Believers have to be meek. At the point of our salvation, and beyond our salvation, we still know that this ought to be our characteristic.
Meekness is necessary for us to receive the Word. James 1:21 said, "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21). Naughtiness means malice.
Those who do not have the spirit of meekness, they are not able to listen rightly to God's Word, let alone understand and receive it. Without meekness, they will not be able to sit through the entire worship service, listen to the whole sermon, or read through the Holy Scriptures. They have no patience for that. It is only through meekness that we are able to receive the Word of God.
Finally, meekness is necessary for evangelism. Because you and I cannot witness and evangelize effectively without it.
1 Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15).
So, we must always be ready to evangelize. But, we must do it with meekness and fear. Reverential fear. Why? Because pride will always stand between our testimony and those to whom we testify. They will either look to us or look to God.
We may be very doctrinal in our theology. We may be able to evangelize very well. But at the same time, we may be pointing the people to us rather than to God. God forbids. It is only through meekness and with the fear of God in our hearts that we will point people to the Lord Jesus Christ because only he alone is able to save.
Dear friend, having learned the definition of meekness, the examples of meekness, and also the importance of meekness, I pray that all of us will better appreciate and understand what it means when Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).
To the glory of his precious name. Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, as we consider the third Beatitude, "Blessed are the meek," said our Lord Jesus Christ, "for they shall inherit the earth." And thou hast enabled us to learn the definition of meekness and considered the examples of meekness, to see meekness in action from the persons of Abraham, Moses, and the Apostle Paul. And also to understand the importance of meekness in salvation, in receiving thy Word, and in evangelism.
Indeed, there are so many lessons we ought to learn about meekness. But as we considered why it is such a blessing to be meek, we learn all these important points. And we pray that we will better understand and appreciate the Beatitudes that thou hast recorded for us in the Holy Scripture.
Truly, and with all our hearts, we concur and agree with our Lord Jesus, and we trust and believe with all our strength that indeed, blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
One day, as believers, we shall receive this promised inheritance, and we shall rule the earth together with our Lord Jesus for 1,000 years. And we want to remind ourselves that meekness ought to be our characteristic. Not just at the point of our conversion. For nothing has changed since then. We still need to be meek.
And we pray that thou wilt enable us through the working of thy Spirit to always remind ourselves lest we forget.
We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.