Scripture portion: Matthew 5:5 - “BLESSED ARE THE MEEK: FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH”
In the previous chapters we meditated upon being poor in spirit, and mourning. If we think seriously about being poor in spirit and mourning, we can find that they speak to us about the method of salvation of a sinner. Jesus, after speaking about the method of salvation, is now saying, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth”. By uttering these words, the Lord is showing us the virtue, which a saved person has to possess. Even in the next verse i.e.; in Matthew 5:6, the Lord is showing us another virtue which should be possessed by a saved person. Now, I think the picture is clear in our minds. In the first two verses, i.e. in Matthew 5:3 and Matthew 5:4, the Lord is showing us the way to salvation, and in the next two verses, i.e. in Matthew 5:5 and 5:6, the Lord is showing us the qualities of a saved person: firstly it is meekness as given in Matthew 5:5 and secondly it is hunger and thirst for righteousness as given in Matthew 5:6. Therefore, a truly saved person can be identified by two qualities:1) Meekness and 2) Hunger and thirst for righteousness. Whoever you are, if you claim to be saved, then you should possess these two qualities. A saved person can be identified by these two qualities.
Now, with this background knowledge, we shall concentrate upon meditating on the scripture portion we have chosen for this present chapter. (Matthew 5:5)
The first quality that a saved person should possess is meekness. If you claim to be a saved person, if you claim that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, and if you claim that you are a disciple of Jesus, then the first quality you should have is meekness. So, now, one may ask, “Why is meekness the first quality that a saved person should possess? Why do you consider it as a proof of salvation?” I will now try to answer just these questions.
Firstly, let me tell you that the meekness that our Lord is speaking about is not so much the meekness in front of men as it is in front of God. Here, the Lord is speaking mainly about the meekness in front of God. Meekness in front of men comes only after this. A person who is saved is always meek in front of God. In his thoughts, words and deeds he shows himself meek in the sight of God. His first concern is to show himself meek to God. To be meek in front of men will only be secondary to him.
The meekness towards God, which, Jesus is speaking about, is not something which comes to us by force, or the one which we should struggle to maintain, but it is the one which comes naturally as a result of becoming poor in spirit. Meekness before God is the result of becoming poor is spirit. If you really become poor in spirit and repent as given in Matthew 5:3,4, then you cannot help but be meek in the sight of God. Meekness towards God is not something that you have to strive hard to possess, but is the natural outcome of your becoming poor in spirit and repentance. You know that once upon a time you were not poor in spirit, but filled with all kinds of sinful riches. You realized that God hates all those things; the very same things which you gloried in, and loved to possess. Once upon a time you gloried in your wisdom and knowledge; you gloried in your self-righteousness; your belief was in money; you were self-confident and fearless about God; you were filled with worldly pleasures. You were proud! But now you have realized that all these sinful riches cannot gain you anything and instead lead you to hell. You have realized that only Lord Jesus can save you. You gave up your pride, became poor in spirit, repented and received salvation from Lord Jesus. After going through all these experiences, how can you ever say, “God has chosen me because I am a righteous person, I am worthy.”?! I heard some people say like that who claim they are saved! They say that they are saved. But, actually no true meekness can be found in them towards God. They argue with God. They demand favor from God, pointing towards their worthiness. They never say, “Lord, I am not worthy to serve you. Only Your grace has lifted me up”, but they will say, “Lord, why don’t You use me in Your service? I have talents.” Deep inside the hearts of those who are truly meek in the sight of God will the following words be echoing continuously: “Lord, I am not worthy”. The more God exalts those who are truly meek, the more will they cry out to Him, “Lord, I am not worthy”. The truly meek people will continually offer a sacrifice of broken and contrite heart. Repentance will be a part of their lives. Their desire will be to glorify God alone. Deep inside their hearts they will sing with a music that belongs to Heaven, “Lord God Almighty, You alone are worthy of glory and honor and praise”. This kind of meekness will not come by trying to have it. It should and will only come as a result or outcome of, or follow-up or reaction to becoming poor in spirit and repentance; then comes meekness towards men. For those who are able to be truly meek in the sight of God, it is not difficult to humble themselves before men. Because, they know that they are unworthy to be exalted. Indeed, what a great blessing it is to be meek!
Surely, as Jesus continues to say, the meek will inherit the earth. God will give the whole earth as inheritance to those who are truly meek in His sight. May be you are the one person, who is truly meek in God’s sight, but you don’t own a house. You may not be a highly respected person in the society. Your position in the society may be humiliating to you. But, if the God who created the heavens and the earth, the God whose eyes are searching all the earth, finds that you are the one with true meekness towards Him, then you can be sure that one day you will receive the whole earth as inheritance along with the persons who are truly meek as you are. Don’t worry about humiliation or poverty or mockery or anything else. The people of this world may possess every thing. But they don’t possess meekness towards God, which is the key to great blessing. If you possess it, then rejoice. Because, Jesus said: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth”.
