The famous atheist Frederick Nietzsche, who coined the phrase “God is dead,” once said, “Assert yourself. Care for nothing except yourself. The only vice is weakness and the only virtue is strength. Be strong. Be a superman. The world is yours if you work hard enough for it!” Hitler read Nietzsche and decided to become that “superman,” and we all know how that turned out. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Two very different ideas. Although the first words are from an atheist, and the last quote from the teaching of Jesus, it often seems that Christians go by Nietzsche’s philosophy rather than Jesus’ teaching. Many Christians live as though the only virtue is strength. Jesus never talked about strength, but he often spoke of meekness.
I looked up the definition of meekness in the dictionary, and one of the definitions was: “deficient in spirit and courage.” That is not Jesus’ idea of meekness. It is not about being weak, it is about not reacting with aggressiveness and malice. The other definition I found comes closer. It was, “enduring injury with patience and without resentment.” Patience is not something I am very good at. But I really came up short when I looked up the definition in a Greek-English lexicon which defined meekness as: “gentleness of attitude and behavior, in contrast with harshness in one’s dealings with others.” I’ve never been good at the gentle thing either. That’s not an excuse, it is a confession.
It is very difficult to follow the teachings of Jesus, but this is also what makes him so attractive to me. What a challenge to work toward being transformed into the image of Christ. It takes humility and surrender to the will and heart of God on a moment by moment basis. We value strength and dignity, Jesus values meekness and humility.
On the Thursday of Holy Week this year, the queen of England will preside over the Royal Maundy Service at Guildford Cathedral. It is a service held each year on the Thursday before Easter, and the British monarch presents gifts of money to the poor. The royal website says, “The tradition of the Sovereign giving money to the poor dates from the 13th century. The Sovereign also used to give food and clothing (later changed to a gift of money), and even washed the recipients’ feet — this varied from Sovereign to Sovereign, the last Monarch to do so was James II.” It must have been quite a site to see royalty in the humbling posture of foot washing. It is not surprising that this element of the ceremony was dropped several hundred years ago. Although now the Queen would not risk much except her dignity by washing the feet of the poor, in more politically charged times even the smallest display of meekness and humility could place one’s political power in jeopardy. It is unfortunate that we sometimes see meekness as weakness and consider it a disposable quality, but we seldom see power as disposable. The Bible says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). This is to be a character quality of Christians because we follow the model of Christ. Jesus said, “I am gentle and humble in heart.”
What does this look like in the life of Jesus, and what does it look like in our lives? The first point is: Meekness means we do not retaliate. In other words, we do not strike back. Well then, what do we do with the Old Testament which says, “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Exodus 21:24)? Christians often discuss this, and frankly some seem more like Old Testament followers than New Testament Christians. Is the God of the Old Testament different from the God of the New Testament? Because Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” (Matthew 5:38-41). Which biblical teaching do we follow? Jesus obviously called this Old Testament law out of date and introduced a new law. So how do we understand this? Did God change his mind? Are there two different Gods — one in the Old Testament and one in the New? No, God has not changed, the human race has changed. It’s like this: As a child grows and matures, so the human race has had to grow and mature. (This is not evolution, but the spiritual, emotional and sociological development — the maturing of the human race.) What is tolerated at one level of maturity is not tolerated at the next. You learn to crawl and then you learn to walk, and then you learn to run. You don’t expect an infant to run, you are just glad when they can sit up. At the time the Old Testament law was given about all the human race could handle was this law. This Old Testament law is actually a good law, because the law of world was, “A head for an eye, and a jaw for a tooth.” The law of eye for eye and tooth for tooth actually limited what could be done in retaliation. It said you could not go beyond what was done to you and escalate the violence. In spite of this, we still have trouble following this Old Testament law, let alone the teachings of Jesus.
Nearly 1,500 years later, Jesus did not do away with the Old Testament law, he redefined it and expanded it. He made it more demanding and difficult. It is like his teaching on sexual purity. He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). Jesus did not do away with the law against adultery, he expanded it to encompass a far more difficult principle. At the time of the Old Testament, the human race was doing good just to keep themselves from adultery — a law that we have not done so well with ourselves — let alone not giving lust a place in their lives.
The entire Sermon on the Mount is where Jesus redefines the Old Testament law by expanding its meaning and claims on us. He takes it to a new level — a more demanding and difficult one. He deepens its meaning. And this applies to the law of meekness as well. The world says, “The meek get run over. Don’t show your weakness. Do whatever you have to do.” But Jesus once again redefined the commonly accepted morality of the day when he said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” (Matthew 5:43-47).
Jesus did not just teach this, he modeled it. The Bible says, “But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).
So, what does this look like in real life? We will all find this an enormous challenge if we take the words of Jesus seriously. It means that when we are hurt by someone we do not try to hurt back. We do not hold a grudge. We seek reconciliation when possible. We do not give insult for insult. The Living Bible translates 1 Corinthians 13:5 this way: “Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong” (1 Corinthians 13:5). When we read that, we want to say with the disciples, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” (John 6:60). But meekness means we do not retaliate.
The second point is: Meekness means living without fear. I am amazed at Jesus’ ability to live without fear. He stared it in the face and went on with his life. I love the picture of strength in meekness that John paints of Jesus where he says, “The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:2-5). At the most dangerous hour of Jesus’ life, he calmly takes the role of a servant. And he does this, as John says, knowing that “the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” Jesus knows the power he has. He has the power to walk away from this. He has the power to destroy his enemies. He has the power to blow up the universe. But he ignores what he could do to those who came to destroy him, and chooses to concentrate on serving those he loved. He does this, even though it would look as though his enemies had won.
Meekness includes a submissiveness to the will and heart of God. What this translates into is trust that frees us from fear. Jesus was able to do this, for the Bible says, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). He was able to surrender to the will of God because he trusted in God. He believed that God would work it out and bring good from it. When you trust God you lose much of the fear that many people live with. You don’t have to struggle at being in control when you trust that he is in control. The values of the kingdom are right-side-up from the upside-down values of the world.
The apostle Paul had been struggling with a weakness in his life, and he had prayed for God to take it away. He reports, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). There is only one way that Paul could make a statement like that, he had to have a complete trust in God. He realized his weakness caused him to be totally dependent on God. When he was strong, he could go in his own strength, but in weakness he had to live in dependence on God and trust him. Meekness means living without fear, because you depend on God.
The third point is: Meekness comes with a blessing. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). It is not the strong and powerful or wealthy and famous who inherit the earth, it is the meek. The world knows comparatively little about the life of Herod the Great or Pilate, but it knows a great deal about the life of Jesus, and millions throughout the ages have ordered their lives by his teaching and given him their devotion. The Romans crucified Jesus, but not long after that Christianity became the state religion of Rome. Without firing a shot Jesus conquers the kingdoms of the world.
Dorothy Sayers, in a book of her essays entitled The Whimsical Christian, has one essay called “The Greatest Drama Ever Staged,” where she writes, “The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused him of being a bore — on the contrary, they thought him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him ‘meek and mild,’ and recommended him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies.”
It is true that the Pharisees and political leaders saw Jesus as a very real threat. It was the zealots and even his disciples who thought of him as too meek. He did not use the language or the tactics of political liberators. He said things that inflamed those who wanted him to take action. He told them to put away their swords, for “all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). But the authorities saw another power at work: meekness lived out in a simple life of obedience which taught a new way of living. They deemed him dangerous. The benefits of his meekness is that he became the ruler of the universe. The Bible says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). This lesson from the life of Jesus says that the meek win and the arrogant and powerful lose. This is heavenly wisdom, not worldly. Meekness is the quiet confidence that God is in control, and there are great rewards in that confidence. We are rewarded with peace.
Chris Bennet says, “As you’ve shared your faith with people, have you ever been asked a question or heard a statement that sounds something like this: ‘Isn’t Christianity a crutch for people who are weak and can’t make it on their own?’ I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that question. I don’t know about you, but I used to get offended when people asked me that question. I considered the question to be an insult! I would think, ‘I’m not a 95 lb. spiritual weakling! I’m a strong, together person!’ But I see things differently now. If someone were to ask me that question this morning, ‘Isn’t Christianity a crutch for people who are weak and can’t make it on their own?’ I would answer, ‘Yes, it is. I need Jesus. I’m not ashamed to admit it!”
The Bible says, “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are” (1 Corinthians 1:26-28).
Rodney J. Buchanan
March 11, 2012
Amity United Methodist Church
rodbuchanan2000@yahoo.com
