Title: The Commitment Choice
Text: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5
Thesis: I am strongest when I choose to commit all of my life and will to Christ’s care and control.
Lenten Series: Life’s Healing Choices (Saddleback Resources)
Introduction
This past week I noticed an ad that ran several days in the Denver Post. It was a half-a-page, three columns wide, full-length ad. The photo at the top was of a confident and smiling Donald Trump. The ad read: Learn from the Master (in bold print). Beneath the bold print was an invitation to learn from the master’s strategies… the master being “one of the world’s most successful and most admired, real estate investors.”
Beginning today and continuing through Wednesday you may attend a free Trump Real Estate Workshop where Mr. Trump claims he “can turn anyone into a successful real estate investor.” All you need to do is call 1.888.TRUMP-14 or register online at TrumpUniversityDenver.com.
A disclaimer at the bottom of the add states: “Donald Trump will not appear at the event.”
“The Donald” is known as a business magnate, socialite, author and television personality. His extravagant lifestyle and outspoken manner have made him a celebrity for many years... and who has not caught glimpses of his bravado on his NBC Reality Show, The Apprentice? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump)
Do you think Donald Trump would characterize himself as a “meek” man? Do you think he would in any way think meekness to be a quality he would want to extol in his adverts?
Certainly Mr. Trump is a hugely gifted and powerful man with a great deal of charisma. I in no way wish to denigrate his character or his business acumen. But because he is such a public figure and a large one at that, he is an easy target when it comes to making comparisons or contrasts.
On one hand we have the self-proclaimed Master and mogul of real estate investments like the Trump World Tower, Trump Place, Trump Intl. Hotel and Tower, Trump’s prime Manhattan properties, resort hotels and casinos across the world. Then on the other hand we have the “meek.”
There was another one many refer to as “Master” who said of himself, “Come all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and I will give you rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
It was this Master of whom Paul spoke of as the meek and gentle Christ in II Corinthians 10:1.
The Master of meekness and gentleness taught us that to be meek was to be in a blessed place.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5
Just what does it meant to be a meek person?
I want to begin by saying, meekness, as Jesus used the term, does not mean what we think it means. Meekness is in reality – Strength.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5
When we think of someone being a meek person we think of them as having a milk-toast personality. We think of them as spineless and subservient. We think of them as “gentle as a lamb” souls without the wit or wherewithal to take care of themselves. We think of meek people as lacking in spirit.
The dictionary defines meekness like this: “Meekness is enduring injury with patience and without resentment: mild (2) deficient in spirit and courage: submissive (3) not violent or strong: moderate.” (Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Tenth Edition)
According to Webster, to be meek is to be mild-mannered, submissive and weak.
But Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Surely Jesus was not extolling the virtues of being mild-mannered, subservient and weak.
The word Jesus used and the word translated “meek” is the Greek word, “praos” in the adjective form and “praotes” in the noun form.
Meekness is one of those words that seems to take several words to capture its meaning.
In the latest Smithsonian Magazine about the northern most reaches of Alaska, the Yupik Eskimos who live there have 100 words for ice, each with a subtle variation. These words have been passed along from generation to generation for over a thousand years. Ice may mean solid ice, slightly bumpy ice, ice blown by the wind and so one… (Welcome to Barrow, Alaska Ground Zero for Climate Change, Bob Reiss, Smithsonian, March 2010, P. 65)
In the classical, secular Greek world of Socrates and Aristotle the word meek could be understood in three ways. Commentator William Barclay believes that there are elements of each of those non-spiritual understandings of the word meek that correlate with the teaching of Jesus as he used the term “meek.”
The first insight into what Jesus meant when he spoke of the meek has to do with being an even-tempered person.
I. Meekness is the mean between extremes.
“The Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct [instruct with meekness], in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to acknowledge the truth…” II Timothy 2:24-25
On one hand there is excess and on the other hand, defect. On one hand is the man who is excessively angry and on the other hand is excessively angerless. On one hand there is the spendthrift and on the other hand the miser. The meek person was that person who maintained a happy medium, so to speak. The meek person was an even-tempered person, not given to excesses or extremes.
President Theodore Roosevelt adopted as his pet proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." By that he meant that if the U.S. had a strong military, it could work its will among the nations of the world. In 1901, Roosevelt elaborated on his philosophy: "If a man continually blusters,… a big stick will not save him from trouble; and neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power."
When Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth," he was not speaking of armies and foreign policy, but some principles are the same. The meek Christian does not need to bluster, as if his or her own self-confidence could win the day. Whether we're in a disagreement, responding to criticism, speaking of matters of faith or attempting to correct a wrong, we can do so in meekness, with quiet confidence. For in "back of the softness," within us, lies the strength and power of God. (Mark Galli, managing editor, Christianity Today; source: The American Pageant, ninth)
The meek person who is even tempered is not a weak and wimpy person.
A second understanding of meekness has to do with control.
II. Meekness is to be under control.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against these things there is no law. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:23
The second understanding of the word meek was its use in reference to a domesticated or tamed animal. When an animal had learned to obey the command and had learned to accept control it was said to be meek.
Five-hundred years ago, in the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors brought horses to North America. Today 37,000 feral descendants of those horses roam over thirty million acres of public land in the west. We call them Mustangs. (The Mustang Mystique, Melissa Farlow, Smithsonian, March 2010, P. 68ff)
We love those movies where there is a magnificent wild stallion that leads a herd of mustangs across the American west… the horse is smart and powerful and free to run. Then one day he is lassoed by a cowboy who leads him home, puts him in a corral and begins the process of breaking the horse. In the end the horse trusts the cowboy and becomes so much more than just another untamed mustang. It is now controlled power.
The Jackie Robinson Story is the 1950 movie about the life, challenges, and achievements of baseball star Jackie Robinson. With the help and vision of Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey, he broke the professional baseball color barrier. Starring Jackie Robinson as himself, the movie depicts the prejudice and hatred Robinson had to endure and the depth of patience, courage, and self-control he displayed in the face of relentless adversity.
The clip begins in Branch Rickey's office. It is their first meeting. Rickey surprises Robinson by telling him he wants Robinson to try out for his team and possibly become the first black player in the major leagues.
Rickey asks, "What do you think, Jackie? Do you have guts enough to play the game no matter what happens? They'll shout insults at you. They'll come into you spikes first. They'll throw at your head."
"They've been throwing at my head for a long time, Mr. Rickey," Robinson responds.
Rickey fabricates a scenario: "Suppose I'm a player on the eve of an important game. Suppose I collide with you at second base, and when I get up I say, 'You, you dirty black so-and-so.' What do you do?"
"Mr. Rickey, do you want a ballplayer who's afraid to fight back?" Robinson asks.
Rickey answers emphatically, "I want a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back. You've got to do the job with base hits, stolen bases, and fielding ground balls, Jackie. Nothing else. Now, I'm playing you in the World Series, and I'm hotheaded. I want to win the game. So I go into you spikes first. You jab the ball in my ribs and the umpire says 'out'. All I can see is your black face, that black face right over me. So I haul off and punch you right in the cheek. What do you do?"
Robinson calmly thinks for a moment, then answers, "Mr. Rickey, I've got two cheeks." Robinson went on to turn the other cheek many times and was a model of strength, humility and self-control as a baseball player. (The Jackie Robinson Story (United Artists, 1950), not rated, written by Lawrence Taylor and Arthur Mann, directed by Alfred E. Green; submitted by Jerry De Luca, Montreal West, Quebec)
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Being under the guiding and empowering influence of God translates as strength.
The third understanding of meekness had to do with being teachable.
III. Humility was the third understanding of meekness.
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires… so humbly accept [receive with meekness] the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word – do what it says.” James 1:19-22
To be meek was to be humble and as such, teachable. There is an old adage to the effect that, “you cannot teach a person who knows it all already.”
Eugene Peterson tells about how when he was 35, he bought running shoes and began enjoying the smooth rhythms of long-distance running. Soon he was competing in 10K races every month or so, and then a marathon once a year. By then he was subscribing to and reading three running magazines! Then he pulled a muscle and couldn't run for a couple of months. Those magazines were still all over the house, but he never opened one. The moment he started running again, he started reading again.
The reading was an extension of something he was doing. His reading deepened his world of running. If he wasn't running, there was nothing to deepen.
This is a striking parallel to the way we live our Christian lives. If we are engaged in living for Christ, then reading God’s Word and learning about the Christian life deepens our experience. If we are not engaged in living for God, we will not likely have much interest in reading God’s Word, much less in being instructed by it. (Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book (William B. Eerdmans, 2006), pp. 70-71; paraphrased in the September 18 entry of Men of Integrity (September/October 2009)
The meek person who humbly acknowledges that he or she doesn’t know everything there is to know and is willing to learn and grow is not a weak-minded person. Being keen of mind and a life-long student of Christ is strength. Being under the guidance of God’s Word and God’s Spirit is a good thing.
Conclusion
Who we are is a choice. What we say is a choice. What we believe is a choice. What we do is a
It is not an exact parallel but we do choose, for example, what we will eat. Carnivores are meat eaters. Omnivores eat meat and vegetables. Herbivores eat only vegetables. People who choose to be herbivores or are vegetarians now have a new categorization. If a vegetarian really wants to only eat vegetables and enjoys vegetables but also has an occasional taste for sausage – that person is called a “flexitarian.”
The flexitarian is a person who feels like a bad vegetarian in that he or she is not disciplined or strict enough to only eat vegetarian food. One flexitarian was quoted to have said, “I really like vegetarian food, but I’m just not 100 percent committed.” (John Beukema, Western Springs, Illinois; source: "Are You a 'Flexitarian?" MSNBC.com, 3-16-04)
The challenge of the Christian life is to be committed to Christ and to following him. The challenge is the commitment Choice.
Paul wrote in Romans 6:16, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey – whether to sin which leads to death or to obedience which leads to righteousness?”
In his face-off with the Children of Israel Joshua challenged the people of God saying, “If serving God seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
As followers of Christ, we are at our absolute best when we commit our lives to Christ’s care and control.
Closing Prayer (An Appointed Prayer for the Week from The Divine Hours)
“O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept my prayers because in my weakness I can do nothing good without you, give me the help of your grace that in living in obedience to you I may please you in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.”
