Gentleness in a Hostile World

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

AS WE BEGIN

In 1095, Pope Urban II called for what became known as the First Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem from the Muslims, with a cry of Deus Vult, “God wills it.” With the same crusading spirit, many conquistadores (from Portugal and Spain) sought to spread Christianity through the Americas—another story of brutality in the name of Jesus. The Thirty Years War (1618 to 1648) also comes to mind, when Catholics and Protestants went toe-to-toe on the field of battle, wielding crude weapons, resulting in millions of deaths.

All of this leads us to the question: what is the proper role of power in the Christian life—the marshaling of “power from on high” (Luke 24:49) by which the kingdom advances in this world?

DEVOTIONAL INSIGHT

The heartbeat of meekness is the self-giving love of God, seen powerfully in Christ laying down His life. But meekness must not be confused with weakness. Paradoxically, meekness can be defined as gentle strength, governed by the Holy Spirit, and it will inherit the earth.

OBSERVATIONS

Our Beatitude says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). The verb “inherit” points to a firm possession, a gift that God places into our hands. But what does this mean—to possess the earth? Psalm 37 speaks of the meek inheriting the land (the land of Israel). The blessed meek are those who trust in the Lord. They turn from anger. They wait patiently—and God rewards them with the Promised Land.

But our text doesn’t say “land.” Jesus says the meek will inherit the “earth.” God’s blessing has been universalized. Now the kingdom belongs to people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Theologians call the Kingdom “already and not yet.” The full inheritance will come in the future. But the blessings have already started, including intimate communion with God … a clear conscience … peace ... and spiritual fruit.

APPLICATION

Across Christ’s kingdom, we do not have nearly enough individuals prepared to lead Christ’s church with meekness—that is, gentle strength, governed by the Holy Spirit. Instead, many sit back and wait for others to lead, to decide, and to carry on the work of the ministry. The church languishes—and the devil cackles. In such moments, we forget that Christ is a lion, a scourge on impotent religion, who calls his followers to engage in spiritual battle.

To see the indescribable power of meekness, we must look not at meekness itself, but at the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of meekness who humbled himself to the extent of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2). With such a vision before us, we will be inspired to serve in the church and at home with gentle strength, governed by the Spirit. Then, a world caught up in so much strife will see the difference that Christ-honoring meekness makes.