BeatitudesfortheWorkplace#3
Blessedarethemeek,fortheywillinherittheearth
TheBeatitudesisJesus’nine‐partmessage(Mt.5:3‐11)ofhowGodispresentinour
lives and the workplace. What Jesus said long ago remains relevant, today.
FollowingarethoughtsonJesus’Beatitudeaboutmeeknessandhowitappliestous.
Whatdoesmeekmean?
Two dictionary definitions prevail: humble,gentleandcowedsubmissiveness. Both
helpusunderstandwhatJesussaidtohisfirstaudienceand,now,tous.
Background:
Jesus’firstaudiencewaspeasant,rural,andlivedinsmallvillages.Bothdefinitions
ofmeekappliedtothem,butitwascowedsubmissivethattheywouldhavefeltmost
immediately. Their world was stacked against them! Their social, religious and
economic status wasminimal. Caesar and the Sanhedrin kept them that way. The
peopleweretold,ineffect:bequiet,doasyouaretold,payyourtaxes.
Jesustwo‐foldmessage:
1) Blessed are the meek is God’s commitment to help people who are cowed
submissive. God gives hope and caring, backed and delivered in God’s sovereignty.
Blessedencouragedpeopletolookbeyondtheirimmediateexperiencesandfeelings.
As they do, they will discover God’s passion and commitment to their wellbeing.
GodwantsrelationshipwithGod’speople,andstandswiththem.Godisnotrules,
ritualoraninstitution.Godneversideswithoppressorsofpeople.
2)…fortheywillinherittheearthreflectswhoseworldthisis!Psalm24:1explains:
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it. The word, Lord, declares God’s
sovereigntyovereveryone…includingCaesarandalloppressors.Godispassionate
aboutexercisingsovereigntytoblesspeople.
God exercises sovereignty in gentleness and humility. Oppressed people would
preferGodtogo,zap,andmakeeverythingbetter,now.Godremindsus,however:
mythoughtsarenotyourthoughts,norareyourwaysmyways,saystheLord(Isaiah
55:8).God’swayssucceedwhereviolence(zap)doesnot.
Jesusexplains(Matthew11:29),Takemyyokeuponyou,andlearnfromme;forIam
gentleandhumbleinheart.Heinvitesandincludespeopleintransformingtheworld
bychangingitsvalues.Thiscantaketime,whichcanbefrustratingwhenwewanta
quickfix.But,God’svaluessucceedbecausetheychangepeoplefromtheinside,out.
God transformed the world by coming to us gently and humbly in Jesus. Jesus
invited a few disciples, and taught them his values. Then, as they practiced them,
thenumberofdisciplesgrew.Theworldbeganchanging.TheoppressiveRoman
Empire fell. The Sanhedrin’s grip slipped, as people chose to follow Jesus. God’s
valuessucceedingivingpeopletheearth.
Sowhat?
Today,cowedsubmissivenessisstillamongus.Peoplearelosingtheirjobs,homes,
savings,freedom,abilitytomakechoices,andhope.Wehearafamiliarmessage:be
quiet,doasyou’retold,payyourtaxes.We also hear a new and outrageous phrase:
toobigtofail‐themodernexcuseforoppressingthemajority.
It’s tempting to react to today’s oppression with civil disobedience and violence.
The gap between haves and have nots is widening. Jesus’ original audience
experienced a 90‐10 society; 90% of the wealth was in the hands of 10% of the
population. In some instances, today, that number has shifted to 99‐1. Injustice,
thenasnow,appearsinbusinesses,economiesandgovernments.
Jesus’Beatitudeaboutmeeknessisourhelpfulrealitycheck.
Jesus’openingword,blessed,isGod’spromiseoflove,hopeandsovereignty.Taking
thenextstep,Jesus’valuesofhumilityandgentlenessarestillhistory’smosteffective
changeagents.WehaverecordsofresultsinScriptureandhistory.
Yes,evilstillrunsamok,butitwillnotprevail.Itneverhasthefinalsayoractivity.
ThisisGod’sworld,andGodispassionateaboutblessingus.Godiscommittedto
stampingoutevilinallitsforms,God’sway.Feelingsofcowedsubmissivearereal,
and they hurt! Humbleand gentleseem odd ways of responding to evil. But, the
bottom line for us is that meek do inherit the earth. Jesus gives us his values,
compassionandcommitmenttomakeithappen.Alongtheway,hegivesushope,
encouragement,andremindersofwhoissovereign.
ThanksbetoGod!
D.Browning
10/11