Meekness, Not Weakness

Meekness, Not Weakness

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. –Isaiah 53:7

I sometimes find myself squinting to see something in the distance that I can’t quite make out clearly. But it wasn’t physical squinting that allowed the prophet Isaiah to see into the future and catch a glimpse of the Messiah. He saw into the distant future through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Although he could not make Jesus out in total clarity, he saw that Jesus did not have physical beauty that people found attractive or a worldly charisma that people admired. Through the distance of years, he could also see the inner quality of Jesus that left him vulnerable to oppression and harsh treatment. In describing him as a sheep silent before the shearers, Isaiah peered into the person of Jesus and saw his meekness.

Isaiah was not the only person to describe Jesus as meek. In one of the few times Jesus spoke about his own personal character, he described himself as “meek and lowly” (Matthew 11:29, KJV). He is our example for what it is to be meek. It was his meekness—his strong submission to the plan of God—that led him to the Cross. At the Cross, we see clearly the epitome of meekness.

So why would anybody want to be meek? What child says, “When I grow up, I want to be meek”? Meekness goes against everything the world tells us about getting what we want. We think we get what we want by asserting ourselves and promoting ourselves. But Jesus said that meek people will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5, KJV). They get it all. The only people who will get anything lasting out of this life are people who learn to be meek.

Meekness has to be learned; it isn’t something that comes naturally to some personality types and not to others. We think of meek people as those who are timid and quiet and never have an opinion. But strong, outgoing people can learn to be meek. Meekness is something God works into us as we welcome him to do so. Meekness is what makes submission possible. Without a spirit of meekness, it is impossible to submit to the work of God in our hearts and the plan of God for our lives. Are you going to keep fighting and wrestling for control, or are you going to pursue meekness? Will you stop trying to manipulate and maneuver your way so you can learn what it means to be meek?

Gentle, lowly Jesus, give me the strength I need to be meek. Bring my will under your control so that I am directable, teachable, and moldable.

DIGGING DEEPER