Session 1: Blessed are the meek. Really?

"Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth."

That's the extraordinary promise Jesus gave us in the Sermon on the Mount.  

If you are gentle, the earth will belong to you.   If you are meek, the world is yours.  If, by your very nature, you are tender-hearted then you will lead the world, it will not lead you.  Oh, what power the gentle-man has, Jesus says. 

Stop and be honest with yourself for a second though. Do you really, in your heart of hearts, believe Jesus when he says that? 

I certainly didn't when I read it. There are two good reasons why we may not.

1.  In this world, meekness = weakness 

In fact, by its very definition the word 'meek' means 'to be easily imposed upon and submissive'.  

Meek men don't stand up for themselves or others.  They run from confrontation, even when it is needed to end injustice.  They are timid, cowering in the face of challenges.  Cruelly, the meek are compared to 'door-mats'.  Rather than being powerful, they tend to give their power away.  

Surely, Jesus cannot be saying such men will inherit the earth?     

2.  The powerful men on this earth are the very opposite of meek. 

Real men - or so the world says - are aggressive, go-getters.  They are the loudest in a crowded room.  They trample over the weak, kick-down doors and are ruthless in order to be successful.  Along the way, they have been anything but gentle.  Yet, society celebrates these traits, making kings of the men who demonstrate them.  We promote them, we give them power and influence, and we let them shape our world. 

Far cry from meek men inheriting the earth, it's the domineering who are leading it.  

Before I explain what is really going on here, stop for a second. Click through to the scripture to study (see immediately below) and then answer these questions:

• If someone called you meek, how would you feel?

• How do you really feel about Jesus's promise?

Click here to read Matthew 5:1-12