The Meek Already Possess It

This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Sermon on the Mount” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, October 25, 1985.

Sermon transcript

Jesus said, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. I’m going to pray. Father, what a delight it is to be here today with your people, lifting praises to you and offering ourselves in service. Not to forget what we have sung or prayed or heard, that all of our moments might be lived for you. Your words would be treasured in our hearts, this word being our life. We pray these things through Christ. Amen.

Now, when I mention the word meek, what comes to your mind? When I was younger, that word suggested any number of definitions, all of them bad in Meekness was the equivalent of cowardliness. The meek were spineless. They lacked nerve, breath. They were unable to care for themselves. The meek were weak.

I’m going to send that one to Robert Shuler. When I grew older, I began to realize that the question wasn’t so much, what comes to mind when we mention the word meek? Now, I’m fully aware that in our culture, neatness cannot easily be associated with dirty hair. It’s more along the lines, in our culture at least, as we have viewed things, along the lines of the poor soul, Jackie Gleason’s old character, Charlie Chapman. But, of course, we are compelled to take all of our definitions to and from the Word.

So in answer to the question of who, immediately there comes to mind Jesus. Jesus describes himself as There is that magnificent passage in the eleventh chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. You remember how that chapter concludes with Jesus speaking about the sovereign disposition of the Father in calling disciples out of the world. But then there is that magnificent overture wonderful invitation, come to me. All who are weary and heavy laden, I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, learn of me, for I am weak and lowly in heart.”

Reflecting on this, the Apostle Paul makes mention of this quality in Christ. 2 Corinthians 10, the first verse, Paul demonstrating with the Corinthians. He pleads with them. He says, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” And he goes on to present his case, and we are to interpret his case as one that is set forth by him in meekness as he imitates what he has found in the Savior. There are other passages in Paul that speak of this. He talks about his visit with the Corinthians, or at least give threatened visits to them in the first epistle. At the end of the fourth chapter, he says, What will you have? Shall I come to you in the spirit of meekness or with a rod? Meekness is not simply a quality for saviors and apostles. It is also a quality commended to saints.

The Apostle lists the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5. In your mind you can run through those fruit of the Spirit, but in the 23rd verse of the 5th chapter of Galatians, Paul enumerates meekness, But what is it? When everything has been said and done, and we’ve listed all the passages What is it really about Jesus than about the Apostle Paul, also about those blessed by the Spirit, evidencing the fruit of the Spirit in their lives? What is it that is especially outstanding in the term meekness, in the use of the word meek? to define this word meek, its corollary meekness, with other words with which that word meek or the word meekness has been used, especially in the New Testament. So we run through a passage like Matthew 11, and we find there Jesus described as the one who is meek, and then we go on and we understand that meekness in terms of what follows, what is yoke to that meekness in that verse, namely lowliness or humility of heart.

And that’s the way it is when we take another look at 2 Corinthians 10.1. We find meekness mentioned there, Paul making an appeal to these Christians at Corinth. them by the meekness of Christ and also the gentleness of Christ.

Therefore, meekness equals gentleness, and it is precisely this idea which has triumphed in the New American Standard Bible’s version of the third beatitude. Well, if you have a New American Standard, take note. He is not the meek, but rather the gentle. Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. But does this translation the meek as the gentle, truly focused, the ideal held within the embrace of that third, the attitude.

The best we can say is that it may hit the target, but not the bullseye. Interpreting meekness as gentleness leaves us on barren ground, and such an understanding of meekness leaves biblical meekness without its true grit. In fact, we can go so far as to say that such a definition of meekness lacks the full-orbed content of the biblical notion. Now, having swept that all to one side, where do we go from here? How are we to understand The meek and meekness. Well, Jesus, you see, is speaking as he does, against the backdrop of his Old Testament. And if we are going to understand what Jesus means when he says, Blessed are the meek, we’re going to have to back up again.

I believe that the most help for us in this regard comes from that psalm that we spend so much time on already this morning, Psalm 37. Now, I don’t know whether you like short psalms or long psalms. This is a long psalm. If you love poetry, if you can allow yourself to be swept up in the flow of this song, don’t settle for just one verse. Grab hold of the whole thing, and let the power move you along as you hear the words. It is a tremendous peace, if we were only to consider it literarily. But of course, because of its spiritual intent and power, its importance is magnified a thousandfold.

It’s as if the entirety of life and all of life’s difficulties their proper focus have been compressed into forty verses, and our hope and the resolution of the difficulties that we face as servants of God is resolved within those forty verses. to you, possibly because you know that first verse–“flatten off thyself because of evildoers.”

This psalm, then, is focusing upon the inequity that exists in the world, and we can say that that inequity is described in terms of the juxtaposition of the meek, on the one hand, and evildoers, on the other. This iniquity is seen most directly as it pertains to a central image.

If you run through that psalm, you will see that the image that dominates is that of the land. Beautifully, the psalm begins because you see those first six verses concentrate upon images of crops and harvests. And then you come to verses 7-11, and the language now is turning directly to the theme not just of land itself, as if you need a place to raise your crops or plant your garden, but land in terms of inheritance. My inheritance, what is promised me. So it is, then. of inheritance begins to sound out throughout the psalm. And in this, you see, you are introduced to language that mirrors what you find later on in the third Beatitude of Jesus, and that even acts as a refrain throughout the psalm. You can run through the psalm and see it repeated again and again. Notice, for instance, verse 9.

For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.” All right, hold that. Move a little further. A verse which in the King James is precisely what you find in the Third Beatitude. 11, but the meek will inherit the earth and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” Once more, hold it in hand.

Verse 9, verse 11. Then verse 22, “…for those blessed by him will inherit the land, but those cursed by him will be cut off.” Once more, verse 29, the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. And 34, wait for the Lord, think his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land when the wicked are cut off. You will see. Now, in order to understand Jesus’ meaning when he speaks about the meek, you have to take stock of the run of verses in Psalm 37. Who are the meek? Are they simply the gentle souls of the earth? But is that really what Jesus is concentrating on? Is that what he wants us to see?

When he speaks of the meek and that against the background of what Psalm 37 says, take stock of the run of those verses. The meek are those, according to verse 9, the meek are those who wait for the Lord. These are those, then, that are described as the righteous, the ones who will be exalted. The foundational thought is that neatness equals waiting for God, waiting for the Lord. But if this is the content of meekness and the meaning of the meek, if this is the content, then what is the context of that waiting, the waiting by which meekness is defined?

What is it precisely that demands that we wait? or make the wait problematic, difficult, or strange. Is it not, as the psalmist says as he begins that psalm, the temporary triumph and prosperity of those who oppose God and oppose his people? It is the fact that the wicked those who scheme and grab, those who seemingly have the inheritance in their hand, that they triumph while the righteous have nothing and actually suffer. You see, there is a problem of usurpation here, and as we deal with the context of waiting for God, it’s not enough to merely speak about that wait generally.

We have to speak about it specifically. And you see, we wait because others who oppose God have sown for themselves the American which is not theirs. But there are magnificent illustrations of this throughout Scripture. I could turn to any number of passages and bring out this truth.

It’s not just that the servants of God suffer because they belong to God, they love righteousness, they love His law and abide by it. They suffer also because of usurpation. The unrighteous actually grab what is not theirs.” is tremendously complex, magnificently difficult. Now, I’m not going to try and bring out all of the difficulties in it for you this morning, but just give you a feel for what Isaiah sees here.

At the beginning of that chapter, he has in mind the triumph of God. and the song of the people of the Lord. We have a strong city, say the people. God has set up the walls and ramparts for our security, and then you have the voice of the righteous, those who have been redeemed of God. They cry out as they approach the city that has been established, built for them. Open the gate that the righteous may enter, the one that has remained faithful. You will keep him of steadfast purpose, in perfect peace, because he waits for you and he trusts in you.”

And then the admonition, verse 4, “…trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord we have an everlasting And then these verses, For he hath brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable cities. He lays it low, he lays it low to the ground, he casts it to the dust. The foot will trample it, the feet of the afflicted, the steps of the helpless.

And there is the resolution. The image is remarkably powerful, because by the time you get to the end of that section, verses 5 and 6, you see that the people of God have come up to the wall of the city that belongs to them. And they can’t gain entrance, because inside that city are those who have deserted for themselves, and they stand as the weak, the helpless, and the afflicted at the base of the city wall, and it is God alone who takes their enemies and throws them over the wall.” And now they, trapped in their enemies, are afflicted as they march in to the city.

Now, if you read Psalm 24, nothing less than that is being said in that psalm, or over time. The youths who have taken for themselves what is not theirs. Jesus tells us the need are those who wait for God. and from God comes their inheritance. In their waiting they are victims of the wicked who seize for themselves the inheritance that does not belong to them. The meek commit themselves out of trust to God. Their case and cause is in the hands of the wait for him, only him, to deliver. Jesus, the meek one, how so? He doesn’t speak a word. He doesn’t pretend to defend himself. He goes to the cross. And on the cross, he says, into thy hands I commit my spirit.” The meekness of Christ is then issued in exaltation. For that meek one now says, all power in heaven and in earth has been given unto me. They are mine.

And what of all who trust him? You, the meek, shall not the same deserve you? What of the suffering, because you love Jesus? Already the blessed administration of Christ’s triumph has begun for you, because Christ is able to say to the meek, “‘Blessed are the meek.’” Right now, already, the wonderful benefit of your everlasting and eternal inheritance has begun for you in the Spirit. so that in every circumstance you are made more than conquerors through him who loved you and gave himself for you. And the resolution of your meekness and the reproach that it has brought upon you are guaranteed an end, because those things have already ended for Christ, and you are in him.” are you a new one. You shall indeed inherit the answer.

Let’s pray. Thank you, Father, for the Beatitude. Lord, we thank you that you have shown us in Christ the meekness he commends to us there. Lord, we are in fact as he was, and Lord, he has communicated to us the blessings which fell out for us the end of our humiliation and the inauguration of our glory. Praise be to you and to your Son, our Savior. Amen.

The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.