“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” --Matthew 5:5 NRSV
Today is Election Day, and this particular election seems more chaotic than most. Pundits and politicians predict violent protests by whichever side loses. Uncertainty over whom to trust for accurate information runs rampant. People on both the right and the left have begun stockpiling ammunition. There has to be a better way than this.
Last week and this week I am writing about the Beatitudes, and the third one is most commonly translated “Blessed are the meek.” It seems especially appropriate for Election Day. The word “meek” is also commonly translated as “gentle” and sometimes “humble.” Meekness, gentleness and humility seem in short supply on Election Day. The brashest pundits and most sensational headlines get the most clicks and viewers. Lawyers lining up at election offices get paid to be aggressive. Politicians talk tough in order to win and don’t get bumps in the polling for being humble. Are we sure Jesus knew what he was talking about?
A problem for the modern reader of this verse comes from the words used to translate Jesus’ original words. “Meek” in contemporary usage seems to imply one who is timid or afraid to stand up for one’s self. “Gentle” similarly implies the opposite of strength. “Humility” may be prized as a virtue but it seems the opposite of assertive and bold. What does meek/gentle/humble mean in this verse?
The Greek word praus translated as meek/gentle/humble did not imply weakness. It was the word used to describe horses who had been broken in. The horse remains strong, but its wildness is under control. It’s energy and strength are put to the use of its rider. For Christians, the metaphor implied by this word means that we do not sacrifice our strength and energy, but they are under God’s control and used for God’s purposes.
The one who is meek/gentle/humble remains strong but demonstrates a different kind of strength. No more are one’s power and will bent towards one’s own shallow desires but towards love of God and neighbor. This means that the bombastic, aggressive and violent ways of our culture and world are not the ways of God. Despite appearances to the contrary, those who abuse power to control others are on the losing side. God is on the side of the meek/gentle/humble who allow the higher power of God to flow through them.
The reward for those who are meek/gentle/humble is that they will inherit the “earth” or “land”. This seems like a strange reward, since most of the other Beatitudes promise the Kingdom of Heaven. The “earth” seems like a poor runner up to a heavenly reward. The interpretation of this verse depends not upon a Greek Platonic worldview of the spiritual being superior to the material, but rather it depends upon the Hebrew concept of “the land” found in the Hebrew Bible, what Christians call the Old Testament.
With this Beatitude, Jesus is quoting Psalm 37 verse 11, which reads:
But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity. (NRSV)
In the Hebrew Bible, to live according to God’s purposes meant to live in the land promised to their ancestors. Much more than geography, this “promised land” meant a return of Creation to God’s original intentions. To live in “the land” meant to experience the abundance and prosperity God intended for all people. Unlike a culture which declares the most powerful get to take what they want from those who are powerless, God’s reality says the real power (God) shares abundantly with all of God’s children.
Psalm 37 speaks to God’s reality which flies in the face of what we see on cable news and our smartphone instant notifications.
Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity. (NRSV)
The words of Jesus in this Beatitude and the words of the Psalm Jesus quotes from, speak to the truth that those with the strength that matters will not be the ones making headlines on election night. As important as government and law is for opportunity and prosperity (and they are very important), they are still not as important as a God who stands with those who have ceded their power and freedom to God so that love of God and love of neighbor may increase. I believe elections matter greatly and I have strong opinions over which candidates I believe should win, but more than these things I believe that governments and even nations come and go, but the only thing that really endures forever is God. So, what we do to demonstrate love of God and love of neighbor shall endure too.
We may be waiting for election results possibly for days or weeks to come, but as I wait to find out who won this election I shall also be meditating on this verse from Psalm 37.
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Chase Peeples
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