7. Meek Is Not Weak
Many Christians seem to have bought into the idea that Christianity is a religion of meekness, of mildness – even of weakness. To be fair, many have absorbed this idea from a childhood concept of Christ as "Gentle Jesus meek and mild."
Anyone who studies the life of Jesus knows that this view is in error. We cannot read a single one of the Gospels without seeing instances of Jesus telling the Pharisees, the hypocrites and the religious rulers of his day exactly what their problems were – without the slightest hint of timidity. We read of him singlehandedly casting out the money changers from the Temple. We see him as a man strong enough to go willingly to his death for the sake of others – knowing it was to be one of the most painful deaths ever delivered to a human being.
Even the concept of Jesus as a man of pacifistic mildness is inaccurate. The same Jesus who, when he was arrested, told Peter "Put away your sword" also said – at the same time – "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26:53). The Bible makes clear that the son of God commands enormous power, but that he wields that power with self-control, only using it righteously (Revelation 19:11 ESV).
So we must look more closely at biblical verses that might suggest, out of context, that Christ or Christians are defined by meekness that might be understood as weakness. Certainly Jesus said "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5); but the Greek word for meekness (praus) found there and throughout the New Testament has the connotation not of weakness, but of "strength under control."
It is interesting to realize that in making the statement "Blessed are the meek…," Jesus was almost certainly quoting Psalm 37:11 in the Greek Septuagint version. While the Hebrew Scriptures say
"The meek shall possess the land," the Septuagint says "The meek shall inherit the land," more closely reflecting the wording of Jesus recorded in Matthew. But the significance of Jesus quoting Psalm 37 is in the fact that the verses directly before "The meek will inherit the land" state "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath … For those who are evil will be destroyed…" (Psalm 37:8-9a). They are then contrasted with the words Jesus quoted: "But the meek shall inherit the earth." The meekness spoken of by David and quoted by Christ is, then, one of controlling anger and wrath – with the selfcontrol that meekness really is.
So to be meek is not to be weak. Meekness is the gentleness of the strong. Meekness is strength under control. That is the quality exhibited by Christ and to which he calls his followers. When we understand this, we realize that there is no contradiction between this fact and the words of the apostle Paul describing the Spirit of God that is to be in every true follower of Christ: "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7). The English Standard Version – translating a little closer to the Greek – says "self-control" rather than self-discipline. "Power, love and self-control" is almost a perfect definition of meekness. As we train, we learn to balance strength with love. That is the meekness we need to learn – it is power under self-control.