In Matthew 5:5 Jesus said: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth”. A lot of people, and maybe even most men, take that to mean “meek” means “weak”. People often picture a meek person as one who is afraid: afraid to speak their mind, afraid to take a stand, afraid to make a decision, afraid to take a risk, a doormat. No wonder men avoid this label like the plague! Unfortunately, when we say that Jesus Christ was meek, these are the thoughts that fill people’s minds. Nothing could be farther from the truth!
A horse is a powerful animal. A horse is a symbol of strength in the Bible. But you may or may not know that those who train horses use the phrase “a horse has been ‘meeked’” when that strength and power has been brought under control. That is a great illustration of what it means to be meek…strength or power under control. Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth, and through Him, so do we. Yet, we are to be under the control of the Holy Spirit, and through Him, we are ‘meeked’.
Jesus was so gentle that children loved to sit in His lap, yet, He took a whip and single-handedly cleared the Temple court of the crooks that had set up shop there, twice! Jesus was kind to the immoral Samaritan woman at the well, yet, He challenged the religious leaders of the day calling them hypocrites and whitewashed tombs. Jesus was meek. But Jesus was also strong! He never forced His way on anyone; but challenged people to take up their cross of self denial and follow Him.
We are called to be like Him. We are never more ‘men of great strength’ than when we are under the control of the Holy Spirit. Anyone can be a loose canon. Anyone can speak all that’s on their mind, and there are some who call that being a strong person. God’s word calls that being foolish. (Proverbs 12:16). Let’s learn how to be men who are meek, who are ‘strength under control’.