What in the world is "meek?" Part 3

"Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5

What in the world does Meek mean? The word meek is not a word I use in my daily life. We always read the beatitudes during our Midday Prayer, and when we read meek, I almost always want to pause and research what it means. Most of the other words I use or have seen before in the beatitudes, but meek is one that makes me stop and have to think.

In an effort to try and understand Jesus and what he is communicating, I started doing some research on the word meek. I found it fascinating and thought I would share what I have found so far. We will have a three-part blog relating to the word meek. So welcome to part three of the blog series on the word meek. To end our blog on the meek, we are going to talk about what being meek is not. What are the opposite of meek. Sometimes when we learn what things are not can give us an enlightening perspective as well. In the one commentary I was reading (NIV Application Commentary), they showed a list of words that were opposite of meek. It was truly illuminating.

The list is as follows, proud, powerful, important.

Working our way backward on this list is what strikes me as intriguing. Being important tells us that society values you. People actually care or listen to you. The meek are not the people whom society is flocking to listen to and are actively caring for. The community or nation at large may even be seeking to marginalize.

Meek people are not powerful. They are not the lawmakers, they are not wealthy, they are not the pop culture. They are not being asked what their opinion are or how they would go about solving problems. They are the people we are not asking to understand scripture and faith. The meek are not the mover and shakers of the world.

Finally, the meek are not proud. The meek are not boasting in all their power and importance. The meek are not the ones saying, "look at all I have done." The proud exalt their tribe over other people's tribe. The proud have small views of the world because they cannot see past themselves or their own group. The meek have an expansive view that considers the deep connections of humanity and the world.

In conclusion, the Matthew NIV Application Commentary has a wonderful quote that wraps up what it means to be the opposite of meek. "The domineering, the aggressive, the harsh, and the tyrannical are those who attempt to dominate the earth and establish their own little kingdom." I believe the question becomes, how are we sometimes the opposite of meek? Another good question is, how do we honor, give dignity, and lift up the meek in our lives and communities?