In the third statement of His famous Beatitudes sermon, Jesus must have shocked those listening when He said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Why is this statement so shocking, both 2,000 years ago and now?

Society and the media teach us that those who work hard, grab and manipulate to amass things for themselves are the ones who live blessed lives. Jesus’ way to get all the things money can’t buy, all the blessings of God, is to be meek, or humble. 

Who You Are

Meekness is the opposite of what most of us expect it to mean: weakness. To have a meek temperament is to be self-controlled, to show strength of character, not force or brute power.

In Numbers 12:3, God said that Moses was the meekest (humblest) man on earth. Yet we see his godly power as he leads the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and over the subsequent 40 years of wandering in the desert.

Jesus Himself was meek, but He knew how to blast the Pharisees as well as how to bless the babies. Meekness means you know who you are, Who is behind you, and not feeling the need to throw your weight around. 

For us to receive all that God has for His children, we need a meek, humble heart. JEANETTE LEVELLIE

Have Some Land

God promised Abraham, the father of the Jews, that they would be in a relationship with the God of Abraham. They were part of God’s family. Chosen as a special race. Privileged.

As followers of Jesus, we are now also part of God’s family. We inherit all that God gave Jesus (see Ephesians 2:4-7). Because we are “in Christ,” we share in His blessings. We now have forgiveness and cleansing of sin, victory over deadly habits, the ability to love others unconditionally and heaven as our eternal destination.

Wow!

But, by far, the finest blessing is the sense of belonging. To know we are loved without conditions. To be the centre of our heavenly Father’s heart and part of His forever family.

For us to receive all that God has for His children, we need a meek, humble heart. God longs to give us all the wonderful gifts that belong to His family members. If we are humble enough to receive those gifts by making Jesus our Lord, we become the richest people ever. 

This is the third article in our series on the Beatitudes, key teachings from the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5-7), Jesus’ first sermon during His earthly ministry. Read the second article at salvationist.ca/blessedmourn.

Photo: Marina/stock.Adobe.com

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