Self-Awareness and Faith

Oh boy. This is a heck of a way to start off a new work week. Of ALL the Beatitudes we are exploring as part of this series, why did this one have to come today? Jesus is utilizing one of his favorite teaching methods (bringing forth words the hearers would know) to illuminate a core truth about the life of the Christian in a post-Genesis 3 world, a truth that, if we want to be totally transparent with ourselves, is something we not only wrestle with but often give into more than we might like to admit.

This is also one of those sayings of Jesus that can be completely misinterpreted to the point it actually corrupts the principle that our Lord is trying to impress upon those hearing these words. In all honesty, it’s a phrase that we might have used or heard used as a way to help people gain an advantage in ways that are absolutely contrary to the life of the Christian.

Another way this beatitude is so transformative is that when read through the larger construct not only of this passage but the entirety of the scriptures, we discover it is not about a particular attitude we might possess, but an identity to embody as one faithful to the calling of a disciple.

What could possibly be going on here? Let’s hear from  Matthew 5, verse 5:

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Blessed are the meek…so, I guess it means we are to be timid, quiet, unassuming, folk who are taking on a stereotypical monkish persona? Um…not exactly. After all, that understanding of being meek involves behavioral changes that may or may not reflect the transformed soul. Additionally, the question might be here one of how is it to keep this up given that there’s not one of us who could pull this kind of approach off all the time.

What if, instead, we look at meekness as an identity? One of the definitions of ‘meek’ is, ‘submissive.’ Looking at the entirety of the witness of Jesus’ life and teachings, one inescapable reality is that He came to model for us a life of submission to God. Jesus was bold, there is no doubt, in living a life of obedience to God - but with an attitude of submissive obedience, where the call is to live in such a way that it is God’s work manifest, period. 

If we then take on the identity of one who is submissive to the will of God, then what is there to day about the second part of this beatitude, “…[F]or they shall inherit the earth.” This is easily misconstrued as encouraging folks to embrace an attitude of meekness for the promise of a reward. On more than one occasion, I have seen this beatitude used in the ol’ ‘carrot-with-the-stick’ rhetorical trick to goad someone into behaving in a certain manner. There’s one slight inconvenient reality with this approach - Where, if anywhere, in scripture are the faithful called to a life of obedience through coercion?

We must be careful to always keep in mind that when we hear these or any words of Jesus that we are hearing them from the lips of a man who is playing the long game. Part of every utterance He ever made was the understanding that ours is not a faith of immediate gratification, but long-term obedience not for personal gain but that we might participate in the joy of the fulfillment of God’s work when creation and creator are fully reconciled as one.

Yes, we are called to be meek. However, it’s not for anything we might get out of it - rather, it is part of our calling to live a life of faith and trust in God’s promises knowing that what we will experience at the end of it all is beyond our imagination with a glorious joy that we cannot fathom. When we are self-aware enough to know that our identity comes not from what we acquire but from whom we get our life, then our faith truly becomes transformational because it is not about what we get but whom we serve.

Grace & Peace,
Lamar