Meek

Meek: patient, long-suffering, or submissive in disposition or nature; humble; humbly patient or quiet in nature, as under provocation from others.—synonym: gentle (ref. dictionary.com).

And He [Jesus the Christ] opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
   "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
   "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
   "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
   "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
   "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
   "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
   "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
   "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
   "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on [M]y account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

~Matthew 5:2-12, ESV [edits mine]

When you read this familiar passage—the Beatitudes, what do you do with it? Do you skip it? Smile and skim over it? Feel warm and fuzzy? Convicted? Find them unrelatable? Is it merely an ethereal and/or ephemeral thought? Does it pass by and through you like a gentle breeze that provides a refreshing calm, but with no lasting effect of comfort?

Or, does it make you wonder? Do you understand every blessedness? Or do you know you don’t, but are satisfied to have only a cursory, possibly correct or incorrect knowledge of it?

When you read this passage, do you realize that Christ has fully embodied every one of these blessed states of perfect and holy righteousness?

When Jesus was here,

He lived His entire life poor in spirit so that we would inherit the riches of eternal life in Him.

He was a man acquainted with sorrows, so that we may know the ultimate joy and happiness of being reconciled to God Almighty through His the shedding of His precious blood.

He lived wholly meek and lowly so that we might be lifted up to God our Father as cleansed and forgiven disciples in Christ.

He constantly hungered and thirsted for righteousness to make all who repent and trust in Him, the righteousness of God.

He practiced perfect mercy so that we may receive the mercy of God rather than His wrath; and thus, compassionately extend this godly mercy to others.

There is none purer in heart than Christ our God; and He lived as such in bodily form so that in Him, our consciences are purified to love what God loves and hate what He hates.

Christ sacrificed His body, to sow peace between evil and obstinate humanity, with kind and goodly God Almighty.

He was persecuted for righteousness sake so that He might procure our salvation and become the propitiation for our sins.

He was reviled, beaten, slandered, and rejected by His own creation to purchase our salvation—our only means of acceptance in the sight of our holy, just, and all-wise God and Father.

When you read the Beatitudes do you think of these things? Do you carefully consider that Christ sanctified Himself by fulfilling all righteousness—obeying God the Father perfectly for our sake? And because the Lord Jesus well-pleased the Father, all who repent and trust in His perfect work for salvation, is loved and accepted by God our Father, just as He is? Therefore, we are now indwelt with the Holy Spirit who faithfully works the good work of Christ in us, so that we will suffer as He suffered (for righteousness sake), that we may be resurrected as He is and enjoy the pleasure of the Father for all eternity?

Only when we are meek, will we carefully consider these things. Only when we humble ourselves before God Almighty will we open His Word, not to find ourselves in it, but to find Him.