"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

Matthew 5:5

I think this verse gets misinterpreted a lot.  So many people have the wrong idea about what the word meek means.  According to Mirriam-Webster, meek means “deficient in spirit or courage: submissive; not violent or strong.”  We understand that Jesus is often called “meek and mild,” but Jesus was not weak, and He most definitely was not deficient in spirit (although, if we go back to the first beatitude, we could say that He was poor in spirit and rich in the Spirit, but I don’t think that context applies here; in the first beatitude, ‘spirit’ refers to self-sufficiency, which is contrary to being dependent on the Holy Spirit; but in the dictionary definition of meek, ‘spirit’ refers more to hope and joy).  Jesus was strong in the Spirit—and He still is—and He was bold in proclaiming the gospel of salvation and the coming of the kingdom of God, even to the point of causing violent division between Christians and their persecutors.  So if Jesus was meek, then we must find another definition for the word that fits who Jesus was (and is).

Now, this first definition of meek is actually the second definition in the dictionary.  The first is this: enduring injury with patience and without resentment: mild.”  That sounds a lot more like the Jesus we know, doesn’t it?  But I think there’s even more to it than that.  It might just be me, but when I hear “enduring injury,” I get the impression that whoever is enduring injury has the ability to decide to not endure injury.  In other words, the meek person has the power to put an end to his own suffering, but he chooses not to for some reason, whether it be to protect others from harm or to encourage them in their present suffering or simply to show his love for someone.  I believe the true, biblical definition of meek is the complete opposite of Mirriam-Webster’s second definition: a meek person is one who possesses great power, given to him by the Spirit, yet refuses to use it for his own benefit in favor of the rewards that will come with the fulfillment of a larger purpose.  A truly meek person is one who sees the big picture, God’s perfect plan, and submits to His will even when it calls for personal suffering.  And when the Lord does call him to suffer, the meek man will “endure injury with patience and without resentment.”  He will not grow angry with God for causing him to go through trials, and he will be patient with his persecutors and show Christ-like love to them.

Now look at the blessing Jesus gives the meek: “for they will inherit the earth.”  This is interesting to me: a man with great power can conquer the world and take it for himself; but a meek man, one who has great power but refuses to use it to benefit himself at others’ expense, will inherit the world and be given it by God.  And the gift of God is far more valuable than our own wages, because “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

We have been given great power by the Lord.  According to 2 Timothy 1:7, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”  In the famous words of Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben, “With great power comes great responsibility.”  We have been given the Spirit not just for our own benefit, but also so that we can benefit others.  So let’s use the power He has given us appropriately. Our job is not to arrive in heaven; it’s to make sure it’s crowded when we get there.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Matthew 5:4

It's been a while since I've posted anything, and I've been feeling like I need to get back into writing/typing again, so here's another installment from my notes on the Beatitudes (which I should have finished a long time ago).

In this verse Jesus speaks about "those who mourn."  I want to start by defining the word "mourn."  According to Dictionary.com, to mourn is to feel or express sorrow or grief over misfortune, loss, or anything regretted; to deplore or lament; or to regret deeply or strongly.

Now, what exactly are we mourning?  A close relative's death?  Well, while the second part of this verse, "for they will be comforted," seems to imply that "those who mourn" are mourning someone's death, I believe the blessing is intended for those who mourn about something different.  Let's take the Dictionary.com definitions piece by piece.  The words "deplore" and "lament" essentially mean "express sorrow or grief," as in the first definition.  So when we mourn we express sorrow or grief.  About what?  "Misfortune, loss, or anything regretted."  Well, James tells us to "consider it pure joy" (James 1:2) whenever we are faced with misfortune, and when it comes to God's will, there really is no such thing as misfortune because everything is intended to bring glory to God.  What I really want to focus on is the part of the definition that mentions loss and regret.  What do you regret?  Why do you regret something?  We regret bad decisions because they result in bad consequences, right?  I'm sure we can all agree that sinning is a bad decision.  Why?  Because it separates us from God.  It is harmful to us and dishonoring to Him—He has designed us for far greater things than the pleasures of this world.  To submit to the desires of this world is to stoop to a lower level than we were made for, to settle for less than we, as God's children, deserve.  That's insulting to the Lord!  He doesn't make anyone who only deserves the things of this world and nothing more.  Sin causes us to be separated from God, the worst loss anyone could ever experience.  So we mourn our sin—we regret sinning—because it has removed us from the presence of the Lord.  We mourn because of our spiritual death.  But thanks to Christ, we have been raised to spiritual life!  We no longer mourn our spiritual death, but we still mourn our sins because they continue to create a barrier between us and our heavenly Father, preventing us from coming into the close relationship He desires.

But our own personal sin isn't all we mourn.  We also mourn for the lost and for their sin that continues to blind them, preventing them from acknowledging God and turning to Him.  We mourn for those who will never accept Christ.  We lament for the depravity of the people of this world, praying for a move of God that would bring a revival.

Now let's go on to the blessing.  Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."  How exactly will those who mourn for sin be comforted?  How can comfort be brought to those who mourn for the lost?  The Lord comforts us with the cross of Christ!  Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, and He rose from the grave as a sign that we who were once dead in our sins are now alive in Christ for all eternity!  Jesus conquered the grave, and the power of sin and death has been extinguished.  We are no longer defined by our deadness in sin, but by the life of Christ.  Because Jesus is alive, we too are alive!  What a great comfort that is!  And when we mourn for the lost, God comforts us by sending His Spirit upon them to save them.  And in turn, He comforts them with the knowledge that they are now alive; and when they mourn for the sins of others, He comforts them by saving those they mourn for; and it becomes a never-ending cycle (until Jesus returns, of course).

So let the sobering thought of our sin lead us to mourn every act that prevents us from drawing nearer to the Lord, and let's mourn for the lost, pleading with God to save them.  Let's mourn with the hope and assurance that we will be comforted!