Meek, Not Weak
There’s a lot of self-centeredness in the world. In fact, all people are innately self-centered. It’s completely natural, and it helps us survive in the natural world. We need to actively seek food, shelter, clothing, employment, community, etc. or we won’t last long. There’s nothing wrong with that. The problem arises when our own self-interest conflicts with another’s. Like when there’s only one pair of your favorite shoes left on sale at the mall and you’re squared off with someone else who wants them. Trouble ensues.
You see, even from a young age, we set up our Self as a little god to be served and respected and defended. AW Tozer described this well in his book The Pursuit of God. Any insult or disrespect towards our Self is nothing short of a declaration of war. We see this in kids all the time. For example, my brother was the self-appointed Fairness Police in our house. Cake is cut, and if I got one crumb more, my brother was all over it. If I got an extra couple minutes playing video games, my parents got an earful. One time he gave me more presents for Christmas than I gave him; tears and tantrums erupted. “It’s not fair!” His ego, his Self-god, wasn’t honored, wasn’t given its proper due. And he fought tooth and nail to ensure he got his due.
This same thing happens in adulthood, except more subtly. Or not. How many celebrity feuds over social media, videos, interviews, in person have we seen? It’s comical to witness, but we’re all guilty of the same thing. God commands us to have no gods before him, which we all heartily agree with. In theory. However, Self is a god we all worship, often without knowing it. It’s ingrained in us since birth.
And it’s a lot of work! We’re always striving to promote Self, to make Self look good, to defend Self against attack, both verbally and physically. It’s exhausting! Self is an all-consuming god; it demands constant service. The worship of Self is a life-sucking endeavor. Ironic, isn’t it, that relentlessly seeking your Self is the one thing that’s guaranteed to make you miserable, and probably hate your Self more and more.
Self-worship breeds arrogance, pride, hypocrisy, superficiality, jealousy, gossip, resentfulness, hatred, cruelty, and greed. The end product of all this is misery, disharmony, and death. It’s rooted in our sinful flesh, but it’s not supposed to stay there. That’s where meekness comes in.
A lot of fluffy, nebulous, and/or lame definitions of meekness exist. They’re all awful. None of them make you want this quality. Meekness is associated with weakness, being a pushover, and spinelessness. Meekness seems timid, shy, and unassertive. Being meek is associated with being mild. It’s tepid, flavorless, unpassionate, indifferent. Like the “meh” emoji. Meek means “blah” to us. Nobody wants to be blah. The Bible calls this saltless (Greek analos).
How the world sees meekness is awful, completely undesirable. But that’s not what the Bible says. Bible meekness is awesome.
Let’s explore:
“Blessed are the meek, because they’ll inherit the earth.”
“Come to me, anyone who’s exhausted and weighed down! I’ll rest you. Take my yoke on yourself and learn from me, because I’m meek and humble in my heart. You’ll find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
“Tell Zion’s daughter, ‘Don’t fear! Look, your king is coming to you, meek and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the son of an ass.”
That’s it. Those are the only three occasions when the word praÿs (Greek adjective for “meek”) is used in the gospels. None of them are terribly useful to define meekness, except that Jesus identifies himself as such. But if we know Jesus, we can start to get a sense of what meekness really is. Jesus wasn’t meek and mild, he was meek and wild! He cleared the Temple courtyard with a whip!
Violent, fierce, passionate! That doesn’t sound like the worldly definition of meekness. Thus, meekness cannot be mild. Meek doesn’t mean timid. Jesus wasn’t meek and weak, he was meek and strong! Who else could carry the cross to Calvary and hang from it with the sin of the world on his shoulders? Jesus certainly had the power to defend himself (“I can call my Father to immediately provide over twelve legions of angels”). However, he deliberately and willingly allowed himself to be abused, verbally or physically. He didn’t defend himself. Meekness isn’t a weakness. It’s certainly not spinelessness.
Jesus wasn’t flavorless or impassionate. Zeal for God’s house consumed him! He was the original salt of the earth! No one was more potent (i.e. effective) than he was. So then, now that we’ve determined what it isn’t, what is meekness? The Greek word itself doesn’t help much. Praÿs (verb, pronounced “prah-ooce”) is a root word with a meaning that can only be guessed by its context. “Meek” often occurs in the New Testament alongside “humble” or “humility” (Greek tapeinos). They seem to go together, like peanut butter and jam. But they’re not the same, also like peanut butter and jam. So meekness isn’t humility.
Meekness is also listed as a fruit of the Spirit:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness (praÿtes), and self-control. Against these there is no law.”
Praÿtes is the Greek work for meekness (noun), but it’s often translated in this passage as “gentleness”. Yet epieikeia is the typical word for “gentleness” elsewhere in the Bible. Therefore, we see that meekness is a fruit of the Spirit and it’s not the same as gentleness.
So here’s my guess, my best shot at what it means to be meek: meekness is disregard for Self. That Self-god we each have is simply not considered when you’re meek. There’s no active opposition or hatred of Self. There’s no self-neglect or shame. There’s no Gnosticism. Meekness is just lack of focus on Self. Self goes from being worshipped on a pedestal to collecting dust in the corner. That’s it. Meekness is selflessness in the fullest sense. And this definition seems to fit with how the Bible talks about it.
Jesus preached many characteristics about the kingdom of God – each one was in striking contrast to the ways of the world. The poor (in the world) will be rich (in God’s kingdom); the last will be first; fools will be wise; death is the only way to truly live; and faith like a child is the hallmark of maturity. So too with meekness: in God’s kingdom, the meek won’t just conquer the world, they’re beyond conquerors. The ungodly fight tooth and nail to possess the earth, and ultimately fail. But in God’s kingdom, the meek don’t have to fight, they’ll just inherit the whole earth, because Jesus has already won the battle for them. Only those who can get past themselves, who can “lay down your life, take up your cross, and follow [Christ]” will become “co-heirs with Christ.” There’s no room for the Self-god in God’s kingdom.
There are certainly times we want to defend ourselves in order not to appear weak or foolish. But that’s exactly what God uses in his divine purpose to shame the strong and the wise. So go ahead, let yourself look like a fool and get trampled on. In the end, you’ll have victory over your oppressors. God will ensure it.
Jesus was incredibly kind and compassionate, particularly toward the hurting and broken, sinners, women and children, and the diseased. We see this in his tenderness towards the woman who’d been bleeding for 12 years. But although this deep compassion and gentleness is often associated with meekness, they’re not the same thing. Disregard for Self (meekness) isn’t the same as regard for others (compassion), though they often go hand in hand.
Lay down your burden, that heavy load of constantly fighting for and defending your Self. Learn from Jesus, who is meek, and take his yoke upon yourself. As Tozer says, “he walks at one end while you walk at the other.” And Jesus’ burden – worshipping God – is much easier to bear that worshipping your Self.
A big part of meekness is forgetting what you think about your Self and instead trusting what God says about you. Give up on your own ideas and hold onto God’s view of you. You’ll like yourself much more, and, unlike that old arrogance you used to have, others will like you more too. The meek man knows he’s weak and powerless without God, that he’s sinful and broken, that he’s completely unable to save himself. The meek man comes to the end of himself and steps out into God, leaving Self behind. He barely considers him-Self anymore.
I’m sure you’ve met those people. They’re quietly confident. They get insulted, but instead of snapping a zinger back, they laugh and respond with a self-depreciating joke. They get mistreated and roll with the punches with ease. They turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. Forgiveness comes easily. They shine with humility, but would never consider themselves humble at all. They don’t feel the need to defend themselves, like when Mary Poppins was asked to explain her outrageous behavior: “I never explain anything.” Furthermore, the meek are completely authentic. They don’t put their best foot forward;
D.B. Ryen is a medical doctor and writer. His books include The Story of Jesus: All Four Gospels In One and Birth Control For Christians. He lives with his wife and children in Alberta, Canada.
www.dbryen.com
© D. B. Ryen Incorporated, 2021
