Blessed are the Meek

(A Reading of Micah 6:1–8 and Matthew 5:1–12)

The palmetto palm. It is the only palm native to Florida and I’m pretty sure that’s true of the entire southeast, but I do not find this fact important enough to dig into. It happens to be the official state tree of Florida and South Carolina. It is in Florida because it is the only native palm tree and grows throughout the state. South Carolina has a different reason. They only grow throughout half of the state, but because of its military history in the American Revolution, it gained such a status. If you’ve been to South Carolina, you’ll see the palmetto on EVERYTHING!

So, what’s the story? Palmettos are soft trees. The American colonists built Fort Moultrie out of palmetto logs, and when the British Navy bombarded the fort with cannon fire, the soft wood absorbed the cannon fire rather than blasting apart. They were able to turn away the British fleet. This tree became a symbol of victory.

This tree, during a hurricane, will bend to the ground and then rebound after. I remember seeing some before and after photos of Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm that flattened part of the Florida panhandle. A hotel was completely wiped out, but the palmettos were still standing. These trees symbolize the biblical meaning of the word meek.

These texts show us two things: (1) the heart of God and (2) God’s desire for us, how to live, how to treat the oppressed.

First, let’s look at Micah:

Micah shows God’s frustration with Israel, God’s people. They have gone astray, worshipped false God’s, and have taken advantage of people. God wants to know why even after all God has done for them.

*We need to read this as us, not them, because the church does this daily!

We, like ancient Israel, rebel against God. We, like ancient Israel, take advantage of others for personal gain. We, like ancient Israel, worship false idols, like financial success, status, or the worship of political figures and ideologies like we see now with Trump and we saw in the early days of the Obama administration.

In the text, they ask God, what religious things should we do? How should we properly worship? Then God responds to them about what to do, what to be like: God has told you, human one, what is good and what the Lord requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God.

Justice, love, faithfulness, humility. These are the characteristics and actions we must do.

In Matthew, we’re in a similar spot. Jesus lays out 2 sets of characteristics: characteristics of circumstance and characteristics to strive for. Let's look at the text:

The first four verses are of circumstance. In the time period of the Roman empire was the concept of Pax Romana, which means peace of Rome. Through their military might, they will wipe out any that stand in the way of their national interest. This is “peace” through the threat and promise of violence. This included people on the margins of society. These 1st 4 beatitudes speak to these people’s predicament due to Rome.

While there are poor everywhere, this was really understood to this audience as people were poor because of Roman oppression. Poor in spirit doesn’t mean humility, it means without hope. But Jesus is saying, it ain’t over yet. Have hope. It also means the literal poor. In ancient Israel, many religious leaders didn’t want to be in that boat, so they sold out, much like many faith leaders today selling their souls for political power and status.

While everyone mourns, this was well understood by the Israelites as they were conquered and controlled by Rome. They were mourning not only for lost loved ones but for their culture, their way of life. I imagine this would be relevant to many of our indigenous folks across the Americas.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. This does not simply mean those that want to be change agents, that comes in the next category of beatitudes. But, this is about those who are so oppressed that they are gasping for relief. They hunger and thirst for it. These are circumstances, not to volunteer for so we can say we are blessed, but these statements are God’s promise to us and encouragement not to give up!

These last four beatitudes are the change agents, the social justice warriors, the way God desires it. This is what we must aspire to. Mercy goes against many understandings of religion. “You reap what you sow.” “The truth hurts.” It also goes against society: “if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.” “If you don’t like debt, you should have been more responsible or should work harder.” Mercy defies both. Mercy challenges society and challenges religion in collusion with society, because society does not profit off of mercy, but does profit when we lack it.

To be pure in heart: To use the word of the last few months, we shall live a life without any quid pro quo, without any this for that, but rather where we are here for others and for God no matter what. Regardless if we benefit or not.

Peacemakers: It’s ironic that an iconic gun, the colt peacemaker carries that name because a gun can NEVER bring peace. Nor can military. Law enforcement, etc. Peace is not the absence of tension, but the presence of all that is good and right. Of all that is just. Power and might can hold down disrupters, but cannot establish true peace. Peacemaking is nonviolent. It’s a heart revolution. It’s personal.

Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness sake. We should strive to be so righteous, so just, that we are bucked by society.

Now there is one I haven’t yet mentioned: Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. I think meek fits in both the categories of circumstance and of characteristics to strive for.

Meek is a poor translation because we don’t have an English word that means the same thing as Prais,(πραεῖς) the Greek word. This does not mean wimpy, a pushover, someone with no backbone. Far from it. Yes, it means mild and gentle, but also Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God’s strength under God’s control — i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness. Without the threat of violence.

It’s gentle. AND strong. It is nonviolent.

The palmetto palm tree is meek in this sense. It is not a large, haughty tree that has a trunk you can drive a car through. It doesn’t have wood as hard as a diamond. It doesn’t tower over the surroundings, but it's not a pushover, rather it stands up to a category 5 hurricane. It absorbs British cannon fire, holding off the most advanced navy of the time.

Jesus was meek. Martin Luther King was meek. Yes, they were angry at times, but there are two kinds of anger: hot and cold. Hot anger is what violent protestors have when they destroy property. Their anger may be righteous, but it controls them. Cold anger fits in with this understanding of meek. Anger against injustice, that King and Jesus had, informed their passions, but unlike hot anger, they controlled it and used it as a tool, never losing control.

Blessed are the meek because God is letting us know the people that are not creating an active, violent uprising that justice will come. But also blessed are the meek, because we should aspire as Christ’s body, to be meek. To subvert injustice, not join it in order to fight it. We are to fight fire with water, not more fire. We are called to nonviolence. We are called to remain strong AND gentle. The meek will inherit the Earth because violence will wipe itself out, with God’s hand. It will not endure.

How do we live into this? How do we acknowledge this and as the body of Christ ease the pain of those in the characteristics of circumstance? How do we as Christ’s body, heal, not just bandage, the societal wounds on so many? How can we individually and collectively be more pure in heart and meek while actively seeking peace, justice, and righteousness? It IS our call. It IS our duty. Ponder on changes we can make. Be the change you want to see.

This interpretation is sourced from:

Stanley Hauerwas: Brazos Biblical Commentary — Matthew

Strong’s Greek Index