Words have taken on a different meaning over the years like gay or meek. Meek or meekness are not a words you use very often, right? Meekness sounds weak, and reminds you of timidness, or wimpiness, while our culture rejects anything of the sort? We are encouraged to be bold, strong, confident, and assertive. So why in the world would ‘meek or meekness’ be a good word to focus on.
The origin of ‘meek’ in English comes from the Old Norse mjukr, meaning ‘gentle’, though perhaps a fuller understanding comes from the Greek origin praus, which is translated as ‘strength under control’. In ancient Greece, war horses were trained to be meek — strong and powerful yet under control and willing to submit …
Aristotle said that the praus person is one who has the virtue of the mean between two extremes. If recklessness were on one end, and cowardice on the other, praus might be characterised as steady courage. For example, a meek person does not shy away from taking a stand. Rather, the stand is taken at the right time, with the right people, in the right way. He or she submits or constrains power for greater effect on self or others.
Bakers Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology explains the word ‘meekness’ as follows: Late twentieth-century Western culture does not hold meekness to be a virtue, in contrast to the ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman world, which placed a high premium on it. This dramatic shift in values is problematic for contemporary biblical translation. Most modern versions replace the noun ‘meekness’ by ‘gentleness’ or ‘humility’, largely as a result of the pejorative overtones of weakness and effeminacy now associated with meekness. These connotations were not always predominant in the word, for ancient Near Eastern kings were not reluctant to describe themselves as meek in the same context in which they described themselves as mighty kings (Babylonian asru and sanaqu; Aramaic nh). Meekness does not identify the weak but more precisely the strong.
In our culture the words meekness and weakness are used indistinguishably. Now it’s easy to see how that which was once perceived as a virtue has become a defect in our society. When we have a look in our dictionaries today we find meekness described as “The quality of being quiet, gentle and unwilling to argue or express your opinions” (Cambridge dictionary). “The quality of being patient or quiet in nature” (Dictionary.com). Here we see that the use of these words in our language has changed, and thereby diluted its meaning.
Let’s explore this a bit further. How do we perceive Jesus? As 1) a baby in the manger meek and mild, quiet and gentle, such as an early children’s hymn which begins with the verse: “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little child; Pity my simplicity, Suffer me to come to Thee”? The Jesus portrayed here is like a caricature, a figure lacking in strength and so harmless, having no impact in society, suggesting only defeat and disgrace. Or 2) a strength under control who would not shy away from making a stand when it was the right time, and the right place such as in the temple driving out the money changers and throwing over the tables, where we are presented with a figure of power and strength, utterly in control, completely in unity with the Godhead. Jesus said in John 5:19: “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does”. He speaks what the Father speaks John 12:49 “I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it”. Even though He is described in the Bible as meek and humble. (In the usage of the right meaning of the words). Think again of Jesus before Pilate in Matthew 27 and Herod in Luke 23, Jesus hardly gave an answer. In Jesus’ culture, they operated in an eye-for-eye mindset. If someone wronged you, you’d wrong them back. The problem was, retaliation escalated in a never ending cycle. Here, Jesus calls us to diffuse the fire of retaliation.
What about us, are we meek and mild as portrayed in our society, to roll over and play dead by every word spoken, or do we make a stand for injustice, for the widows, for the poor etc.? And do we only do what we know the Father wants us to say and do?
You might bring up the phrase from the Beatitudes. Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth”. What do you think about that. The word meek. Strong’s 4239 praýs (also listed as 4239a/praupathia in NAS dictionary) –This difficult-to-translate root (pra-) means more than “meek.” Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God’s strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness. The English term ‘meek’ often lacks this blend – i.e. of gentleness (reserve) and strength.
One instance can be seen in pop culture. One of the characters in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood misuses the phrase “blessed be” to indicate people must exercise meekness in the presence of oppressors, (often having been portrayed as door mats for people to trample on). Despite its oppressive portrayal in The Handmaid’s Tale, meekness isn’t the opposite of boldness. It doesn’t mean we simply let oppressors continue to oppress the downtrodden simply because, “It’s not the Christian thing to do to speak up”. That’s a false portrayal. Christians can often misinterpret this along with the “turn the other cheek” verse we find in the same sermon series. Meekness does not mean remaining quiet when we see injustices take place in the world around us or simply sitting back and taking abuse in our families, in our church, and in our world. We see multiple examples in Scripture of Christians speaking and acting boldly. However, meekness does look like quenching any fires of retaliation before anyone can really get hurt. But meekness doesn’t appear to have a high place in our society. The challenge is set before us to go with the flow of society or be transformed by the renewal of our minds and speak up boldly in strength but controlled.