D
Domiy
Guest
What exactly does it mean to be meek in the biblical sense? What did Jesus mean by the meek inheriting eternal life?
I am well aware of the issues of pride; as St Francis puts it, we should love being despised and hated, and never consider ourselves above anyone. This is more about being humble though.
I have no problem being meek to God, and Jesus. I have no problem giving up everything I have at their request. I have no problem in admitting I’m an ignorant, sinful mortal compared to them and their will. Was this perhaps what Jesus meant when he preached about being meek? That is, being meek towards God and being always below Him, never questioning or complaining to Him etc?
I have a real problem being meek towards other people though, save perhaps a priest. But what if we are being tempted or pressured by sinners? Did not Jesus himself display a sense of stubbornness by never succumbing to the temptations and commands of other people? As he says, “he who endures till the end will be saved”. What if people tell us religion is a scam, God does not exist, Jesus was not morally sound etc? Are we to be meek towards them and succumb to their words, or should we display a sense of stubbornness and keep to our faith even though we live in a time where it’s considered an outdated illness to be religious?
I like to see it from JOB’s point of view in the Bible. His wife told him that he was crazy and that he should reject God for smiting him, yet he called her crazy and stayed faithful. The only person he needed to be meek to was God, as he eventually learned to be. But being meek towards mortals, especially those that Paul warns us about (fornicators, drunkards, adulterers etc) is a huge issue though. If every last person on earth told me I was crazy for believing in God, I still wouldn’t be phased by their words. So in this sense, I’m quite the opposite of meek, but I see it as a sign of strong faith and persistence.
Of course, it would be a different story if the world was full of righteous people who were accountable for their actions. In such a world, being meek would only lead to more good. People would never considered themselves more righteous than the next righteous man. But the world is not like that, it’s quite the opposite; sinners are everywhere, they dominate the world, they look for praise and worship, and are we not called to reject them and remain strong in our own faith?
I am well aware of the issues of pride; as St Francis puts it, we should love being despised and hated, and never consider ourselves above anyone. This is more about being humble though.
I have no problem being meek to God, and Jesus. I have no problem giving up everything I have at their request. I have no problem in admitting I’m an ignorant, sinful mortal compared to them and their will. Was this perhaps what Jesus meant when he preached about being meek? That is, being meek towards God and being always below Him, never questioning or complaining to Him etc?
I have a real problem being meek towards other people though, save perhaps a priest. But what if we are being tempted or pressured by sinners? Did not Jesus himself display a sense of stubbornness by never succumbing to the temptations and commands of other people? As he says, “he who endures till the end will be saved”. What if people tell us religion is a scam, God does not exist, Jesus was not morally sound etc? Are we to be meek towards them and succumb to their words, or should we display a sense of stubbornness and keep to our faith even though we live in a time where it’s considered an outdated illness to be religious?
I like to see it from JOB’s point of view in the Bible. His wife told him that he was crazy and that he should reject God for smiting him, yet he called her crazy and stayed faithful. The only person he needed to be meek to was God, as he eventually learned to be. But being meek towards mortals, especially those that Paul warns us about (fornicators, drunkards, adulterers etc) is a huge issue though. If every last person on earth told me I was crazy for believing in God, I still wouldn’t be phased by their words. So in this sense, I’m quite the opposite of meek, but I see it as a sign of strong faith and persistence.
Of course, it would be a different story if the world was full of righteous people who were accountable for their actions. In such a world, being meek would only lead to more good. People would never considered themselves more righteous than the next righteous man. But the world is not like that, it’s quite the opposite; sinners are everywhere, they dominate the world, they look for praise and worship, and are we not called to reject them and remain strong in our own faith?