Jesus summarized our mission, Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Pursuing Christ’s kingship in my life begins in my own heart with my personal love and loyalty to Christ. We are first called TO Christ to enjoy a love relationship with him. This part of our mission is consistent with the great commandment to love God with all my heart and the first commandment to have no other God’s before him. Today’s episode zooms in to examine one specific aspect of Christ’s character—the way he gave up the right to be treated with the dignity, the honor, the nobility, he deserved—as the God of the universe. Instead, he emptied himself of his prerogatives as God’s equal to take the form of a slave to serve us. The more we see this shocking willingness to give up his divine rights, entrusting himself to the Father, the more we will be empowered to exhibit this same kingdom virtue, showing Jesus to those around us.
The righteous attitude demonstrated by God the Son who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, is described by the Greek Word PRAUTES, usually translated meekness. Jesus used this word to describe himself. (Matt 11:29). PRAUTES was one of the great virtues of antiquity; but is too rich a concept to translate into just one word. Meekness is not the right word, because that word suggest timidity and Jesus was anything but timid. For example, one of the first things Jesus did after he began his ministry was to return to his hometown and confront synagogue leaders there with their racism so fiercely that they tried to throw him off a cliff. Later, Luke twice records the Scribes and the Pharisees watching him like a hawk to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. In both cases, Jesus got in their faces, healed the two broken bodies and confronted these hypocrites directly with the challenge, “I ask you is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or destroy it,” provoking fury in the hearts of the leaders. (6:9, 14:3). Jesus was fearless, when confronting evil was required. As he closed out his ministry in Galilee and headed south towards Jerusalem, his last words to the towns where he spent the most time were:
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes…. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades (Luke 10:13-15). PRAUTES has no connotation of timidity!
Another facet of the jewel of PRAUTES is passion under control, i.e. self-mastery. Greek scholar William Barclay tells us, “It is the regular Greek word for an animal that has been domesticated…, which has learned to answer to the reins.” Aristotle defined specific virtues as a mean between two extremes. For example, generosity was the mean between squandering wealth and being a miser. When it comes to PRAUTES, Aristotle defined meekness as the happy medium between no anger and excessive anger. Part of meekness, then, is never getting angry at the wrong time and always getting angry at the right time. Such a virtue is perfectly pictured by Jesus, whip in hand, fire in his eyes, angry not because his own rights were violated but with zeal for his Father’s house of prayer consuming his heart, driving the sheep and dove sellers, along with the money changers, out of the temple.
There is one further facet of the virtue, PRAUTES, modeled by Jesus: surrendering his personal rights to the Father. Let’s return to Philippians 2 for a little fuller picture of what God the Son did. Paul exhorts the Philippians, Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others (vs 3-4). That is a perfect picture of Jesus—and a perfect picture of this quality PRAUTES, the true meaning of meekness. Counting others more significant than yourself. This unselfish laying aside of personal rights in order to serve another began, says Paul in the heavenly realms.
Have this mind among yourselves, writes Paul, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him (vs 3-9).
Here is meekness, perfectly embodied by Jesus. It is giving up my personal rights to count others as more significant than myself because I am entrusting my needs to God. Right out of the shoot, though, we must clarify what this Christ-like virtue is NOT. Meekness is not what psychologist’s call co-dependency—like the wife of the drunk who just takes his physical abuse refusing to confront her husband with his problem—or the man who refuses to stand up to his boss. Codependency is accepting abusive treatment because you are too insecure to demand that it stop. It is true that Jesus allowed himself to be abused. But it was not because he was too weak to stop it. Jesus said, No one takes (my life) from me, but I lay it down of my own accord (John 10:18). Codependent people need to be liked so much that they refuse to confront others, or take an unpopular stand for truth. Not standing up for your rights or justice for others because your desire for acceptance makes you too weak to do so is NOT PRAUTES—biblical meekness.
To understand what our Lord’s virtue of meekness cost him, we need to see a few glimpses of his glory.
- From Exodus 33:20: God said to Moses, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
- From Isaiah 6:1-4: In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called.
- From Exodus 34:29: When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.
- From Matt 177:1-2: Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
Without being clothed in Christ’s righteousness, no human can bear to see the glory of God’s face without instantly dying. Nor does any human have the mental horsepower to grasp the glory, the dignity, the weightiness, the degree to which The Lord God Almighty is inherently worthy of every molecule of respect and honor we can give to him. In the US military a lower ranking officer is always required to salute a higher-ranking officer as he passes by. The president of the US never enters a formal meeting room without that audience standing and Hail to the Chief being played. Attorney General Robert Kennedy never called his brother, (John F Kennedy), “Jack” in public, but always, “Mr. President.” These are but poor metaphors to help us understand the respect, awe, decorum required by the dignity and glory of God.
In an incredible way, the Lord God Almighty of the universe, laid asides his rights as God—could we say HIS DIGNITY--because in some way he considered US more important than HIS DIGNITY. Here are four pictures from Jesus’ gallery of pictures stripping himself of his dignity.
- Luke 2:7. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger. God the Son pooping all over himself and having to have his diaper changed.
- John 13:2-5. Jesus rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Jesus assumes the undignified role of slave--washing his disciple’s smelly feet. What would it feel like if Jesus washed YOUR feet? I bet the disciples were never the same after that. My creator washing my stinky feet.
- John 18:21-23. Jesus responded politely to a question of the high priest. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” The Holy One of Israel having his face slapped for talking back to the corrupt priest. Can you fathom that?
- Matt 26:67. Then they spit in his face. The indignity born by holiness itself.
Meekness is surrendering the right to be treated with the dignity you deserve. It is giving up your right to justice, respect, fair treatment.
The Pathway to PRAUTES (Meekness)
1. Yield Ownership of Ourselves and Our Rights to God. In Philippians 2, we read that Jesus took the form of a slave—the word is DOULOS. The word is profoundly important for understanding meekness. A DOULOS was owned by his master. At the core of the godly attitude of meekness is the issue of ownership. Meekness is seeing myself and all that is mine as belonging to God. The Apostle Paul wrote, “You are not your own. You were bought with a price.” That price was the shed blood of Christ. Meekness is transferring the ownership of ourselves to God. The deed to my life is transferred to him. It is to entrust myself—all that I am and all that I have, and all of my personal rights to God. And make no mistake about it. Our Lord takes good care of what belongs to him. As Abraham put the most precious thing he had—his son Isaac—on the altar, meekness is putting everything I am—all my desires, needs, abilities, assets on the altar. It is seeing myself as the steward of these gifts, but God as the owner. That is important because the rights belong to the owner. Tremendous inner freedom—the freedom of meekness—results from seeing ourselves as belonging to our Lord. It is his job to provide for me, which brings tremendous freedom from financial worries. It is his job to provide the friends I need; so I don’t need to worry about being accepted and can focus on giving love to others. It is his job to protect my reputation, so I don’t need be lash back at those who criticize me. Marin Lloyd Jones in his classic work, The Sermon on the Mount defines meekness as “leaving everything in the hands of God.”
Like many of you, when Sandy and I moved into our various homes, we dedicated them to God. We gave him our financial assets, the right to call us into the vocation of his choice, etc. But what has been harder to put on the altar and fully entrust to God are things like my reputation, my career success, my sexual appetite when my wife doesn’t match it, my personal right to feel appreciated, to have my own space, to relax after an especially hard day. One indication that we have failed to surrender our rights and expectations to God is anger.
One evening a family of five sat silently around a table with a counselor, asking him how they could have better harmony. Each one was given a sheet of paper and asked to describe the last three situations in which they lost their temper. Next, they were asked to list the rights each felt he had as a member of the family. These included:
- The right to express personal opinions without being “jumped on”
- The right to be accepted as an individual
- The right to plan how free time will be used
- The right to privacy
- The right to earn and spend money
- The right to choose friends
- The right to control the use of personal belongings
Each family member reviewed the situations in which he lost his temper and was able to link every instance to a personal right that had been violated. Each family member was asked if he or she wanted to follow the example of Jesus as a DOULOS—who surrendered his rights to God in order to, Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than himself. (Phil 2:3). They answered, “yes” and became more aware of the need to respect other’s boundaries, as a way of loving each other. They also personally surrendered these personal rights and expectations to the Lord, which leads to the next step on the meekness path. (Sory taken from IBYC).
2. Expect God to test your sincerity in surrendering these rights to him and resolve to thank God whatever happens. In Romans 12:1,Paul commands Christ-followers to offer themselves to God as living sacrifices in response to the grace of God poured out for us. The problem with living sacrifices, however, is that they keep crawling off the altar! We give generously to meet another’s financial need but the next month find ourselves so tight we can’t see the funds to pay the bills. We resolve to not get bitter over busy signals from our wife when we want to make love and trust God to turn her heart to meet our need; but then she is angry with us all weekend. We trust God with our need to make some sales at work, and instead lose two contracts! Psalm 37 knows all about this frustration. It is THE PSALM in the Bible on MEEKNESS. The resounding theme of this Psalm is—it may not look like it now, but continue to surrender to God in obedience and IN THIS LIFE you will eventually receive the benefit, not to mention eternity.
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace (Ps 37:3-11). (So, expect God to test whether you have reality surrendered these rights to him.)
3. Expect MEEKNESS to lead to eventual blessing even in this life. Meekness is waiting on the Lord for his blessing, rather than demanding my right to satisfy my yearning right now and often in a sinful way. That is why it is power under control. It is putting every aspect of my life on the altar and trusting him to bring fulfillment in the area in his way and in his timing—instead of being driven by all kinds of self-centered desires. What is the reward of the meek who put themselves and their rights on the altar? Jesus tells us. They shall inherit the earth (Mat 5:5) They are the ones who enjoy the pleasures, the blessings, the joys of this earth, received as an inheritance from our heavenly father instead of demanded by our anger or resentment. In Mark 10 we read, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
Childless Hannah prays fervently for a son. God opens her womb, and she has Samuel. But then, God asks her to give him up. So, she dedicated him to God and sent him to live with Eli, the priest. Imagine giving up the son you had so longed and prayed would one day come to brighten your home. What was God’s response to Hannah’s MEEKNESS? We read, And the Lord visited Hannah and she conceived and gave birth to 3 sons and 2 daughters (1 Sam 2:21).
On Mount Moriah, Abraham in obedience to God, offered to God the most priceless thing in the world, his son Isaac on the altar. We know that the angel of the Lord cried out “stop” and Abraham offered the ram in the bushes instead. But many people do not remember the angel speaking a second time on the mountain,
“By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore” (Genesis 22:15-18).
Blessed are the meek--those with the quiet strength to trust God as Jesus did—for God will not allow you to trust him and NOT be enormously blessed by trusting yourself to HIM.
For Further Prayerful Thought
- What is most moving to you about God the Song stripping himself of his dignity to love us?
- Where does selfish anger crop up in your life, reflecting that the rights you once put on the alter have crawled off?
- Is there anywhere that worry, indicate that you still haven’t transferred the ownership of some aspect of your life to God, or need to put it back on the altar? Psalm 37 is written to strengthen our confidence in the character of God.
