Blessed Are the Meek: The Gentle Giants of God’s Kingdom

Our world has a habit of swapping price tags. Like a thief who rearranges values in a jewellery shop, society places the highest price on youth, appearance, wealth, power, and immediate gratification while devaluing the true jewels of inward beauty, righteousness, and sacrificial love. The gospel itself receives the cheapest price tag of all.

Yet our maker knows better. His word exposes the deception and returns the price tags to their God-given value. This is precisely what Jesus does in the beatitudes, particularly in his third blessing: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

Everything about Jesus’ third beatitude causes a gasp of shock. Meek people rule? Gentle, lowly conquerors? It seems absurd. This declaration cuts straight across every human mindset and worldly ideology, swimming upstream against all expectations.

The original hearers would have been equally astonished. The Pharisees sought a miraculous solution to reverse their nation’s political fortunes. The Sadducees wanted materialistic answers. The Zealots looked for military victory. The Essenes hoped for monastic escape. Jesus satisfied none of them with his radical pronouncement about the meek.

Before we can embrace biblical meekness, we must clear away misunderstandings. Meekness is not weakness. It is not some passive wallflower or doormat, indifferent about evil and knowing nothing of righteous anger. It is not effeminacy, cowardice, mediocrity, or natural niceness.

Biblical meekness has far more to do with grace than genes, more to do with principles than personality type. The meekest people in history have been the bravest leaders, warriors, missionaries, and martyrs for the Lord.

As our world grows increasingly hostile to Christianity—with leaders recognising and requiring compliance with perverse regulations—we must be very clear: Meekness is not a refusal to fight for worthy causes or compliance with evil laws. That is false humility and unbiblical meekness.

The Greek word translated “meek” (praus) is known by scholars as “the untranslatable word”—unable to be captured in a single English term. It could be rendered gentle, humble, lowly, courteous, understanding, mild, patient, or long-suffering.

Perhaps we can define it this way: Meekness is strength under control through self-denial towards God and others. It is spiritual self-restraint, harnessing power for a good purpose.

In the ancient world, when a stallion passed the conditioning required for a war horse, its state was described as praus—a disciplined, well-trained, gentle horse. It was still a warhorse ready to charge into battle, but restrained, obedient, power under authority. Think of a tamed lion, or a killer whale at the wave of its trainer’s hand, or, supremely, the Lion of Judah himself—also the Lamb of God—perfectly self-controlled.

Biblical meekness begins with our posture towards God. It is total dependence upon him, absolute submission, full reliance. As Psalm 37 repeatedly emphasises, the meek wait upon the Lord, rest in him, submit quietly to him in obedience to his law and responsiveness to his word.

Jerry Bridges identifies two dimensions of Godward meekness: responsiveness to his word and submission to his providence. We receive God’s word with meekness (James 1:21), saying with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” We also humbly receive from his hand all things, both bitter and sweet, like Job who declared: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21).

Godward attitudes must affect manward ones. Loving God translates into loving others. Proverbs tells us: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

The early Christians needed heaps of humility and large doses of gentleness to transform their relationships. Paul exhorted them: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12). “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:1–2).

This manward meekness involves bearing injuries, forgiving them, and not avenging them. When Jesus “was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

Moses was described as “more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). But supremely, Jesus himself is the king of meekness. He declared, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). At his triumphal entry, Matthew quotes Zechariah: “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey” (Matthew 21:5).

The whole career of our Lord is the story of a meek Messiah—leaving heaven’s riches, taking on humanity, becoming the lowest of servants, “led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). He showed perfect meekness towards God and man, praying in Gethsemane, “Not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42), and on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

But why pursue meekness? Jesus promises: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). This echoes Psalm 37, which six times declares that the meek will inherit the land. Not by earning or achieving it, but receiving it as a gift—an inheritance for God’s children.

Believers will reign with Jesus on a renewed earth, possessing with Christ a remade planet. We will govern with imperishable bodies, flawless minds, and perfect justice—no abuse, no exploitation, no oppression. The meek shall indeed inherit the earth. Our future is as bright as the promises of God. As Isaac Watts wrote,