In yesterday’s blog, I said that I had two reasons to believe meekness was a central, foundational character trait for Jesus. The first was Jesus’ own pervading gentleness.
But second, Jesus’ meekness produced much more than a gentle demeanor. Gentle behavior, after all, comes from meekness. It is one brook that flows from the vast river-source of meekness. But it is not itself meekness. Rather, meekness flowed from the deep of Jesus’ character, encompassing his other attributes. This is why we read gospel stories in which Jesus, the gentle healer, did not always act with mild manners.
Jesus physically wrecked the operation of the temple marketeers for defiling God’s house of prayer (Mark 11:15-17). He confronted the Pharisees “with anger” for elevating Sabbath rules over human need (Mark 3:1-6), and passionately condemned them for their duplicity. He decried them as hypocrites, stung them with woes, and publicly announced their crimes (Matt 23). Jesus even rebuked one of his closest friends, calling Peter “satan” when he sought to put a stumbling block across Jesus’ path to redemptive suffering (Mark 8:33).
These actions are not “gentle” in the conventional sense of the word. They are passionate… compelling… fearless…
But not gentle.
So if the Model of Meekness could shift into a mode of such strong, incendiary actions and words, what then is meekness? What is that deeper, divine quality that handles a fragile soul with the tender warmth of a nursing mother, yet can rage against religious opposition with the incandescent fire of holy wrath?
Well, why don’t you tune in tomorrow and find out? 🙂