Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth
I have often been curious about this dictate from the Sermon on the Mount. Meek? I thought it meant “mousy” or submissive like a 1950’s wife who stayed home and perfected homemaking because that was what she thought she had to do, so meek was not a word I wanted included in my obituary. Yet there it is spoken by Jesus who I think is pretty cool, so I decided to take a good hard look at this word.
The word was translated from the Greek word Praos meaning “a disposition of spirit without resistance”- yielded, teachable, responsive. And the word was most often used when speaking of animals, like horses, who are taught to work with us humans. The basic idea of the word is not so much gentleness as strength under control or gentleness backed by great courage and strength.
I can get behind that …
I found a story about“a horse trainer from Texas” quoted verbatim from many different sources. I don’t know if it is true, but I believe it speaks truth, so I am quoting it below:
Power under control. Once broken, a good horse doesn’t require much correction. He has learned to accept the reins of his master, and a gentle tug is all that is needed to urge him in the direction intended. The training process does not remove the strength and power that used to make the animal wild; rather it places the same energy under control. The phrase ‘channel their spirit’ is commonly used to describe this process. Properly channeled, the horse is able to jump higher, run faster, and work harder than an uncontrolled animal.
Learning the Masters’ mind. A special relationship develops between horse and master. After years of working together, they develop a rapport that becomes second nature to both of them. Thus trained, a good horse can sense a bad rider and will resist false guidance. An intimate kinship evolves, and it is not long before the horse acts according to what it knows the master would do, even if the master does not give explicit instructions.
Partnership. Teamwork is crucial. A rider may leave his horse temporarily. He is not there beside the horse telling it what to do and personally directing every move. The horse knows its job and is capable of working even when it doesn’t feel the immediate presence of its master. They work as a unit even when physically apart.
Loyalty. The meek horse has an elevated sense of loyalty and commitment. In the days of the wild west and the pony express, the lives of the mail carriers depended upon the horses they rode. They needed to be swift and hardy, with a measure of grit that enabled them to keep going, no matter what. Those horses would die in the running if that is what it took. They were bent upon completing the course.
I think this is indeed what Jesus was talking about. He wants us to learn the secret of submitting control without giving up courage and strength and sure footedness. He wants us to trust the master enough “to follow uncomplainingly wherever he leads.” And then maybe we can start to build bridges instead of walls.
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