Blessed are the meek

 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. – Matthew 5v4

John Wycliffe was a 14th century believer. He was one of the brave pioneers who sought to give the Bible to the people in their own language. Not only that, he wanted to give them a Bible in their language that they could understand. Though rarely acknowledged his translation does, in many places, do a great job of translating in very clear English. His translation of Matthew 5v5 is like that - ‘Blessed are the mild men.’

I really like that. I think it nails the meaning of the phrase. It reminds us that our perception of who is great is not the same as God’s.  Remember ‘mild mannered Clark Kent?’ Clark was a nice guy, but really, would you want him in a crisis? No, we herofied Superman who was able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!

But here God send ‘blessed are those mild men, those meek men. The Bible speaks of meek men. Two of them sort of stand out from the rest. Moses, the great leader who led Israel out of Egypt and led them for forty years, is called the meekest man who ever lived. One of His qualities was meekness.

Meekness is not a trait that is commonly extoled apart from in scripture. I once hear meekness defined as ‘power under control.’ I like that. I like my ‘mild’ friends. The have a virtue that I long for. None of them could ever be accused of being weak (often mistaken for meekness) but that have that amazing quality of humility that puts others first.

You know what? Maybe Clark Kent is not such a bad picture after all. He had his superpowers, but he normally kept them under control for when he needed them.

One day meekness will reign on the earth. Maybe people like me should start practicing that trait.