The Antidote

Now I Paul myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ  2 Corinthians 10:1

Meekness – Sometimes the children’s songs we teach in Sunday School are nearly blasphemous.  “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,” certainly paints the wrong picture of the Man of sorrows.  Just look at Mark 3:5.  Jesus is angry.  Does that fit your picture of meekness?  It should, if you only knew the background of this word, praotes.  It’s the same word found in the third beatitude; the one that promises an inheritance.  So, we better know what this means if we want to be included in the promise.

Zodhiates comments that praotes is the middle ground between uncontrolled, unjustified anger and apathy.  It is the place where we take action against evil, never compromising God’s moral government, but we do so without regard to the consequences that might befall us.  Zodhiates says, “This meekness does not blame God for the persecutions and evil doing of men.”  Praotes is the bold stance that asserts God is sovereign, His character is holy and I will affirm Him in all that I do.  Meekness is power under control, but in God’s world, it is the power of my weakness as the vehicle of His strength.  That means it is power that flows from Him, not me.  It is power that bears all the characteristics of His person.  No one can claim biblical meekness who does not stand up against sin in the name of the Lord.  At the same time, no one can claim biblical meekness who acts under his own strength.  Meekness is the valve that lets God flow through me. 

But it’s not a natural gateway.  The natural man simply cannot open some spiritual sluice to let God flow.  This valve is a gift of the Spirit.  God determines who will become His pipeline.  Does that mean we can sit idly by waiting for the dam to break?  Not for one minute.  Do you see what Paul says?  “I urge you.”  There is something we can do to prepare for the gift of meekness.  We can humble ourselves. 

Oh, the enormity of this task.  No one who has ever confronted the depths of pride lurking in the soul can come away unashamed.  How often our best efforts are compromised by the seduction to vain glory!  That’s why Paul doesn’t urge us just to be meek.  He urges us to be meek like Jesus – to release all pretensions to self-glory, to put away all personal agendas – and be obedient slaves to the Father’s will. 

Do you want to prepare for the gift of meekness?  Then go with Jesus to the garden of Gethsemane and sweat drops of blood.  Who said this was easy?  It’s no children’s song.