Session Four: Blessed Are The Meek
In Unit Three we are looking at how we live as members of the Kingdom of God. Last time we looked at the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Now we are going to look some famous sayings from Jesus’ longest sermon. These titles are from the New International Version of the Bible.
In this session, we’ll explore:
What being meek means
Why meekness is very different to weakness
1. Reflect
Read Matthew 5: 5
‘The whole point of the kingdom of God is Jesus has come to bear witness to the true truth, which is nonviolent. When God wants to take charge of the world, he doesn’t send in the tanks. He sends in the poor and the meek.’
N. T. Wright
‘Meekness is power under control.’
Warren W. Wiersbe
What do you think this saying means?
How does it relate to being poor in spirit?
Meekness is not a valued quality in our society but it was clearly demonstrated by Jesus in the way he acted and treated people.
2. Read
In what ways did Jesus display meekness in this story?
What does His meekness achieve?
Why does Jesus rebuke His disciples and what does it show us about Jesus’ heart?
Compare Isaiah 53: 7 with Luke 22: 47-53.
What does this tell us about Jesus and meekness?
Is meekness a sign of weakness or of strength?
Why does Jesus choose this way of behaving instead of letting his disciples fight?
What does this passage tell us about the way that we should behave?
How does meekness enable us to allow the Holy Spirit to make these changes in our lives?
5. Read Matthew 5: 5 again
Why will the meek inherit the earth?
Need help? Here are some hints…
1. In both cases Jesus’ meekness enables Him to stand alongside people in immense need. Jairus is utterly desperate. Jesus treats him with respect and compassion. The woman is utterly desperate too. By touching Jesus, she would have made him ritually unclean (Lev 15:25-27). He has no concern about this but about only her need for healing.
For each person in this story Jesus’ meekness enables them to be blessed. He is not doing good from afar but up close and personal, reinforcing their humanity and restoring them.
2. Children were not considered to be important to men in New Testament times. They were not worth bothering serious people with. Jesus displays a different attitude and again his meekness restores the full humanity and worth of the children and their mothers.
3. To allow the Spirit to change us in this way requires us to submit to God’s will and allow him to show us how to change. We cannot do that if we are full of our own importance and trying to build up our ego. It requires meekness.
3. Act
Last time we looked at the idea of ‘Taking a daily inventory’ to think about taking responsibility for our sin. In other words, taking time to reflect on what has gone well each day and in what ways we have failed. Often these are the kinds of things that we might record in a journal.
How has this process gone?
What has helped you or hindered you in this process?
In what ways do you see yourself as expressing meekness?
In what ways do you know that you have been arrogant or selfish?
Do I owe amends to anyone as a consequence of these reflections?
What do you need to give thanks for?
4. Pray
For anything that is on your hearts as a result of this study.
For anything for which you want to show gratitude – end with praise!
