Blessed Are the Meek

Jesus modelling meekness

Blessed are the meek
For they shall inherit the earth.

This beatitude has earned praise from Gandhi, and criticism from Nietzsche, who described it as a “slave morality.”

Both assume it means to bear injustices patiently, without resisting. The “turn the other cheek” gambit—or at least, both passages are given this same interpretation.

But is this right?

The obvious objection is that Jesus himself is not meek. He openly berates the authorities, the scribes and Pharisees. He drives moneychangers out of the Temple as though he owns the place. He says he owns the place. He more or less declares himself the rightful king; at least, he won’t deny it.

You might say Jesus is unique. He is fully divine; we are not. But we are also all told to “imitate Christ.” John the Baptist is also conspicuous in condemning civil and religious authority; and Jesus declares him the greatest man of woman born.

Jesus concludes the Beatitudes with the commandment to “let your light shine”; which again does not sound like meekness in this retiring, submissive sense. He calls such beatified people prophets; and the prophets, again, were not submissive or meek in berating governments, kings, or the popular consensus.

Moses, the ur-prophet, was not one to meekly accept injustice. He murders a man he sees abusing a slave. Later, in the desert, to enforce discipline:

Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

So bearing injustices passively cannot be the meaning of the word “meek” here.

The original Greek term refers most literally to a bridle as placed on a horse: “blessed are the bridled.” The image seems kin to Jesus’s analogy of sheep and goats: the “meek” are those who submit to guidance, rather than doing as they wish.

But then the necessary question is, who is the rider? Who is the shepherd? For Jesus makes the point that this matters vitally: false shepherds are common on the ground.

Obviously, the proper shepherd is God. It is Jesus, who says “I am the good Shepherd,” and “my yoke is light.” As William Blake clarified, “Humble before God; not before men.”

This means the opposite of the usual understanding, in an important way. Being obedient to God means acting against injustice, rather than submitting to it. Injustice is an offense against God.

And this is just the behavior Jesus, John, and the prophets model to us. Proper meekness requires fighting wrong.

Such meekness is more than just a matter of restraining desires; that is covered by “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” This is restraint of self, of the will, the opposite of pride. To use the current psychological jargon, it is the opposite of narcissism. It overlaps the current psychological term “low self-esteem”; but modern psychology cannot distinguish, as Blake could, between humility before man, and before God.

Fighting wrong commonly requires a sacrifice of self. Self-interest most often suggests going along to get along with whoever is powerful, regardless of the morality of the situation.

We must see instinctively that this is immoral; which is why Nietzsche earned so many listeners for his condemnation of such false, co-dependent “meekness.” He would be right, if this is what the Bible indeed meant.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this Beatitude is that it promises a reward on earth: “For they shall inherit the earth” (or, “the land.”) Not in heaven, but now, in this life.

But perhaps this should not surprise; it is the premise of the Old Testament. Jesus rewards the Hebrews with land for their submission to his covenant, taking it away from the Canaanites for their depravity.

Is it true? If we trace history, does success and prosperity come to those who submit to the moral law?

It seems to me that it surely does not at the individual level: for individuals, the advantage at least as often goes to those who cut corners and act cynically, so long as they are not caught. There is experimental evidence that this is so.

But it does seem to work at the group level. And Jesus uses the plural.

As one would expect: deferring to the will of God, over self-will, means that people will work in tandem for the general good.