Daily Bread

But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

'Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not wrangle or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
He will not break a bruised reed
or quench a smouldering wick
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.'

Meekness is not weakness.

When it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, or the rights of any marginalised or oppressed group, I find myself frustrated at the lack of progress, especially in the Church. The temptation within me is to protest, to 'cry aloud' and make my voice 'heard in the streets', and there is most definitely a time and place to protest but, importantly, there is a Christ-like way of protesting or making one's voice heard.

A while back, in my defence of LGBTQ+ rights, I was accused of being 'meek' because I was not overtly 'shoving it in the face' of the government and Church, however purposely being assertive to the point of being offensive and disrespectful is contrary to the way of Christ. Of course, Christians are not called to quietism and inaction in the face of injustice and we are called to patience, prayer, and to be a prophetic voice that denounces evil. The Christian is not called to retaliation, revenge, or the enforcement of retribution. We, in our own strength do not have the ability to right the wrongs of this world and we must remember that vengeance belongs to God alone.

To be meek is not to be subservient or ineffectual but to be humble, gentle, and patient. Jesus reminded his disciples that 'the meek shall inherit the earth' meaning meekness is a characteristic of God's kingdom that is being brought to fruition in the here and now. To be meek is to walk in the way of Christ, and the word meek needs to be reclaimed.

Given the opposition he received, Jesus could have easily doubted his own mission, lashed out at his enemies, or given up completely, however he went about his mission with assured determination and unwavering gentleness. This is the very definition of meekness.

We too, like Jesus, need to stand against injustice wherever it may be found, but we must never cross the line — no matter how tempting it may be — to becoming abusive, oppressive, rude, overbearing, insolent, or disrespectful of others. We must not only proclaim the message of Jesus but be Jesus to a broken, hurting, and unjust world.

Meekness is not weakness.

Holy God
When I encounter injustice
and my heart pounds
with righteous anger,
may I follow the way of Christ
and be patient and prayerful
as I make my stand
for all that is right and true.
As you have called me
to be a prophetic voice
that denounces evil,
may I do so with
assured determination
and unwavering gentleness.
Now and forever.