It is harder for a strong person to be meek in spirit than powerful in the flesh
“I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ….” (2 Corinthians 10:1, ESV)
The apostle Paul writes here of the meekness [Greek, prautes] of Christ. What does it mean that Christ is meek?
Most people, even Christians, do not want to be meek. And so meekness is probably not a quality in Christ people naturally admire and revere him for.
But we should worship Jesus for his meekness. It was through his meekness that he, though innocent in every way, allowed himself to be taken prisoner, and then for our sins undergo abuse, injustice, and torture at the hands of his enemies. He had the strength and authority to end all that oppression in a moment, but he did not end it. He endured it in infinite power and meekness.
As he stood before Pilate or Herod, he could have snapped his fingers and with a word caused the earth to open beneath them and swallow them up alive, as happened to Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in the Old Testament when they challenged Moses (Numbers 16:1–33). But in his perfect self-control and restraint, he let Pilate, Herod, the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin, and Roman soldiers mock, spit upon, beat, scourge, and crucify him. That is strength. That is greatness.
As Proverbs 16:32 says, “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
Jesus said that if he wanted he could have in a moment had some 12,000 angels at his side to defend him. (Matthew 26:53) But he chose meekness in obedience to his Father’s will.
Christ’s triumphant entry
We see the meekness of Christ in another way in his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem just days before his crucifixion: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble [Greek praus, which could be translated meek, as it is in the King James version], and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” (Matthew 21:5, ESV)
In this triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus did not come riding a mighty white horse or bearing the weapons and wearing an impressive military uniform. Rather he came dressed in common clothes and riding a common donkey. He did not come commanding attention in human power. Rather he came in humility.
Meekness in the Sermon on the Mount
We see the meaning of Christ’s meekness from how he taught his disciples to be meek. In the opening of the Sermon on the Mount, which we call the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
Many of the specific rules of Jesus that follow in the Sermon on the Mount are examples of meekness. Jesus said:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles….
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:38–41, 43–45, ESV)
The word describing all these behaviors is meekness. Meekness turns the other cheek, goes the second mile, and so on.
Definitions
The English word meekness translates the Greek words prautes and praotes, meaning “mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, and meekness,” and by implication, humility (according to Strong’s Concordance).
In the “Online Bible,” Larry Pierce writes, “Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time (Isaiah 41:17, Luke 18:1–8). Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will (Galatians 5:23).” (BlueLetterBible.org)
Moses
Meekness was a notable virtue of Moses: “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3, ESV)
Jesus certainly surpassed Moses in meekness many times over. Truly meekness is a strength for which we should bow before the Son of God—who now rules and judges the universe—and worship him with humility of heart.
Moreover, we are privileged to walk in his ways: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness [or meekness; Greek prautes], self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23).