What Does It Mean to Be Meek and Why is it a Blessed Trait

[Dennis1209]

4 hours ago, Starise said:

Since you've pretty much covered it, I'll at least say this. We know the goal is to be like Jesus who was meek. Not like the Hollywood portrayals of a man who had a rather feminine look and was extremely passive. Quiet, long haired, soft spoken and passive. I don't believe this is the true picture of who Jesus was. A meek person is not a fearful backward person. You can be decisive and forward while still being meek. Remember Jesus overturned the money changer's tables in anger. Remember Jesus had no issue confronting the Pharisees of their hypocritical ways to their faces. Remember Jesus, after 40 lashes with a rawhide whip and a severe beating by the soldiers still had enough strength to walk to the hill where He knew He would die carrying his heavy cross much of the way. This was not a sissy boy we are talking about here.

He didn't need to assert Himself because He was God and He knew it. He had nothing to prove to anyone. We don't need to be mean and forceful in our deliveries to others either because we know who we belong to. No matter how hard a man tries to be somewhere, he will always be where God wants him. It can never be said any man or woman won't be where God has them for that time. Any internal drive we have was put there by Him. Any position was determined long ago. No amount of struggle will change the destination of a man/woman of God. Ego is a cloaked attempt to be god. It never works.

This is somewhat related to the topic of meekness, as meekness is an attribute. I realize the Bible is serious business. Our Lord was 100% God and 100% man; He had all the emotions of humanity; love, joy, tears, anger. But I always wondered about something.

John 21:25 (KJV) And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Our Bible only records, in total, 53 days of Jesus' life walking on the earth in the flesh. Perhaps it is not relevant, or mentioned in those 53 days? But there is no mention of Jesus ever laughing, joking, or having a sense of humor. The only laughter I recall mentioned in the Bible, is the Lord laughs at men's folly and foolishness at times.

I get the sense in heaven, there will be no gags, joking around, playing tricks and the like? 

The only sense of humor I've found in the Bible, if it can be taken that way. Is when the Philistines stole the Ark of the Covenant from the Jews. The Lord punished the Philistines by giving them all a plague of emerods (hemorrhoids). The Philistines fashioned sculptures of their hemorrhoids and sent those sculptures, along with the Ark, back to Israel. Would we consider this humorous? 

[Hopefully]

12 minutes ago, Dennis1209 said:

I get the sense in heaven, there will be no gags, joking around, playing tricks and the like? 

 

“Great blessings belong to you who are hungry now. You will be filled. Great blessings belong to you who are crying now. You will be happy and laughing.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:21‬ ‭

[Dennis1209]

4 minutes ago, Hopefully said:

“Great blessings belong to you who are hungry now. You will be filled. Great blessings belong to you who are crying now. You will be happy and laughing.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:21‬ ‭

Thanks, I totally missed that one.

[Starise]

25 minutes ago, Dennis1209 said:

This is somewhat related to the topic of meekness, as meekness is an attribute. I realize the Bible is serious business. Our Lord was 100% God and 100% man; He had all the emotions of humanity; love, joy, tears, anger. But I always wondered about something.

John 21:25 (KJV) And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Our Bible only records, in total, 53 days of Jesus' life walking on the earth in the flesh. Perhaps it is not relevant, or mentioned in those 53 days? But there is no mention of Jesus ever laughing, joking, or having a sense of humor. The only laughter I recall mentioned in the Bible, is the Lord laughs at men's folly and foolishness at times.

I get the sense in heaven, there will be no gags, joking around, playing tricks and the like? 

The only sense of humor I've found in the Bible, if it can be taken that way. Is when the Philistines stole the Ark of the Covenant from the Jews. The Lord punished the Philistines by giving them all a plague of emerods (hemorrhoids). The Philistines fashioned sculptures of their hemorrhoids and sent those sculptures, along with the Ark, back to Israel. Would we consider this humorous? 

Hello @Dennis1209

I think I once felt that way. That there would be no jovial nature about Jesus. No kidding. Yet if He was in every way both man and God I think he had these elements to His personality as we all do. He would have also had the wisdom to know when to stop, what to say and how far to go with things. Something men often lack.

I can see Jesus having a light hearted talk with His disciples while passing through the corn field picking raw corn to husk and eat. When he was laying in the boat awakened by His disciples during the storm and His disciples were worried. That would have been the perfect time for a joke. Storm ? What storm? Is there a storm? 

Jesus primary mission was to save a lost world. Everywhere He went He was fulfilling the mission of the Father. The Father is the single most scary being in the universe by way of His sheer power and might. No mortal dare attempt to stand before Him. There simply is no description for what He is in His total awesome splendor, power above all and wisdom. There is nothing funny about Him in any way shape of form. All men will be judged in the end. If those men who are justified through Christ are afraid to approach such a being as this, imagine men who have forfeited all hope of ever coming to Him for salvation. There is no anguish so imaginable as this...to be judged by Him and sent away to be burned.

Yet this same God has another face called Jesus. This same God sent a part of Himself in man form with all the attributes of a man. God's PR plan for the world. The representative for the Father, Jesus. As a man I think He laughed and cried, was angry . He thought some things were sad some things were funny. His actual personality while here on earth is somewhat of a mystery. To fit into a Jewish family though, he had to have been just as human as his siblings. There are probably some very interesting stories we will hear one day about Jesus while He was on earth.

[Dennis1209]

25 minutes ago, Starise said:

Hello @Dennis1209

I think I once felt that way. That there would be no jovial nature about Jesus. No kidding. Yet if He was in every way both man and God I think he had these elements to His personality as we all do. He would have also had the wisdom to know when to stop, what to say and how far to go with things. Something men often lack.

I can see Jesus having a light hearted talk with His disciples while passing through the corn field picking raw corn to husk and eat. When he was laying in the boat awakened by His disciples during the storm and His disciples were worried. That would have been the perfect time for a joke. Storm ? What storm? Is there a storm? 

Jesus primary mission was to save a lost world. Everywhere He went He was fulfilling the mission of the Father. The Father is the single most scary being in the universe by way of His sheer power and might. No mortal dare attempt to stand before Him. There simply is no description for what He is in His total awesome splendor, power above all and wisdom. There is nothing funny about Him in any way shape of form. All men will be judged in the end. If those men who are justified through Christ are afraid to approach such a being as this, imagine men who have forfeited all hope of ever coming to Him for salvation. There is no anguish so imaginable as this...to be judged by Him and sent away to be burned.

Yet this same God has another face called Jesus. This same God sent a part of Himself in man form with all the attributes of a man. God's PR plan for the world. The representative for the Father, Jesus. As a man I think He laughed and cried, was angry . He thought some things were sad some things were funny. His actual personality while here on earth is somewhat of a mystery. To fit into a Jewish family though, he had to have been just as human as his siblings. There are probably some very interesting stories we will hear one day about Jesus while He was on earth.

I really try to stay on the OP topic, as close as I can, I hope I am forgiven.

I know you have wondered as I have, about what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph raising Jesus, along with the other siblings. Mary and Joseph knowing Jesus was the Son of God. To live in any semblance of normalcy, they would not have told the other siblings who Jesus actually was.  

I suspect there would have been no parental correction or discipline with Jesus, at any age. The other siblings, being normal human children, would have been corrected many times for their misbehavior and such. They would have immediately noticed like a sore thumb; Jesus was completely different from them. If they were normal children, I suspect they would have been resentful and possibly despised Him as a "goody two shoes, that can do no wrong?" 

I've wondered, if Mary or Joseph ever told their other children who Jesus actually was? I would suspect they did not, that Jesus was to reveal Himself to the lost and dying world. If my memory serves, most of Jesus' half brothers and sisters didn't believe He was the Messiah during His miracles and ministry. Not until His death, burial and resurrection did they believe. Short of studying it again, I say most because I seem to recall at least one of Jesus' half-brothers believed before His resurrection?

You had better hope there is no line in heaven to ask our questions, and you are behind me. I cannot even imagine how long eternity is, but I would be taking up a good portion of it with my laundry list of questions  

[Hopefully]

1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said:

I really try to stay on the OP topic, as close as I can, I hope I am forgiven.

Feel free to talk about whatever you want. I don’t mind and I have thought about Jesus growing up from a baby too.

[Starise]

10 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

I really try to stay on the OP topic, as close as I can, I hope I am forgiven.

No worries. What were we talking about again?  

@Hopefully is most gracious.

Meekness is not a trait seen often and I think it's a good subject to bring it to the forefront. It's difficult to say a person is any one thing because we are all a combination of many things. I brought Jesus into it because He would be the supreme example. I'm sure there have been other common men down through history that fit a good description too.

When I think of meekness I think mainly of peaceful. Another term might be easygoing to describe it. I seldom hear the word itself used in modern culture, " Wow, she was so..................meek". In my natural state and apart from the Spirit's work I know I am not meek and must be refined and work at it in some situations. Anyone can be meek if there is no resistance. I think the true test of it is when we come against resistance and those human juices kick in, those traits that want to pay an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The ones that forget who the true judge is. When we live in the Spirit instead of the flesh does it seem as if the Spirit has all of us or only a certain percentage? Is that even possible- To be 30% yielded?  For me it feels as if I am living in the Spirit until I allow that next event to ruin it whatever that even might be. If only we didn't let 'events' ruin it we could be constant all the time. The mature believer has a handle on these events. It is so very easy to look on the outside like we never slipped, but inside we know ( and God knows) we did. Most sin happens long before anyone sees any indication of it on the outside.

The meek person has already figured out who they are and how they are to act. They live in the Spirit all the time. Remember that old hymn 'Abide With Me'. We abide in Him and He abides in us. What the world sees as a result is meekness.

 

[Hopefully]

32 minutes ago, Starise said:

I think the true test of it is when we come against resistance and those human juices kick in, those traits that want to pay an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

Amen I agree with this