“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” -Matthew 5:5
The Sermon on the Mount shares a new understanding of how God interacts with His creation. When Jesus sat down on the side of that mountain, he shared that God’s kingdom is unique. The Lord, in grace, offers a place in the kingdom of heaven for all. The blessing of the kingdom is that we do not earn our place; it is a gift.
Jesus makes it clear that even the “meek” will have a place among God’s chosen. This is different from so many other areas of life. In Jesus’s time and in our current culture, we strive to earn our position, our titles, and our income. We work hard to advance ourselves, sometimes with great success.
Much of our life is accompanied by worry. We worry about whether we will be accepted and successful enough. This is not what God intends for His children. Later, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus would say, “Do not worry about your life.” (Matthew 5:25-34) This is possible because of the reality of God’s love and grace.
When Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek,” he offers a new understanding of connection and joy. Jesus wanted every person on that mountain to know they belong. He was not only offering something for the strong, aggressive, and well-off. Jesus was ushering in a new kingdom that offered a home to the meek. Each would find that our Heavenly Father has included all in the great inheritance of the kingdom of heaven that has now come to earth.
The joy of God’s kingdom, the blessing that Jesus teaches, is that all are welcome into God’s family. We do not have to push our way into the kingdom, strive to earn God’s love, or have a title or power to secure God’s grace. We are blessed because God has loved us first and opened the kingdom of heaven for all.
-Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
