Matthew 5.5

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth"
This is one of those phrases that most clearly turns the way that the world thinks on its head. It can often seem that those who are pushy and self-aggrandising get noticed and are prepared to push others out of the way so that they get resources, attention, gory or favour. But I want to question our assumption that the phrase marks a stark contrast between Jesus's way and the rest. You see: I'm just not convinced that everyone is out to live by the mean, pushy self-aggrandising paradigm. And I'm pretty sure that pretending that they do is not going to help us commend the gospel to our neighbours. What seems to me more obvious nowadays is that the self-assertion, bullying, 'chav' way of doing things leads away from 'inheriting the earth'. We live corporately and our welfare in the long term lies in the give-and-take of community; being prepared to serve others and to wait in a queue and generally be co-operative in our ways. Those who do not, in the end find that they are defeated or that their gains made by bullying and self-assertion can only be held onto by having a group of people with whom they co-operate; thus mimicking the very system that they have parasited from. For such self-assertion is always parasitical on a system where 'meekness' is the norm: from the nurture of family and friends to the infrastructure of tangible society; roads and education and hospitals and food distribution and entertainment and the list goes on. None of this can exist unless we are prepared to be meek enough to make our contribution and play our part and offer our service appropriately. The meek will inherit the earth because that is the nature of things; the goodness of creation asserting itself to provide the norm and a backdrop for life and, tragically the possibility of evil exploiting those good and beneficial norms. Jesus's words are a warning that parasitic self-assertion is ultimately self-defeating -even an enlightened self-interest should take a long-term view. Love is more ultimate than its detractors.

I also want to question what we so often seem to mean by 'meek'. And I do so because I am convinced that we need to learn from 'assertiveness' and I am aware that many Christians and others react with suspicion when introduced to the ideas of assertiveness because we have a view of meekness and humility which is akin to being a doormat; and assertiveness-thinking challenges that very firmly. I want to affirm that assertiveness, properly understood, is a Christian self-discipline or at least a self-discipline that is compatible with and even informative of Christian thinking.

Assertiveness sees itself avoiding the polar opposites of bullying and getting ones own way on one side and being a doormat on the other. Now, why is being a door-mat a problem? because it involves allowing wrong things to go on unchallenged, because it is not respecting oneself [which is part of the proper self love implied in loving ones neighbour as oneself and is disrespecting God's love of oneself] and because it is failing to respect the other person, ultimately. The aim is to be able to speak up for ones own viewpoint or for that of others without aggression. It means trying to insist that the rights and respect of others in addition to the 'aggressor' are recognised. This 'meekness' is like that described by William Barclay in his description of the meaning of words in the Greek New Testament; the work used of a horse which had bit and bridle: such a horse is described as 'meek'; power under control.

How does this square with the stuff later on in the sermon on the mount about turning the other cheek? Well first of all I have to say that turning the other cheek is probably quite an assertive action if Walter Wink is right in suggesting its historical context of inviting a soldier who had used the derogatory backhanded slap is by the offering of the right [unslapped] cheek being invited to consider the assaultee an equal: worthy of an open-handed slap. I would also suggest that it is framed in the overarching ethic of loving ones enemy: what actions and responses could I/we make that will serve to redeem this aggressor ? I believe that the assertive attitude, by refusing to collude with the aggressor's injustice or to let it go unchallenged, is a way of loving the enemy. Meekness however, may judge it prudent also to wait ... and leave it to God to make an opportunity to bring that person to repentance. Meekness can do that too.