All Saints Sunday, November 3, 2024
All Saints Sunday, November 3, 2024
To our ears, adjusted to 21st century hearing and understanding, this verse intimates that the weak and timid will inherit the earth. In our hearing, meek is associated with diminished and mousy. Not very pleasant qualities, to be sure; not for the 21st century, at least. The word “meek” comes into our English language through the Old Norse word “mjukr” and is used to translate the Greek word “praus.” The Old Norse means “gentle,” while the Greek means “strength under control.” In the olden days of ancient Greece, “meek” was a standard for training war horses. The best war horses were meek—that is, trained to use their strength and power under the direction and control of the warrior riding them. Not the will of the war horse but the will of the rider controlled the animal.
You can appreciate this imagery for how “meek,” as it was used in ancient Greece, anticipated Luther’s imagery regarding the human bound will. Luther depicted the human as a beast of burden that had a rider. The animal did not fulfill its own will but only the will of the rider. The rider could be either God or Satan. Either way, whether God or Satan, the meek beast of burden endured the control exerted by the rider. When ridden by God, the beast enjoyed freedom (cf. Jn. 8:36). If ridden by Satan, the beast suffered under bondage.
Here we must note that the biblical notion of freedom does not include the ideas of independence and autonomy… ideas readily apparent in our American notion of freedom. The biblical notion of freedom relates to purpose… the freedom to live according to God’s purpose. Which is, as the Apostle Paul gives it, simply freedom for freedom’s sake (Gal. 5:1). The human creature is truly free only when bound to God, its rider. When Satan rides that human beast, true bondage results… bondage to that trio of powers: sin, death, and the power of the devil. Only the free inherit the earth. Only those freed by their being bound to Christ receive such an inheritance. Only free and meek men and women enjoy that future.
Table Talk: Discuss the difficulties that you—as a beast of burden—have with knowing who is in the saddle without resorting to words of works righteousness.
Pray: Father, place your Word in my ears so that the Holy Spirit calls me into confidence that you are my rider. Amen
Matthew 5:1–12
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.