Title Are you meek? (Matthew 11:25-30)
There was a dog that had been raised as a family for 13 years in a house that loved dogs. However, the dog became so frail that he had no choice but to euthanize. But he loved the dog so much that he delayed the date of euthanasia. Then one day, when the whole family left the house and my father was left alone, I took the dog to the veterinary hospital. Even in the car on the way to the animal hospital, the dog put its head on the man's lap, rubbed his nose, and showed affection. Still, the man gave up his sorrow, took the dog to the veterinary hospital, put it to sleep forever, sat in the car, and after a long time of solace, he could return to work. The man was working at the same job as his younger brother, and when he saw him come into the office, his younger brother said, “Brother, where did you go now?” asked. “Oh, I did that today. I took the dog to the veterinary hospital and put it to sleep.” Hearing this, the younger brother said, as if in shock. “No, you mean you spent money putting the dog to sleep? If you brought it to me, you'd be beaten on the head and finished."
In doing the same thing like this, there are people who are warm, gentle, and meek, while there are people who are strong and tough at heart. Which one do you consider yourself to be? Are you meek? Or are you strong-willed and stubborn?
Jesus was meek. So, in Matthew 11:29, Jesus said of himself, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” The gentleness Jesus spoke of here is the Greek word praus, which is translated as gentle in the NIV or NRSV English Bible. In the Korean Bible, this praus was translated with a warm and tender heart and attitude by using the characters for warm and soft 柔. I think it is a more appropriate translation than the English Bible.
When the Bible speaks of being meek, it refers to two aspects together. There are two things, one that is meek toward God and one that is meek toward men. Being meek toward God refers to a heart that enjoys listening to God's Word and always willingly obeys His will. In Ephesians 4:32, the Apostle Paul explains that being gentle toward men is “to be kind and warm to one another.
In both respects, Jesus was clearly meek. Jesus was always kind to God. So, I always prayed or meditated with an open mind, tried to listen to God's voice, and if it was God's will, I happily obeyed it. So, didn't Jesus even die on the cross according to God's will? Also, Jesus was kind to everyone. So, with a gentle heart, he warmly treated children, women, publicans, prostitutes, and the sick who were ignored and abandoned by society at the time, and became their friends.
But what about those of us who primarily believe in the meek Lord? Are you obedient to God with meekness? Are you treating others with generosity and warmth?
In fact, the biggest reason we cannot have smooth relationships with other people and enjoy peace of mind is because we are suffering from a hardened heart. Both at home and at work. The same is true for marriage and friendship. Not only is it hard like a stone, but a hard heart like a sharp knife not only pierces the hearts of those around you, whether it's your family, friends or colleagues, but also hurts and hurts, eventually stabbing your own soul. Living with this hardened heart is like living with a sharp double-edged sword in your heart. This dagger can stab and injure others, but it can also stab your own heart if done wrong. Therefore, living with a hardened heart is as dangerous as living with a sharp dagger. Nevertheless, many people have a hardened heart like a time bomb, and they live as if they were a guardian deity that protects their pride.
Honestly, think about it. Aren't you meek if you have faith and meek if you don't have faith? Not necessarily. This can be seen in the story of the man who met the robber that Jesus spoke of in Luke 10. A man was walking on the road, and he met a robber, who took everything he had and was beaten to death. A priest was passing by and saw it. But the priest did not feel pity when he saw the man killed by the robber. So it just passed. Then a Levite who was taking care of the temple passed by and saw the man dying, but the Levite also passed by without compassion. Finally, in the eyes of the Jews, a religiously corrupted Samaritan passed by. He was considered a passerby. However, when he saw a dying man hit by a robber, he wrapped up his wounds with a warm heart and took him to an inn to take care of him, so he saved his life.
In Isaiah 42:2-3, it is said about the disposition of Jesus.
“He does not cry, he does not raise his voice, his voice is not heard in the streets, he does not break a bruised reed, he does not put out a smoldering lamp.”
Our Jesus did not cry, nor raise his voice, nor let his voice be heard in the streets. who said that “If people who believe in Jesus fight each other, even Jesus can’t stop them.”
That's why Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30:
“28 Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. do”
Jesus did not say, “Believe in me, and your heart will be gentle and you will find rest.” What Jesus said is, “Come to me and learn my meekness, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest.” Like these words, meekness is not a gift that one receives only by believing in Jesus, but a grace that only those who have learned the meekness of Jesus enjoy.
Of course we should pray that God will soften our hearts. Just as the earth softens when it rains on parched land, we must pray that the rain of the Holy Spirit will be poured into our hardened hearts to make our hearts soft like the soil. Therefore, dear saints! From now on, every time you pray, don't forget to say “Lord! Make my heart meek, to obey God, and to be tender and warm to people.
Also, we should always read and meditate on the word of the Lord so that the word of the Lord rules our hearts. As Amos 8:11 says, “Behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine upon the land, not a hunger for food, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord.” If it is not in our hearts, our hearts will become hardened and hardened, and we will get sick.
Psalm 19:7-8 says:
“For the law of the Lord is perfect and rejuvenates the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure and makes the fool wise; the teaching of the Lord is upright and rejoicing in the heart; the commandments of the Lord are pure and open the eyes.”
Only the Word of God revives our sick hearts, makes us wise, purifies us, and brightens our eyes. Therefore, as the psalmist said, above all else, we must long for the Word of God and meditate on it day and night. Dear saints! Like David, I hope that God's Word will always live and work in your hearts by meditating on it like gold. Only then can we keep the meekness of our hearts.
But the most important thing is to learn from the Lord how to take on His yoke and live meekly. If it is God's will, no matter how difficult it is, we learn to obey with meekness. It is not about seeing people and things with your own eyes, but learning to see with the eyes of the Lord. It is learning to love with the Lord's meekness, no matter how much you are like an enemy. Whenever you encounter a problem that is difficult to obey, whenever your heart becomes hardened and dull, or whenever something unbearable comes to you, you learn “the Lord's way” to manage it.
In fact, the problem is not that we do not know the Lord's method, but rather that we do not want to do it the Lord's way. If you find out what the problem is by praying and meditating on the Word and realize what the Lord wants you to do, you have to do it. Of course, it's not easy. It may fail. However, if that is the way the Lord has taught you, and if it pleases the Lord, you should do it.
There are two graces that the meek enjoy. The first is peace of mind. The second is to be welcomed by God and people. In Matthew 5:5, Jesus spoke of the blessings of the meek. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Dear saints! Do you want to be land rich? If so, I hope you will be meek. The meek will eventually possess the earth. Because God is with the meek, and people welcome the meek.
Everyone! Meekness should not be confused with weakness. Since being meek is weak, it is easy to get beaten up if you do it wrong, so it's not just about putting up with it. Meekness is not a state of weakness, but a state in which one's heart is controlled. So Proverbs 16:32 says: “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his heart is better than he who takes a city.”
God's Word clearly tells Christians to be meek. Also, people who do not believe in Jesus expect that those who believe in Jesus will be more meek than they are. But, dear saints, are you meek? Only the meek find true peace. The meek will inherit the earth in the end.
Therefore, dear saints! Pray that you will be meek. I hope that you will always have the word of the Lord in your heart so that you can become a gentle spirit. Above all, you must learn the Lord's gentleness by taking on the yoke of gentleness that our Lord has borne. So, I pray in the name of the Lord that you may enjoy true rest and become all God's people who will receive this land as an inheritance.