In a power hungry world, it is increasingly challenging to us to really believe the paradox that lies at the heart of our faith.
‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12.9). When Paul says that he will boast all the more gladly about his weaknesses, ‘so that Christ’s power may rest on me’, it seems to cut against the grain, because it appears to contradict all the evidence of life in our world. So when we read that the fruit of the Spirit is ‘gentleness’ or ‘meekness’ (KJV), what does it really mean?
Distorted picture
‘Gentle Jesus, meek and mild’ is the description of a Victorian hymn which has been used to paint a distorted picture of Christ and of Christians. The weakness it seems to indicate would come from an inability to confront or to oppose anything, a willingness passively to accept whatever life may bring, because there is neither the courage nor the energy to do anything about it. This falsely equates meekness with weakness. But the gentleness which is the fruit of the Spirit is the product of divine strength. It is not a natural human disposition, or even a description of outward behaviour or an individual’s demeanour; it is an outworking of the life of God in his people —grace in action. When it comes to living godly lives, in terms of the teaching of Scripture, we are all weak — powerless to change ourselves, because of our inherent sinfulness. But conscious recognition of our inability is what drives us to seek God’s grace and appropriate the Holy Spirit’s power to change us deep within. Yet when that life begins its transforming work in us, we become even more aware of our weakness, in contrast to God’s power. Instead of thinking of ourselves now as ‘powerful Christians’, with all the self-interest and self-assertiveness which accompany that delusion, we realise that our total dependence on God’s grace actually liberates us from ourselves, to find our stability and spiritual energy in Christ alone.
Submitting ourselves to God
That is meekness. I recognise that the principle of a Christian’s life and experience is ‘not I, but Christ who lives in me’ (Galatians 2.20). It is an attitude of mind and heart, thought and action, which is rooted first of all in the way that we respond to God. Because the Spirit’s work in us is to produce the fruit of God’s character in each of his believing children, this will be shown by our willingness to recognise that all his dealings with us are good and for our good. He knows better than we do what is best for us and he orders the circumstances of our lives according to his wisdom, in his love. So we are no longer fighting against his plans, disputing his providence and resisting his will, but submitting ourselves to a Lord who is both good and gracious. That is meekness and it is the product of God’s power, transcending our weakness.
Jesus rode into Jerusalem... gentle and riding on a donkey | photo: iStock
Not surprisingly, our Lord Jesus is the supreme example of this in his humanity. Paul appeals to the Corinthians on the basis of ‘the meekness and gentleness of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10.1), but it is Jesus himself who defines what this means. ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls’ (Matthew 18.29). He was totally accepting of his Father’s will, and as we submit to his loving Lordship we shall no longer chafe against his plans for us, but find the deep soul-rest only he can give. That is not weakness; it takes the power of the divine nature to produce in us what is, in essence, the peace of humility.
A donkey not a warhorse
That is why Jesus rode into Jerusalem, his kingly city, not on a warhorse to conquer by force of his will, but ‘gentle and riding on a donkey’ (Matthew 21.5). To give his life as a ransom for many, according to the Father’s plan. That is why it is the meek who will inherit the earth (Matthew 5.5), in the eternal kingdom secured by the death and resurrection of the sovereign who combines both meekness and majesty. This is our calling as God’s people, to live in this world of power and strife distinctively different lives, to march to a different drum-beat. ‘Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love’ (Ephesians 4.2). ‘Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience’ (Colossians 3.12). That requires nothing short of the infinite resources of God, to transcend our weakness by his mighty power. Only the Holy Spirit can produce that fruit, but he does, as we ask him and trust him.
