“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” -Matthew 5:5

Power is the common currency of leadership today. Leverage your influence with financial power. Make the sale with persuasive power. Protect your authority with institutional power. Protect or conquer land with military power. All attempts to order their world for their own purposes and gain. But for Jesus, the world is for those who have no desire to rule it.

In His upside down kingdom, His true disciples are described as  meek, which simply means gentle or humble. It is these unlikely men and women who are blessed with the lofty inheritance of the world. They are unlikely because they are not tempted to use their power for their own ends. They do not seek great things for themselves. They do not see themselves as the most important person in the room, but intentionally lower themselves so that God can get the glory. They are often noticed, not for their loud voices (not to suggest they must be quiet), but for their peculiar humility.

I cannot think of a less valued trait on the leadership scene than gentleness. Sure, parents need to be gentle with their kids and even therapists need to be gentle with their patients, but leaders? How can one lead with meekness? How can one be strong and humble? How can one be assertive, goal-oriented, and motivating, while also being gentle?

What is Meekness?

First, Meekness should not be confused for weakness. Moses and Jesus were both described as meek and were exemplary, strong leaders (Numbers 12:3; Matthew 11:29). The meek are not doormats to be walked over or jellyfish to be squished into compromise.

Neither should gentleness be confused for a mild disposition or calm-tempered personality. There are many who are by nature passive and quiet, but could not be called meek. You may find a reserved introvert and think he is meek, only to discover his hidden pride and self-reliance.

Gentleness is a virtue- a character trait that can be cultivated and pursued. Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit (1 Timothy 3:3; Galatians 5:22). One is not born with it just as one is not born with self-control or faithfulness. It is the supernatural result of the work of Christ in a Christian’s heart.

Meekness is often described as “strength under control.” One day, after seeing a video online, I grabbed an egg from my refrigerator and gave it to my dog, Sebastian. Sebastian is notorious in my house for eating anything he can get his mouth on. He will chew through bags and boxes at the slightest sniff of food. Well when our vicious dachshund got his teeth around this egg, he turned into the most gentle puppy. Somehow he understood that the egg was different and needed more care, so he restrained his strength and gently cared for the egg, until it eventually splatted on the floor and he tried to lick it up!

The point is that gentleness, or meekness, is not the absence of strength. It is strength under control, under restraint, because the task at hand does not require maximum strength. It actually requires a higher level of care and a more measured approach. The Christian Life is to be marked by this meekness, because the gospel of the kingdom requires a certain level of care that worldly strength and power cannot understand. Dealing with people made in the image of God requires our mercy and gentleness. Representing the Kingdom of God requires the surrender of our own strength in acknowledgement that without Jesus we can do nothing (John 15:5).

It is for this reason that meekness is as much an issue of faith as it is of character. This is what it originally meant for Moses to be more meek than anyone on earth. Meekness was an expression of his deep faith and piety. As Martin Lloyd-Jones put it, the meek are “not those who trust to their own organizing, not those who trust to their own powers and abilities and their own institutions.”¹ Meekness is a denial of self- of one’s own ambitions, power, and means.

Meekness and Spiritual Leadership

When it comes to kingdom leadership then, meekness is an exercise in trust. Trust that God’s power is enough to get the job done. Trust that my ambition should be the advancement of the kingdom of God, not the establishment of my own pitiful kingdom. Trust that I will get farther by humbling myself rather than elevating myself (cf. 1 Peter 5:5-6). Trust that I can accomplish more through earnest prayer than weary hands. Trust that a smiling encouragement can change hearts more than a harsh word.

Now there is of course a place for strong words and the prophet’s voice. Moses himself was quite forceful at times and you would not describe Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisees as mild or weak. But be assured, well-timed and well-managed force does not betray meekness. The balance of the two is worth more reflection at a later time. However, my experience has been more leaders have a harder time being not meek enough rather than too meek.

A Step Towards Meekness

If you find yourself in that former category, that you are not meek enough, be encouraged: God is working in you to produce His fruit in His timing! And if you would like to take an action step towards meekness, consider memorizing Philippians 2:3-11 over the next few weeks and letting Christ’s example of humility sink deep into your heart:

^{“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:3-11 ESV}

Sources:

1. Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982, 64).