From Gordon Weir, Pastor, Brisbane Evangelical Church

There’s not an over abundance of meekness in today’s world.

It has become a seldom-used word in modern life, and this is possibly because it is misunderstood.

As children we sang ‘Gentle Jesus, meek and mild’ and we got an impression of a rather weak, almost frail Jesus. I saw a poster outside a church many years ago, depicting Jesus much more like Che Guevara, more like a revolutionary than the goody-goody doormat some mistake Him for. Meekness is not weakness. It is power under control.

A truer representation of meekness is to be found at Calvary. As Jesus hung on the cross in agony, being ridiculed and taunted on all sides, He chose to stay on the cross, ‘to endure for the joy set before him’ (Heb 12:2). This was indeed grace under pressure. In the Greek, the word used points to the picture of a soothing medicine or a colt that had been broken.

Medicine and an untrained horse can be reckless and dangerous in the wrong hands, but under control there is tremendous power. Society needs to look to this example of meekness.

When we find ourselves under attack, we must remain true to this example of meekness, not responding in an aggressive defensiveness, but rather exhibiting grace and love. This is not a weakness, as our instincts may try and persuade us, but is incredibly powerful.