This morning we come to the third beatitude of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. Let’s begin by reading that together from Matt. 5:5. In this beatitude I want you to see two points: the hope of permanence and the heritage of the meek.
First, consider the hope of permanence. In this blessing, Jesus announces a blessing of land for the people of God. The Greek word for “earth” here, is ge, which means literally “land” or “territory.” While I do think the whole earth is in view here, this word has a certain importance to the story of God’s work in history. The whole of the Bible is a story of struggle for land – a struggle for a name, for permanence, and for a heritage. In that struggle, we find two ways of receiving it – the way of power, and the way of grace.
In the way of power, men have sought by their own power to make a name for themselves, to stake out a claim of territory that cannot be taken. We find it in Genesis 4 with the cursed man, Cain. After God pronounces a curse (and protection) over Cain because he killed his brother, Abel, we read that Cain went out East of Eden and established a city. We might miss that this is an act of rebellion against God’s judgment. God had cursed Cain with wondering and exile, and yet Cain’s first act was to build a city of permanence. Not only that, but cities of those days had walls of defense. Cities were built primarily for protection. So, in building the first city, Cain is not only rejecting the judgment of God, but also his promise of protection against the vengeance of his family.
We find this way of power in Genesis 11, as the people of Babel gathered together on the plain of Shinar to build a tower. Again, this tower was a symbol of rebellious permanence. They gathered so that they might not be scattered, and that they might make a name for themselves.
We find this way of power in the nation of Egypt, which expanded its territory up and down the Nile, and out into Canaan. Egypt erected symbols of permanence on the backs of Hebrew slaves – symbols that still stand to this day in the pyramids. We find this way of power in the pagan warlords of the land of Canaan, who jockeyed for territory, raiding each other, raping, pillaging, and enslaving. We find this way of power in the nations of Assyria and Babylon – great empires that slashed and burned the lands they conquered, leading their captives away with hooks run through their noses and impaling those who were less fortunate.
We find the way of power even today, as nations war for oil, minerals, and trade routes, all under the cover of treaties, international stability, and human rights. We find this same way of power in local land line disputes that split families and make enemies of neighbors. This way of power is greedy, bloody, and self-perpetuating. It doesn’t just make enemies for a lifetime, but for generations.
But, there is another way of permanence that we find in Scripture. It is the way of grace. We see it in Genesis 2, as God makes man out of the dust of the ground and then puts him in a fertile land – a garden, really. He makes trees and animals to rise up out of the ground. He forms a helpmate out of his side, established the family, and blesses him with every tree, save one. We see it in Gen. 12, when God calls Abram to leave the land of Ur and go into a land that he will give to his descendants. We see it in the nation of Israel, which was led out of Egypt, through the wilderness, to the promised land, all by the grace of God. We see it in the Davidic kingdom, which unified the twelve tribes of Israel into one nation and expelled all of God’s enemies from the land.
Yet, at first blush it may seem that the way of grace is a weaker way than the way of power. Even though God gave the nation of Israel a land, they could not keep it. The empires of Assyria and Babylon conquered the nations of Israel and Judah and scattered God’s people. Even after the people returned to the land, they were never truly a nation again. Perhaps this is one reason the Jews rejected Jesus even though he showed evidence of being the Messiah. Jesus didn’t come with a great inheritance. He was born to peasants in a stable. He never owned any land. He told his disciples, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” He did not raise his hand in force against his enemies. Even when his disciples would draw the sword to fight for him he would say, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.” And in a cruel act of sinful power, the great nation of Rome would seem to grind this peasant carpenter turned Rabbi under their thumb while mocking his claim to be the king of the Jews. Even in his death, he had no place of his own where he could be buried, but his disciples borrowed a tomb. Yet this same Jesus, full of grace and truth, rose on the third day with a greater victory than any king or emperor could ever claim. He didn’t just expand borders or conquer a nation. Jesus defeated death and hell! In doing this, Jesus gives us permanence that no king or president can. He gives us the permanence of eternal life in him. In this world, we may have nothing. In this world, we may not own a thing. In this world we may be ground under the thumb of powerful men. In this world we may helplessly watch as greedy, powerful rulers do as they will. Yet, there is a better world coming! There is a new world that is coming where there is only truth, justice, grace, and peace! 2 Pet. 3:13 says, “According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
So who are they that will inherit this new earth? Consider my second point, the heritage of the meek. Jesus says that it is the meek who will inherit the earth. What does it mean to be meek? Remember what Charles Spurgeon suggests of the beatitudes – they are like rungs on a ladder rising up to God. Each one is built upon those which went before it. So, to be meek is to be humble or gentle of spirit. But why are the people of God meek? They are meek because they are poor in spirit. They have come to recognize that they have no hope of standing before a holy God apart from God’s grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. They are meek because they mourn the effects of sin, both in their own lives and in the world more broadly. They mourn the ways sin has marred the world, destroyed the land, and brought war and ruin on all of humanity. So, the people of God are meek because they have seen that the way of power is a way of pride that only leads to destruction and pain. They can look at the ways that men fight for territory and recognize that there has to be a better way. They can watch the constant political angling that has become a mainstay of our news cycle and see that the way of pride is not a way that brings unity and peace. The people of God can also look to the example of their Messiah. In Matt. 11:29, Jesus calls his people to “take my yoke upon you and learn for me, for I am gentle (or meek) and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” In Matt. 21:5 we read that this same Messiah of the world would ride into Jerusalem, not on a white stallion, but on a young donkey. He claimed his rule, not in a show of pride, but in an act of humility.
You see, the new world that is coming is not for the proud. There will be no pride in the new heavens and the new earth. There will be no boasting, except in the Lord. The way of power will be defeated in one death blow from the mouth of the conquering king Jesus, and the new earth will be inherited by those who are humble like their Lord. As Jesus tells the sheep in Matt. 25:34, “Enter the inheritance prepared for you from before the foundation of the world… for as you did it to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me.”
Friend, the way of power is a way of death and judgment. You may feel that the only way to have permanence in this world is through power, through selfishness, through “looking out for number one.” But that way will only create enemies and has no way of bringing peace. That power you claim will ultimately be judged with every other power and principality that sets itself against Christ. There is another way. Seek the way of grace by recognizing your sin, giving up on your pride, and humbling yourself before the Lord. Admit that you are a sinner and trust in Jesus’s death and resurrection for forgiveness.
Brothers and sisters, we are called to a life of humility. This is the same life that our savior lived, and he calls us to do the same. We are to live in modesty, contentment, grace, and forgiveness. We are not to use power to gain permanence, but we are to rest in the grace of God and wait patiently for the new heavens and earth that he will bring.
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