The meek will inherit the earth ...

Friday, March 15, 2013. When Jesus started the public part of his ministry, the evangelists first record the sermon on the mount. This speech of Jesus is a fantastic peace of literature, it is a passage which is unparalleled throughout world history. It is breathtaking, astonishing and fascinating!

Who will win? …

One point Jesus is talking about is who will win at the end. What is the background of this point, which he is making several times in the beatitudes? The background is the social environment in which he has been living, and in which we are living until today. It is a background of competition, of fight, of quest for the best living circumstances …

Who will win? What is the situation which we experience day by day? The strongest usually wins. That guy with the best ideas, with the most potential, the one who is able to take the lead. Even today, all this is most important. Leadership is a key point in our discussions, on a national as well as on an international level. Who is unique, world leading, who has the most knowledge and can put it into action?

But now, Jesus is making his point. He claims that it is not the strongest, who will win in the end. Happy can be those who are poor (in spirit). Happy can be those who are mourning. Happy are those who are meek, since they will inherit the earth! Our day by day perception might be right when we talk about very short term forecast and experiences. But they are not right in the long run. They are just wrong. It is not the violent who will inherit the earth, but the meek will!

Daily consequences …

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There are daily consequences of this insight, which Jesus communicates. We all have to deal with many things day by day, and usually the point of power and who is having the lead is a part of our activities. But when Jesus tells us, that the meek will inherit the earth, we need to adjust our attitude. We cannot just build on power, but we should build on humility, we should build on truth and love, we should build on the Lord.

Sometimes I want to shout out loudly: I love the Lord. It is just fantastic, that he is not supporting those who basically want to take power and enjoy power, but who are not trying to help the whole community with it. It is fantastic, that he has already spoken judgement about those who do not try to love everyone, the little and the big ones likewise. It is already confirmed: the meek will inherit the earth, the others will not.

When the meek will inherit the earth, we can change our daily behavior. We can stretch out towards humility. We can be calm and friendly. We can put all our work and efforts into building a world which is full of justice, full of joy and full of sustainable life. We can think in systems, in processes, in community. We can think in individuals with their goals, their desires and needs. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts