May be it is too premature for the people of Delhi in particular, to erase the memories of the (in)famous BMW case, when a young rash & rich kid mowed down dozens of unsuspecting laborers sleeping on the roadside. The city of Mumbai was not far behind, it was not very long ago that a so-called high profile banker, apparently driving high on forbidden spirit, pulled his Mercedes into a watchman on duty, killing him instantly and then fled away. When he was finally apprehended by the law enforcers, without an aorta of remorse in him, he had the arrogant audacity to say, ‘do you know who I am?’ Surely this aggressiveness stemmed out from the fact that he thought that he was somebody, well connected with the people in the corridors of power, for whom money could probably buy anything and everything in this world.

Such incidents never seem to end; even before one story stops doing the headlines, the next one pops its ugly head out. Thanks to the strong media intervention coupled with the unprecedented public outcry, the Jessica Lall, Priyadarshini Mattoo and Nitish Kataria murder cases are still alive today. One can only hope and pray that justice will prevail and that the offenders will be brought to book one day.

We are not talking of road rage; we are talking on the larger issue of the strange ways of the society we live in today. We are talking about the moral degradation that has crept into our society, wherein by virtue of being a Who’s Who or a Page 3 regular, some people feel that they have the right to play with other people’s lives, and need be, take it away.

Is it not true that the rich and the powerful are constantly mowing down the ‘meek’ of this world? Is it not true that pushing and shoving is the order of the day? Successful people are identified and recognized by the strength and power they wield, they are the go-getters of the world who know how to fight their way, in order to achieve their goals. It really does not matter, that in the process they may end up paying a price, a price even as dear as severing relationships with their loved ones or a family member or a co-worker, and in extreme cases, even the life of another fellow human being.

It is in this context that ‘meekness’ stands out as a virtue that surely sounds odd to the ears, in the 21st century world that we live in. It is odd, because the common perception or imagery of meekness, is associated with ‘weakness.’ Does it mean that the meek are never to speak up and defend their cause? Does it mean that they need to suffer injustice all the time and allow people to trample over them? Are they supposed to be driven over by the BMWs and the Mercedes cars of this world? Does it mean that they are the kind lacking inner fortitude, those who are vulnerable and can easily be pushed around and manipulated?

What does meekness mean to us as Christians, who swear allegiance to the teachings of Jesus? Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, in the third beatitude, “ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

The English dictionary defines the word meek as humble, docile, compliant and submissive. Therefore, it is common assumption that meek people are considered to be weak, mild mannered or timid, virtually unable to help themselves. But in Biblical terms, it takes great strength to be meek. The meek are aware that they have the infinite resources of God to draw upon, each moment of their lives. Meekness is gentleness under the constraint of great power. The truly meek person is not passive or compliant, but confident and secure, because he or she trusts in God. The Biblically meek are those who have a true view of themselves and of their dependence on God.

Jesus said, “ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” (Mathew 11:29). The consciousness of power was the secret of His meekness. His meekness was rooted in God, His father. Jesus was great because He was meek. He was meek because He was great.

Walking closely with Jesus Christ, we gain access to a power than can bring about great changes in our lives and personalities. Does not the New Testament talk of several people who walked with Him closely and had their lives and personalities transformed altogether? Simon Peter and the Apostle Paul are the two outstanding examples of this transformation. All Christians, without exception, should therefore possess the attitude of meekness. And let us remind ourselves that the meekness that we should possess is not something that arises from our own nature or temperament, it is a gift that comes down from above. It is a matter of grace.

Christians who are meek are not oversensitive about themselves, nor defensive, for they are content to leave everything in the hands of God, trusting in His promise that every negative will be turned into a positive, and every difficulty will become a door of opportunity. When they are called to suffer unjustly, they will remember the words, “ It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord (Romans 12:19). They leave everything in God’s hands, believing that as they adopt a quiet mind and a meek spirit, the outcome will always be the one, that God appoints.

Meekness is very often related or confused with niceness or passivity. But it is not so. The meek accept God’s demands and in His name confront issues, refusing to compromise with the wrongs of this world. They cannot be bought over by the riches of this world; they will not allow things to be swept under the carpet or pass. The truly meek person is strong enough to confront anything that is not in accordance with God’s will, for which he draws strength from none other than God Himself.

The meek remain calm and steadfast when the storms of life rage around them. They do not fear or panic, they steer their boats patiently and tactically, their strength lies in their self-control and discipline. They are emotionally stable, they move slowly and surely towards the goal set forth before them. They are patient and do not have a know-it-all attitude, allowing room in their lives for growth. They have an aptitude to listen and learn from others, they are humble in their ways and are gentle when relating to others. Their ego never stands as an impediment. The meek are assertive without being aggressive, confident without being arrogant, firm without being overbearing. They are so because they have a clear understanding of who they are by discovering whom they belong to. They belong to God who is in-charge and guides their lives.

As Christians, we have a burden to demonstrate to the world around us the true value of meekness, by being role models ourselves. Sadly, Christians are not insulated from the clutches of the world’s selfish ways. Our churches and institutions are not always the best examples of meekness in action. We delight in glorifying ourselves, claiming all glory, laud and honor, which rightly belongs to God and God alone. We do not relish it if our neighbor is doing well in life, we try out every possible trick in the book to humiliate and pull them down; we delight in walking around in sheep’s clothing, silently killing others with our words and actions.

How often do we stand up for weak and needy around us? Organizations and institutions sit pretty on funds meant for the poor, alas for the simple reason that they were not able to identify the genuinely poor and needy around them. How similar is the situation to the many who passed by the wounded man in the Good Samaritan story? Our faith is very often being attacked in this country, our churches are being burnt and countless believers are being hacked to death. Very often these incidents simply go down into history as mere statistics. Church committees are getting stormier in their proceedings and in many parts of the world, churches are being closed down, making way for its conversion into more happening places like pubs and shopping malls. Divorces are increasing at an alarming pace, homes are breaking, children are going astray, the time devoted for family prayer and worship is steadily on the decrease. The size and number of houses and cars we own, the company we keep, the number of committees and clubs we are members of, the position in our work places, they all define our status in the society. It is a mad race, a focused race towards accumulating more money, power and fame.

Meekness has no place in this race. Where are we ultimately heading? Surely, to a place that is morally, spiritually, emotionally and materially poorer; far away from the Garden of Eden that God created for man? How many of us can claim meekness to be one of our strong virtues? And if we are not able to do so, the reason is amply evident. It is because our dependence on our own capabilities, resources and riches, far outweighs our dependence on God.

Eugene Peterson, in his paraphrase of the Bible, says: “ You are blessed when you are content with just who you are – no more and no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.” Christians need to be meek to become great. Do we need another Sermon on the Mount to change our ways? Hope not.