October 19, 2025
Rev. Nick Cheek
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Some of you may remember the Southern comedian Jerry Clower. He was a storyteller from Mississippi who became popular in the 1960s — not only for his down-home humor but also for his outspoken support of the civil rights movement.
Before comedy, Clower played football for Mississippi State. In one of his routines, he tells a story about a game they played against Baylor. Baylor had a standout player who also happened to be a preacher — a man named Mayfield. According to Clower, “that preacher was so mean that when they ordained him, he already had two black eyes.” Clower said that during one memorable play, he ran right into Preacher Mayfield. In Clower’s own words:
“That Preacher Mayfield forearmed me in the back of my head, shoved my face down into the dirt and grass, and my bottom lip and teeth scooped up a mouthful of it like a dragline. I jumped up, spittin’ and knockin’ the grass out of my mouth, and I said, ‘Fella, you’re the dirtiest thing I ever played against in my life — and you’re supposed to be a Baptist preacher!’
About that time, they’d already thrown a touchdown pass, and Mayfield stood up straight, put his hand over his heart, pointed his finger in my face, and said, ‘The Bible says, the meek shall inherit the earth.’
And I thought, ‘Yeah, that’s true — because I just inherited a mouthful of it.’”
The meek will inherit the earth. As with most Beatitudes in this series, this one also flies in the face of modern culture and history as we know it. The meek will inherit the earth??? Really? When have the meek ever won any wars?
When have the meek ever been voted into office?
When have the meek been granted promotions?
Imagine listing meekness as one of the primary job requirements for a CEO.
Imagine the U.S. military training soldiers to be meek.
Imagine a political campaign built on humility, gentleness, and restraint. Wouldn’t that be something?
The truth is that meekness isn’t popular. It isn’t marketable. It doesn’t sell. In a culture built on competition and self-promotion, meekness sounds like the losing strategy.
We live in a world that rewards the bold, the loud, the ambitious, the relentless. We celebrate “alpha males and females.”
We read books about “winning,” “crushing the competition.” Have you ever read a book entitled The Success of the Meek?
And so, when we hear Jesus say, “Blessed are the meek,” it almost sounds like satire… because the meek are usually overlooked or disregarded. When has the world handed out blessings or awards to the humble?
Even though Jesus preached about meekness and lived it out in his own life, we struggle to believe it has any benefit in our increasingly power-hungry world. Barbara Brown Taylor once said, “In our culture, the meek are the ones who don’t make the news. They’re the ones we overlook in our hurry to celebrate the bold and the brash. But God seems to have a different news cycle.” [Pause]
What does the Bible say about the meek?
All throughout Scripture, the meek are held in high esteem by our Creator. The Bible doesn’t pity the meek, it honors them. It tells us “the meek shall eat and be satisfied; their hearts shall live forever.” It proclaims that God guides the meek in judgment and teaches them His ways. The Lord takes pleasure in the meek and increases their joy.
From beginning to end, God’s heart bends toward the meek. God not only protects them, God advocates for them. God pursues them. God liberates them. When the meek are trampled by the proud, God takes notice. When the vulnerable are silenced, God rises to speak. “I will now arise,” says the Lord, “because the poor are plundered and the needy groan.” (Psalm 12:5) God lifts the meek up and casts the arrogant down. Over and over we read here that God’s hand is for the meek and against those who use power to exploit or to harm them.
God also chooses the meek to lead. One of the greatest heroes of our faith, Moses, was described as “the meekest man on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3) And yet it was this hesitant, humble man who claimed he was not strong enough, gifted enough, or well-spoken enough — whom God used to confront Pharaoh and deliver a nation from oppression.
Throughout our salvation history, the meek are not forgotten. They are favored. God’s eyes are ever turned toward them.
God’s heart is ever with them. And God’s power is often revealed through them.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Something else important to note this morning is this: meekness is NOT a synonym for weakness. The meek are not weak; on the contrary, the meek are extraordinarily resilient. The meek are those who recognize that the world is filled with harmful circumstances. They have seen the world in all its depravity. They have experienced it firsthand. But the meek do not remain passive participants. Meekness is not a resignation to the imbalance of power in the world; rather, meekness is a patient and enduring march toward change. The practice of meekness is a hopeful and persistent journey toward social righteousness. The meek, then, are those who stay strong and persevere in the face of adversity. Even though the powers that be are usually against them…even though the powers that be are usually trying to keep them where they think the meek belong…even though the powers that be will do their best to hold them down or silence them the meek do not give up; they continue their walk forward no matter what.
The meek take it on the chin from the world, or worse, but they don’t let that keep them quiet. The meek are not doormats, and though they may have been treated that way, after they have been walked over, they gather the courage to stand back up, to brush the dirt off, and just keep going. The meek are long-suffering. That’s how the Bible describes them — long-suffering.
When I think of the long-suffering in our world, our minds turn to the poor, the hungry, the sick — especially those without access to adequate care. We think of those on the margins, those who never seem to gain an inch, who take one step forward only to get pushed back three more. We think of the homeless and the refugee.
Our minds turn to those who walked at Selma, who bore the pain and the courage of the civil rights struggle. We think of the women throughout history who have stood up against systems and laws that sought to hold them back. Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and countless others.
But we also think of the meek and long-suffering in our own Trinity community…right here among us.
We think of parents caring quietly for aging loved ones or children with special needs, showing up every single day with patience and grace.
We think of those walking through illness or recovery, who carry both faith and fear, yet still choose hope.
We think of those who have lost someone dear, and who keep loving, keep believing, even when grief feels endless.
We think of teachers, nurses, social workers, and caregivers who pour themselves out day after day in a world that often takes more than it gives.
We think of those in this congregation who have prayed continuously and who keep praying still.
That too is meekness.
That too is long-suffering.
That too… is resilience and strength.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are the meek, for they will… inherit… the earth. I want to end with this essential theological implication. The word “inherit” in this particular Beatitude — Jesus is directly referencing Psalm 37, which is a promise to the meek and a warning to systems of unjust power.
“Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret — it leads only to evil. For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.”
For Jesus, the meek are blessed, for they are the ones who will one day have dominion. The meek will end up victorious. [Pause] A time is coming when the meek will run things. A time is coming when the first shall be last and the last shall be first. This Beatitude is both prophetic and cosmic. [Pause] And you will notice that Jesus doesn’t say, the meek shall conquer the land… or the meek shall take the land… or even win it over. The language is not aggressive. No. The meek are those who wait for the Lord. Instead of fear, they have hope, and they trust in God’s providence. They rest in confidence that God’s justice will prevail and that God’s timing is better than theirs. The meek don’t triumph over the earth… they receive it. And they have the patience to receive it… to endure long-suffering because they trust in the One who holds the earth.
Therefore, meekness, lived now in this present season, becomes an act of resistance against despair. Practicing meekness is a refusal to be shaped and influenced by the cynicism of our age. Meekness is how we keep hope alive in a culture fueled by outrage, violence, and hate. It’s how we persevere and keep walking when everything in us wants to give up or give in. For we know — we have been given the promise, from Scripture, affirmed by Christ that the powers and principalities of this age will not have the last word. The love of Christ and the Kingdom of God will.
Friends, take heart. Have courage. Believe the good news: the meek will inherit the earth. Not by force,
not by violence,
not by hate,
not by fear,
but by faith.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.