Practicing Restraint (And the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth)
The story of the betrayal, arrest, and trial of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the most compelling of all time. Throughout the Savior’s ministry, the man, Jesus, demonstrated miracle after miracle, which resulted in a massive following of common people, making him an enemy of the most powerful.
As I have mentioned in previous Sunday Thoughts, only a few of his closest associates knew that Jesus was the Son of the Living God. Many believed him to be the promised Messiah but thought his mission was to free them from oppression and tyranny. Their hope was because of the power he demonstrated in the many miracles he performed and powerful sermons. He baffled his critics with knowledge and wisdom and evaded capture on more than one occasion.
Even the power of the great heroes of Israel, Moses, who humbled the great Pharaoh and parted the Red Sea, and David, who slew the giant Goliath, paled in comparison to Jesus of Nazareth. The unparalleled power of the Savior made him dangerous for some Jewish teachers and leaders. His threat to the status quo was real, but not in the way the corrupt Scribes and Pharisees perceived it. Jesus had no intention to overthrow the political system per se; he was more interested in destroying the corruption in it.
However, the Savior didn’t demonstrate his unparalleled power by lording over people or demanding the subservient behavior of his peers and associates. He didn’t put himself at the pinnacle of the hierarchy but instead acted as the pyramid’s foundation. When one approached him saying, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” He replied,” Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God”. I submit that any other person’s vanity would have made them gladly accept the accolades.
Jesus consistently demonstrated humility in terms of learning and doing the will of his Father in Heaven. Still, he didn’t hold back when it came to defending the purpose of the temple or protecting his chosen disciples. It is reasonable to assume that Jesus was physically imposing; otherwise, why didn’t anyone try to stop him when he cleansed the temple of the merchants and money changers in the temple? The average height of a man in his time and place was between 5′ 1″ and 5′ 5″. Jesus, however, may have been at tall as 6′ 2″, and given that he was a carpenter (or in the Greek builder or carpenter), he would have been very strong. More evidence of his physical size is demonstrated by the fact that the crucifers drove nails through his wrists to hold his weight.
Another fascinating story that suggests the powerful presence of Jesus in John 18:4-6 when he was arrested, “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground”. It may have been his answer that astonished them, but I think it was a combination of factors that caused armed men to fall to the ground.
Jesus allowed the mob to bind him and take him before the haughty and indignant Annas, who questioned him. When Jesus answered boldly, it earned him a slap on the face which was more of a way to inflict shame than pain. He was then taken to hypocritically pious Caiaphas and then to the indifferent Pilate, all the while being mocked and humiliated.
Early in the Savior’s ministry, he taught that the meek would inherit the earth. The word meek has several meanings, including quiet, gentle and easily imposed on, or submissive. However, there is another way of defining the idea of meekness.
Several years ago, I heard a story about a group of people who were touring a factory and came to a large hydraulic press capable of exerting tens or hundreds of tons of pressure but was very precise in its movement. The tour guide called it their “meek machine .”When asked what the guide meant by meek, he asked if anyone had a wristwatch he could use to demonstrate it for them. One man offered a very expensive watch, not knowing how it would be used in the demonstration. The guide took the watch, carefully measured its thickness, and placed it under the massive ram of the machine. He then carefully input the measurement of the watch on the control panel and started the machine. The massive ram moved surprisingly fast toward the face of the watch, and the spectators gasped. Then the ram abruptly stopped within a thousandth of an inch before crushing the watch. The ram lifted, and the guide removed the watch and returned it to its relieved owner. The guide then explained that meekness means precisely controlled power.
When you consider what Jesus could have done with the power he possessed as he was falsely arrested and tried, then mocked, scourged, and crucified, you begin to appreciate what meekness means. Because of his meekness, we can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
The lesson for us is to become as powerful and dangerous as possible; then control it. So how do you go about becoming powerful? It starts with faith and sanctification. Faith, because it leads to action, and sanctification because it becomes pure intention, which leads to pure knowledge. Pure knowledge enlarges your soul “without hypocrisy, and without guile” (D & C 121:42, in part). The strength you gain can only be maintained by the principles of power, which are; persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness and meekness, love unfeigned, and kindness. (D & C 121:41-42 in part).
Jesus exemplified meekness; power under control. That is the kind of meekness required of those who will inherit the earth, not those who are quiet or easily imposed on or submissive. That is why tyrants, dictators, and despots will ultimately fail and fall.
When the founders of our country joined together, they demonstrated a collective meekness that freed this land from a monarchy that unfairly imposed itself upon the God-given liberty that should exist for every individual and nation alike. It is up to us to demonstrate that kind of meek resolution to maintain our inheritance.
If we are not powerful, we have nothing and gain nothing. If we have it and misuse it, it will turn and rend us. However, the world is ours if we are powerful and learn to restrain it adequately.