'Boldness' vs. 'Meekness'

Was Jesus meek?         Was Jesus bold?       . . .            Yes!

By meekness we mean an inner spirit motivated to do God's will, to serve Jesus, and others. In meekness there is present an attitude that enables a person to see himself clearly. As Paul the Apostle says, "Having nothing, yet having everything". In other words, he is not afraid of losing, because he has a sense of well-being that cannot be taken away. He, or she, has an understanding of themselves that they, in fact, cannot be knocked down. There is an emptying of oneself which actually generates fullness.

A couple of readers sent an email after last week's article, saying they agreed that 'meek' was generally viewed as a terrible word. They wondered whether a better word could be found that incorporates all the positive traits of being meek. They listed a number of those traits they had in mind, but they did not include the word 'bold'. Perhaps this is the one trait of meekness that is most often not recognized. Jesus was specifically referred to as 'meek'. At the same time, his actions and behaviors were very bold.

Jesus gave up the privileges of being God in order to become a human, physical, person. As a human being he boldly confronted religious and civil leaders. He was straight-forward to those who had lived illegal lives. Jesus was able to live a kind of life that said "no" to some people's expectations and demands, instead of pleasing them. So we see Jesus, whom the Bible describes as being meek, was also bold.

Boldness is another term that has its problems being understood. It typically implies being aggressive, demanding, unyielding or displaying a self-centered toughness with others. But . . . those who would be truly bold must take on Jesus’ spirit of meekness.

As Christians we are expected to embody this meekness of which Jesus speaks in Matthew 5: "Blessed are the meek". Meekness and boldness are inseparable.