Sunday 01 November 2009

Background

"Hey, come and meet Bill, you'll love him, he's so...meek!"

On the face of it 'meekness' isn't a very attractive trait. Todaythe word implies a mouselike self-effacement, if not aUriah-Heepish cringing! This is surely not what Jesus meant in theSermon on the Mount?

It's interesting to consider that the classical Greek word for'meek' refers to an animal that has been trained. Picture an oxthat is used to plough, as opposed to a wild 'unbroken' animal(like a wild horse tearing around bucking and using up its energygoing nowhere). There is a pretty unstoppable strength, directionand purpose in the ox.

It was the custom in Jesus' day to tether a young inexperienced oxto an experienced one by means of a wooden yoke. It would thenlearn to plough by being guided until it became gentle and obedientitself.

But perhaps that isn't a particularly attractive image either. Wedon't like to think of ourselves trudging up and down tethered toanother like a convict in a chain gang.

But we are not called to tether ourselves to oxen.

We are called to yoke ourselves to God, source of all power, lifeand love. We remember that Jesus tells us that his yoke is light.Giving up our freedom to do as we will, we learn to plough a deepfurrow, earthed in the true freedom and eternal love of God.

To Ponder

When are the times when you feel your energiesare being wasted uselessly? What might you be able to do to changethis?

Are there any situations when we shouldn't bemeek (either in the traditional or the Greek sense of the word)?Why?