Meek Vs. Weak

I grew up on western movies.  John Wayne, Audie Murphy, Randolph Scott and the like.  Those movies didn't always have a preacher character, but when they did, he was usually as pale as milk toast and easily pushed around by the rough and gritty bad guys.  Preacher and Christians in general were typically cast in the Hollywood version of meek, which was equated as weak.  However, as is so often the case, Hollywood was dead wrong.

When Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek" (Matt 5:5), the imagery he drew from was that of a stallion trained as a horse of war. A stallion, in the wild, resists with power and fury any attempt to hold him down. It is dangerous and deadly to hem one in.  A stallion trained for war was very compliant to his master's will; however, it was far from weak or timid.  The war horse was a very fierce animal that would charge headlong into the fray. The animal was powerful and awesome, but yielding to its master.

Far from weak and timid, the Lord calls his disciples to "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong" (1 Cor 16:13).  We are not to run from evil but to don the armor of God and take our stand against the devil himself (cf. Eph 6:10-18).

The life Jesus calls us to requires strength, not weakness. Turning the other cheek is extremely difficult, demanding tremendous control. To refuse to retaliate when offended runs counter to every fiber in us. To love our enemies and pray for those who insult us does not go down well. To willingly take the last place, to allow someone to take what is rightfully ours, to risk rejection for our witness - all these and so much more, require strength and courage.

As Christians, we are to be fierce in our faith and courageous in our calling - not weak and fearful.  That is not to say we are to be pushy or demanding or surly; but tenderly firm, peacefully assertive and lovingly insistent on what is true and good and holy.

Do you think Jesus was a sissy?  We're the apostles wimps?  Are those who stand for their Christian faith as they face martyrdom today milk toast?  Is doing the right thing really to do the easy or safe thing?

Jus' Askn.