Article December 13, 1919 Issue

Not the Timid but the Meek are Blessed

WILLIAM RUFUS SCOTT

Human thinking, with characteristic inaccuracy, has made meekness synonymous with timidity and uses the words interchangeably with equal cynicism and contempt. Yet, manifestly, when Christ Jesus declared, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth," he did not mean, "Blessed are the timid; for they shall inherit the earth." The timid have never inherited anything except the inevitable ill consequences of cowardice, while the Scriptures and history abound with proofs of the good reward of courageous meekness.

The dictionary approaches metaphysical understanding when it defines the meek as those "not easily provoked or irritated; patient under injuries," and the timid as those "wanting in courage to meet danger; easily frightened." This definition of meekness, however, is incomplete because it does not bring out the high order of courage required of those who are genuinely meek. Christ Jesus was, indeed, "patient under injuries," but in all the abuse heaped upon him it was never charged that he was "wanting in courage to meet danger." Had he been timid he perhaps would have compromised his knowledge of Principle rather than face the ordeal of Calvary. The timid, accepting evil as real and life as material, shrink ofttimes from tests of their convictions lest they suffer pain or loss.

Through spiritual understanding Christ Jesus saw the nothingness of that which so arrogantly pretended to be power. Hence, while he was fearless in proclaiming the truth or rebuking an error, he would not personify evil as man, and strike down that man in an effort to defend himself or to vindicate good. The world is slow in reaching his understanding and equally slow in following his demonstration. "It would sometimes seem," Mrs. Eddy writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 343), "as if truth were rejected because meekness and spirituality are the conditions of its acceptance, while Christendom generally demands so much less."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

"Exalted to safety"