Meekness is not a well-understood term. Perhaps, because of an unfortunate rhyme scheme, people tend to associate meekness with weakness. Others see it as a more feminine attribute. The Virgin Mary, depicted artistically as serene and silent, suggests to many that meekness is the apex of womanhood. But, the only people described in Scripture as “meek” are Moses and Jesus.
The Book of Numbers says that “Moses was very meek, more than all the men that were on the face of the earth” (Num 12:3). Moses was not just meek, but the meekest person in the whole world! This is surprising when one considers the life of Moses up to this point. Born a Hebrew, but raised an Egyptian, Moses was a misfit in both worlds. Thanks to a shrewd and protective mother, he was spared both the massacre of his contemporaries and the slavery of his race. Yet, aware of his heritage, he felt compunction seeing the burdens of his people. One day, he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew slave, so he killed him. His righteousness was not appreciated, though. The next say, he attempted to mediate between two Hebrews engaged in a struggle, but was met with contempt. One responded, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Realizing his crime was known, Moses fled into the land of Midian.
As we know, Moses returned reluctantly to Egypt many years later to persuade the Pharaoh to liberate the Hebrews from slavery. After presiding over the 10 plagues, Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea into the desert for 40 years. In the desert, Moses experienced both the sublimity of God and the vulgarity of his people.
There is some discrepancy between Christians and Jews as to whether to translate the Hebrew term “anav” as meek or as humble. Jews tend to prefer the latter, arguing that Moses was far from mild. In the New Testament, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am meek and humble in heart” (Mt 11:28-29). The Greek word translated here as “meek” is “praos” and is the same as the word Jesus uses when he says “Blessed are the meek.” While the New Testament distinguishes meekness and humility, both are characteristics of Christ.
I have neither the linguistic capacity nor the religious authority to tell Jewish scholars how they ought to translate the term “anav,” but I would like to suggest that like Jesus, perhaps Moses is also both meek and humble.
Moses is the leader and law-giver par excellence, so I understand why the term “meek” might at first appear to be a misnomer. After all, Moses killed a man, confronted a tyrant, governed thousands of people, and endured the presence of the Living God. In his humility, he does not boast of his accomplishments, but is he meek?
While communing with God on Mt. Sinai, Moses receives the “two tables of the Covenant,” —often summarized as the 10 Commandments. While he is away, Aaron, his brother and regent, makes a golden statue of a calf, builds an altar, and leads the people in ritual worship of this molten deity. God tells Moses, “Go down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves” (Ex 32: 7). In response, Moses begs the Lord to be merciful and reminds Him of the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, when Moses finally sees the idolatry for himself, his “anger burned hot, and he threw the tables out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain” (Ex 32:19). He destroyed the idol and ordered the Sons of Levi to slay those who took part in this great sin. Yet, when he returns to the mountain, Moses once again begs God to be merciful. He says, “But now, if you will forgive their sin—and if not, blot me, I beg you, out of your book which you have written” (Ex 32:34).
Meekness is not weakness, but a sheathed sword. A weak person avoids conflict as a means of survival. Lacking both the courage and the power to fight, a weak person must appease everyone around him or risk exposing his defenselessness. A meek person does not avoid conflict in order to protect himself, but to protect others. He knows that violence seldom has one victim. But, if necessary, a meek person will fight back to defend the vulnerable.
Was Moses wrong to kill the Egyptian he found beating a Hebrew slave? Perhaps, but this incident reveals his partiality towards the oppressed. The 4th Beatitude, which we’ll consider next week, blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. It was his hunger for righteousness that kindled Moses’s anger towards the slave master and the idolators. Yet, as Moses came to know the Lord, he learned to sheath his sword of anger, imploring God instead to be merciful.
I mentioned last week that there is a time and a place for anger. While one immediately thinks of Jesus cleansing the temple, there is only one incident in scripture where Jesus is actually described as angry. In the story of the Man with a Withered Hand, the Pharisees watch closely to see if Jesus will heal this man on the Sabbath. Here was a man who was suffering; it is possible that because of his disability, he neither worked on the Sabbath nor any day of week. If only his hand were restored, he could labor six days and rest on the seventh like everyone else. Jesus challenges the Pharisees, asking “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” Then he, “looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and his hand was restored” (Mk 3: 5). The meek can still experience anger, but it is never self-centered or self-aggrandizing. The meek display anger not to incite hatred, but to inspire repentance.
There are a lot of angry people on the internet. I mentioned last week that anger on the internet is generally futile. At best, it amounts to little more than screaming into the virtual abyss; but often this anger leads to calumniation, cancellation, and division. The internet is a great place for weak people. They can hide behind avatars, never facing up to the consequences of their actions. Even those who post under their own identity still have the protection of a screen. Some weak people talk big game on the internet; others prefer to hide under the guise of Currently Acceptable Opinions. A great irony is that Dr. Jordan Peterson, the man taught me to see meekness in this way, has become absolutely unhinged online.1
So who is the Meekest Man on the internet? I present as a candidate Lex Fridman. Lex is an A.I. researcher with a massively popular podcast. He primarily interviews scientists and technologists, but his friendship with high-profile guests like Elon Musk and Joe Rogan no doubt escalated his stardom. To date, he boasts 3 million YouTube subscribers and almost as many Twitter followers. His persona though is one that oozes kindness, deference, and compassion. His frequent failure to take sides stems not from his indifference towards the good, but from his ability to see the good in almost everyone. As a Jew raised in Russia, his pacifism even carries over to the current war with Ukraine. The only time I’ve seen Lex display some level of anger was when he confronted Kanye West over his anti-Semitism.2 He has certainly pushed back against other guests, but always in a very calm manner.
Lex has his haters. Their main criticism is that despite having a PhD in computer engineering, he’s not actually very smart or insightful.3 I have no reason to doubt his intelligence, but he certainly lacks wit—and wit is the intellectual currency on the internet these days.
But Lex is also a killer. He’s a first-degree black belt in jiu jitsu which means he is certifiably capable of killing most people. Lex is, by definition, a sheathed sword. Sure, some trained fighters are “swords out” and “gun’s blazing,” but most men who know how to win fights rarely pick them. Conversely, most of the wittiest people on the internet probably couldn’t defend themselves against an average teenage boy. Even a naturally muscular man is no match for someone who has spent two decades learning to rely on technique rather than brute strength.
In order to be meek, you have to be strong. That doesn’t mean you have to be a martial artist though; that strength could come from character, discipline, or perseverance through struggle. Think of someone like Mother Teresa. She was barely 5 feet tall, had the compassion to pick up dying people off the street, and yet the tenacity to speak about abortion while accepting the Nobel Peace Prize.4 But unlike so many people in the pro-life movement today, she did so without any hint of moral superiority. Mother Teresa was meek.
Lex Fridman lacks the supernatural sanctity of the saints, but he is a great example of meekness nonetheless. And that just might mean he is far closer to “inheriting the earth” than a lot of professed Christians.5
Jordan Peterson on “meekness.” Whatever your thoughts are on him, this 2 minute clip is worth watching.
Lex Fridman confronts Ye West’s antisemitism.
Then there is a friend of mine who is convinced he’s a spy or a psy-op…I don’t know how to respond to that criticism.
Mother Teresa’s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance speech VIDEO. Worth watching to not only hear her words but her manner of speaking.
Just for fun, here’s Lex Fridman talking to a bunny rabbit. (What I’d give to be that bunny…)