Then, how to interpret "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's"? I would suggest that Jesus wasn't against hierarchy, but was supportive of them staying in their own lanes, so to speak
It's instructive that humility has been eased out in favour of a tendentious interpretation (or possibly serial mistranslation) that encourages feckless passivity. How convenient, eh? This is the kind of thing that pushed me towards Ivan Illich, back when I was trying to make sense of the Church.
We all see clearly by now that “they” are continually changing the definitions of words and coining phrases that warp the meanings of the words that form them…. So yes, why not “meek,” as well? Makes perfect sense. Great piece.
IDK, I have a feeling this might surprise you - your well written piece is serving as my daily devotional this morning. Love this exploration. It’s a word that needs to be analyzed today. 🙏😇
Good hunting -- for depth and meaning. It also makes sense to consider "meek" in the context of the basic Gospel messages. "Love one another," "Love God and Truth" and 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' In that simple framework, meek just means not always insisting on your own way or putting your own best interests first. In short, not being a d*ck, being capable of empathy and compassion.
Jesus certainly was not a sissy! I was raised catholic but dropped out at 14 when we were forbidden to 'discuss' religion. I also noticed that most 'catholics' were not followers of Jesus' message. Most Europeans are believers in name only. I am no longer going to any church now and read more Tao te ching than bible. I think the eastern idea of Qi comes closer to my idea of the deity than anything else.
As I left Catholic school, I embraced Chinese Kung Fu where I also discovered the idea of Qi. Throughout my life, I have remained an open-minded explorer.
Take a broomstick, or better yet, carve a wood sword, close the door and turn on your favorite music. Before long you will find you know how to use it well enough to be more limber, self-assured and confident.
Yes! As someone with "only" a high school diploma, I have always loved the DIY ethic. As Bruce Lee advised, “Using no way as a way, having no limitation as limitation.”
No college degree?! But think what you are missing! All that debt to spur you forward, the mask wearing to keep us safe, ideological indoctrination to expand your sense of superiority, and associating with so many self-righteous functional illiterate?
We started there. She looked up "meek" in Hebrew and it got us thinking. From there, I tracked down the meaning in ancient Greek. It seems clear to me but I'll add further clarification.
I enjoyed your writing, thoughts,& even illustration. Thank you.
Husband with 14 years of Catholic education wanted “ more Bible reading” so we have gone to a nondenominational Christian church + meet in a small group re same weekly. Great source of support of a conservative nature in these strained times.
Matthew 5:5 is the same thought found at Psalm 37:11 which states, "But the meek will possess the earth. And they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace." Psalm 37:9: "For evil men will be done away with. But those hoping in Jehovah will possess the earth." Proverbs 2:21: "For only the upright will reside in the earth, and the blameless will remain in it." This is a promise from our Creator. Being "meek" is not weakness; rather it is the epitome of self-control and inner strength.
Isaiah 45:18 mentions "...the One who formed the earth, its Maker who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, but formed it to be inhabited..." If you cannot answer why the Bible shows us that mankind's home is the earth after you were taught by mainstream religion that all good people go to heaven and all bad people go to hell you may want to dig deeper.
Yes, God did invite "a little flock" of faithful people to become part of his heavenly Kingdom government arrangement alongside his Son, Jesus Christ. (Luke 12:32)
So who is left to live on the earth with Religion's teachings? No one. So consider accepting a Bible Study next time you are offered one. Pray for help to understand God's purpose for the earth and how to reconcile what Scripture reveals to us verses what we were taught in church.
Interesting coincidence here. Last night on the internet, a pop up about Francis of Assisi came up. It was about an hour but very interesting and enlightening. Basically his message was you are supposed to empty yourself of anger, fear, jealousy, etc., and let God flow thru you in this world.
His prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
St Francis did not write that. It first appeared on a prayer card, in French, in the mid 1800s. He lived in the 13th century
St Francis is a fascinating character who has been woefully misrepresented.
I never gave him much time, but when I started to research, I discovered that his actions and teaching may have changed the course of European history.
Vampire Class-Perfect. I may watch the original "Dracula" tonight on Peacock. Meek he's not. I'm an atheist so some of the finer points(above) escape me. Aristotle was in the upper class of Greek society as I understand it. He was a good philosopher though.
“The praus person, the meek person, is the one who feels anger on the right grounds, against the right person, in the right manner, at the right moment, for the right amount of time.”
Jesus was a rebel against hierarchy. All of them.
Then, how to interpret "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's"? I would suggest that Jesus wasn't against hierarchy, but was supportive of them staying in their own lanes, so to speak
It's instructive that humility has been eased out in favour of a tendentious interpretation (or possibly serial mistranslation) that encourages feckless passivity. How convenient, eh? This is the kind of thing that pushed me towards Ivan Illich, back when I was trying to make sense of the Church.
Thanks, James. I feel you. In 12 years of Catholic school, I never had a single discussion like this.
My debit card for the donation has been compromised so I will need to change my info when I get my new card which should be in a couple of days.
Great article I will share that info with my friends
Thank you, Nona...and good luck with the debit card situation! 🤞
We all see clearly by now that “they” are continually changing the definitions of words and coining phrases that warp the meanings of the words that form them…. So yes, why not “meek,” as well? Makes perfect sense. Great piece.
Very well said and thank you. It requires diligence to stay ahead of the mind games but it is so worth the effort!
IDK, I have a feeling this might surprise you - your well written piece is serving as my daily devotional this morning. Love this exploration. It’s a word that needs to be analyzed today. 🙏😇
Thank you for sharing this, Matthieu. I am profoundly honored. 😇
Good hunting -- for depth and meaning. It also makes sense to consider "meek" in the context of the basic Gospel messages. "Love one another," "Love God and Truth" and 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' In that simple framework, meek just means not always insisting on your own way or putting your own best interests first. In short, not being a d*ck, being capable of empathy and compassion.
Thanks, Mike...I like that!
Not being a dick is truly an empathetic and compassionate choice.
Jesus certainly was not a sissy! I was raised catholic but dropped out at 14 when we were forbidden to 'discuss' religion. I also noticed that most 'catholics' were not followers of Jesus' message. Most Europeans are believers in name only. I am no longer going to any church now and read more Tao te ching than bible. I think the eastern idea of Qi comes closer to my idea of the deity than anything else.
Thanks, Ingrid. I can relate.
As I left Catholic school, I embraced Chinese Kung Fu where I also discovered the idea of Qi. Throughout my life, I have remained an open-minded explorer.
Take a broomstick, or better yet, carve a wood sword, close the door and turn on your favorite music. Before long you will find you know how to use it well enough to be more limber, self-assured and confident.
Yes! As someone with "only" a high school diploma, I have always loved the DIY ethic. As Bruce Lee advised, “Using no way as a way, having no limitation as limitation.”
No college degree?! But think what you are missing! All that debt to spur you forward, the mask wearing to keep us safe, ideological indoctrination to expand your sense of superiority, and associating with so many self-righteous functional illiterate?
😂
'Alicen looked up the original Hebrew and discovered it was “anava”'
We started there. She looked up "meek" in Hebrew and it got us thinking. From there, I tracked down the meaning in ancient Greek. It seems clear to me but I'll add further clarification.
I enjoyed your writing, thoughts,& even illustration. Thank you.
Husband with 14 years of Catholic education wanted “ more Bible reading” so we have gone to a nondenominational Christian church + meet in a small group re same weekly. Great source of support of a conservative nature in these strained times.
Thank you, Nama. I'm glad you found my little corner of the web. 🙂
Matthew 5:5 is the same thought found at Psalm 37:11 which states, "But the meek will possess the earth. And they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace." Psalm 37:9: "For evil men will be done away with. But those hoping in Jehovah will possess the earth." Proverbs 2:21: "For only the upright will reside in the earth, and the blameless will remain in it." This is a promise from our Creator. Being "meek" is not weakness; rather it is the epitome of self-control and inner strength.
Isaiah 45:18 mentions "...the One who formed the earth, its Maker who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, but formed it to be inhabited..." If you cannot answer why the Bible shows us that mankind's home is the earth after you were taught by mainstream religion that all good people go to heaven and all bad people go to hell you may want to dig deeper.
Yes, God did invite "a little flock" of faithful people to become part of his heavenly Kingdom government arrangement alongside his Son, Jesus Christ. (Luke 12:32)
So who is left to live on the earth with Religion's teachings? No one. So consider accepting a Bible Study next time you are offered one. Pray for help to understand God's purpose for the earth and how to reconcile what Scripture reveals to us verses what we were taught in church.
Interesting coincidence here. Last night on the internet, a pop up about Francis of Assisi came up. It was about an hour but very interesting and enlightening. Basically his message was you are supposed to empty yourself of anger, fear, jealousy, etc., and let God flow thru you in this world.
His prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Thank you, David, for sharing your experience. It helps add more context to this discussion and further urges us to not take things at face value!
St Francis did not write that. It first appeared on a prayer card, in French, in the mid 1800s. He lived in the 13th century
St Francis is a fascinating character who has been woefully misrepresented.
I never gave him much time, but when I started to research, I discovered that his actions and teaching may have changed the course of European history.
Interesting
Vampire Class-Perfect. I may watch the original "Dracula" tonight on Peacock. Meek he's not. I'm an atheist so some of the finer points(above) escape me. Aristotle was in the upper class of Greek society as I understand it. He was a good philosopher though.
Peace
Tell Bela I said hello!
Thank you...that was inspirational...needed this after reading these substacks....
https://2ndsmartestguyintheworld.substack.com/p/psyop-22-update-australia-bill-opens?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=400535&post_id=76673039&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
and
https://sheldonyakiwchuk.substack.com/p/heading-to-very-dark-places?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=447842&post_id=76650895&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
Those links are indeed daunting, Stella. 😕
I try to offer some balance and to not speak more tyranny into existence.
"Meek" sounds like a great companion to "right judgement", one of the gifts/fruits of the Holy Spirit
“The praus person, the meek person, is the one who feels anger on the right grounds, against the right person, in the right manner, at the right moment, for the right amount of time.”
Colour me praus!
❤✊❤
Mickey, although I commented on this the first time around, its reappearance was very timely for me. Thank you
❤