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The Christian Character: A Gentle Spirit (3) Psalm 37: 7 – 11, 16-18; Numbers 12: 1 – 8; Galatians 5: 16 - 24
An inheritance can make a difference. It’s like a bequest or an endowment. It can provide an opportunity. Inheritances normally enrich our lives. And we want to be enriched. We want security, and we want things. Not always for ourselves do we want things. Inheritance applies to anything that comes to us, which we have not earned. It is a gift. But what would it mean to you if you were told you might inherit the earth/ I mean something really big. Something like Paris Hilton was due to get. She was due for a $60 billion dollar inheritance from her grandfather until he disinherited her after her jail sentence. That was the final straw for him. Now the money will go to charity. What would it mean to us to get a really big inheritance? And how frightening would be the possibility of loosing it all. Imagine knowing you are due for some big inheritance and then you loose it because you are foolish. The concept of inheritance is spoken of more than two hundred times in the Bible. It usually refers to inheriting something from God. Jesus speaks of inheriting the earth. That’s big. That’s really big. In fact it is so big that it’s ridiculous. So Jesus must be speaking of something spiritual – some warm feeling or other. But before we dismiss it as pie-in-the-sky stuff, let's try and have a conversation with what Jesus is saying. The conversation needs to begin with us because we have heard this through a lens. And this is the lens. We think of inheritances mostly in terms of material things give to us to possess. When in fact inheritances are genetic, social and spiritual. The genetic inheritances we receive are clear. That nose, mole, and early aged baldness are the genetic inheritances we don’t like. We tend major on the negatives. Our social history inheritances we take for granted. We inherit a culture that helps form us. That too is ours. Our social inheritance is so familiar that we hardly see it. We take it for granted. Events like ANZAC Day help us understand the social inheritance. And social inheritance is something we share. Then there is the spiritual. I don’t simply mean religious, but spiritual in the broadest sense. That too we don’t always understand or appreciate. When we think of inheritances only in terms of houses and land, shares and money, we limit our enrichment. So we need to enlarge our perception of inheritance. I think the ancient Israelites ran into this problem and have never been free of it. They tended to see God’s promises as owning the land. In Isaiah 57 the prophet hints at a different understanding in verse 13. He talks about inheriting God’s holy mountain, which is the place of the temple. In this instance what is inherited is not land to possess. This is significant. The temple – the holy mountain - is the place where humans meet God. In other words this inheritance is about becoming God’s children. It is about relationship. I think we too readily limit an inheritance with ownership and possession. I believe it is possible to talk of inheritance as something given for one to take care of. Yes use, enjoy the benefits, but not to possess, own and dispose of at your will. Is it not possible to speak of Australians being inheritors of this land? And I don’t mean it is parceled up in equal amounts for us to possess. I mean it is our inheritance to use, enjoy, make a livelihood, and pass on in good shape to the next generation of inheritors. This saying of Jesus 5:5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” might be best understood in this way. Jesus is saying that those who are meek/humble will inherit the earth. It is silly to think he means we will become large landowners. The first beatitude reminds us that we need to recognize our need of God alone. The second beatitude reminds us that disciples carry a deep sadness about the evil in the world. Much of the evil – the alienation and injustice - is precisely around ownership and possession. This third beatitude tells us that humility is another characteristic of discipleship and this will give us the earth. In the first saying we will enter the Kingdom of God, the next receive the comfort of Jesus the King, and the third inherit the earth. What might Jesus mean? Firstly, I want to suggest that the inheritance Jesus is speaking of may have much more to do with knowing that we are part of the earth, have some responsibility for the earth, an all can enjoy the earth. Secondly, I want to suggest that “inheriting earth,” means we are recognized beyond our material boundaries. This recognition is about being respected for what we have done for others. I understand “inheriting the earth” is not about land or material ownership, but about responsibility and influence. I will attempt to illustrate this by looking at some people who I think are inheritors of the earth. I am going to begin with my mother. That is bold, but excuse me. We were a relatively poor family. I measured that as a boy by the fact that where every other family I knew had a motorcar and had a radiogram (an audio system). We had neither. But I noticed my mother had a wealth of friends from all walks of life, young and old. And without boring you too much it was because she gave so much more than she took from life. My mother inherited a fair portion of this world – at least her sphere of friendships and influence extended way beyond her very small parcel of land and social wealth. Another character to reflect upon lived about 3000 years ago – King David. Now he did grab land. He did build up Israel’s holdings. But there was more to David than that. There were other kings of Israel that extended Israel’s wealth, economic influence and power – but none had the broad influence David had on the development of Israel. King David is the king that is seen as the great king of Israel. He is the iconic King. King David was a humble man. He recognized his faults; he sought forgiveness [Psalm 51; 2 Sam 12], and did not claim more than his due waiting on God’s timing [e.g.1 Sam 18:23]. Then we can look at Nelson Mandela. He spent 30 years in prison for standing for his people and against the law of apartheid. But he never became embittered or enraged with personal anger for his suffering and injustice. Nelson Mandela was a self-controlled and gentle man. When he came to power he went out of his way to seek mercy and reconciliation. He was also a powerful man who acted with gentleness and wisdom. This is what the Bible understands meekness is [Gal 5: 22,23]. He was a strong gentle, self-controlled person who is not concerned about his own dignity but the fundamental principles of respect and justice for all. Mandela inherited the earth. His sphere of influence goes way beyond the physical boundaries of his country. His presence is felt far beyond the property he owns and controls. I want to speak of another, Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity. This Albanian woman takes the call of God to serve the poor. She goes off to a far country and enters the oblivion of poorest suburbs of the world. She is lost to the public eye. Who is interested in some nun working with the poor, orphaned and homeless? The work gets known. The profundity of the service observed, and people begin to speak. She inherits the earth, not because she sought to. She inherited the earth because she gave service to the poorest of the poor, the weakest of weak, whose lives were on the brink of human extinction, but she valued them. Where Mother Teresa like Mandel walks the ground is hers. No she can’t sell it, but she owns the ground. Now none of these persons are perfect, least of all my mother. And I included her because for ordinary people like us – I think all of those listening, not necessary all present – are ordinary people. We too can inherit the earth through meekness. Men and women of God I hope I have shown a glimpse of what Jesus might have meant. I hope you can see that meekness is not weakness submission, self-effacement. Indeed the Bible speaks of Moses as the meekest man on the earth [Numbers 12:3]. Moses the strong, courageous, leader of liberation is a meek man. He is meek because he serves a greater end than himself. That is, he thinks of others and the bigger picture than himself first. And he largely controls his feelings, acts with firmness but gentleness, and directs his anger at those who will hurt and exploit others. Here is good news for us. Jesus tells us that the meek are happy people because they have all that they need in knowing God. Jesus tells us that the meek inherit the earth. We find this quality of meekness in the people of great influence and the people for whom we have a deep respect. And the people themselves will never tell you they are humble, they would deny it. Yet it is their humility that gives them the inheritance of the earth – the inheritance of being people greatly valued. Our next hymn helps take the next step, Make me a channel of your peace. ******* Peter C Whitaker, BUC: 17/08/2008
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