Inheriting the Earth

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5, NIV)

My doctor asked me, “Who are the meek?” My guess is that when someone asks this, they want to know who is going to get the planet and all of its stuff. Let’s dig.

There are a couple of interesting points that are often overlooked or unknown by Christian readers and teachers of this verse. The Replacement theologian will quickly dismiss the fact that Jesus is speaking to Jews, while the empathetic pastor will quickly share that all of those who allow themselves to be abused without retaliating will be greatly rewarded in the afterlife to make up for their lack in this life.

Matthew Henry teaches in his commentary that “they shall inherit the land of Canaan, a type of heaven.” Hurray for Mr. Henry. However, Mr. Henry is only partly right, at least according to David Stern the writer of the Jewish New Testament Commentary.

As Stern points out, Jesus is quoting Psalm 37:11 to remind them of God’s promise that the meek of Israel will receive their “already promised” inheritance of the Promised Land. “Earth” is used in many English translations of this passage because the Greek word ge can mean “land” and “earth.” But the Hebrew word eretz, which Jesus is quoting, means “land” and is not used to mean “earth” but the small portion of the earth that is the Promised Land.

God has not taken back his promise to give Israel the Promised Land, nor has he replaced Israel with Christians. His people, Israel, and specifically the meek, will inherit the Promised “eretz.” As David Stern says, “…it is important for Jews and Christians alike to understand that the New Testament does not alter any of God’s promises to the Jewish people; God’s literal promises are not somehow spiritualized out of existence ‘in Christ.’”  

To truly understand what Jesus is saying, we must look at the 37th Psalm. As we read this Psalm we see that the writer, David, is contrasting two kinds of people, the wicked and the righteous. The meek are those of Israel who are not evil doers but are the obedient, blameless, righteous, generous people of God. “Those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.” (Psalm 37:22).

Often the Matthew 5:5 passage is taught with the emphasis being that those who are passive and accepting of abuse will be given the world, however, as we sit at Jesus’ Jewish, Hebrew-speaking side and hear him quote from Psalm 37 this reminder of God’s promise to the obedient of Israel, we are richly enlightened to the true meaning of the passage.

In His dust,

Johnny.

Writer: Capt. Jonathan Gainey was born in Jacksonville, FL in June, 1969. He has been married to Staci, the daughter of retired Salvation Army officers, for twenty years and they have four children ages 18, 16, 12, and 4. Jonathan was commissioned as an officer in June of 2002, and is currently serving in his third appointment in New Bern, NC, USA. He is working on a Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the creator and manager of the Flocks Diner website, where his passion for learning and teaching is expressed and shared through writing and a weekly podcast.

3 Comments to Inheriting the Earth

1. Yep, great stuff again. My mother used to teach me that the Jews had a very strong ‘Land Theology’. What you have said makes so much sense (and once again, I have to admit, that my mother was right - LOL).

   Yours in Christ,
   Graeme.
Graeme Randall on November 12th, 2009

2. Capt. Gainey,

   I understand that historical context matters, and also that Jesus was continually making biblical allusions, so understanding those matters a great deal too.

   However, reading this verse in the context of the beatitudes, in the wider context of the sermon on the mount, and in the still wider context of Jesus’ ministry, I cannot accept 1) that Jesus’ teaching in this verse was specific to Jews only (or applicable to Gentiles only insofar as it relates to how they understand God’s relationship to Jews), or 2) that Jesus was in fact not proclaiming blessing on the “losers” in life but on the righteous, blameless, obedient Jews who followed the law properly. This flies in the face of not only what I believe Jesus taught, but also who I believe Jesus is — God’s good news for the world that the law (which brings death) was fulfilled on our behalf while we were still sinners.

   I’m troubled by the interpretation you put forth here. While I think there is truth in it, I also think it is far from comprising “the true meaning of the passage.”

   May I submit that too often we misread the beatitudes not as words of proclamation but as words of instruction, and this is what throws us into an interpretation tizzy. We believe that whatever adjective Jesus attached to “blessed are the…” is a virtue that we are asked to emulate–that, in effect, the beatitudes establish a set of new laws for us, and so we are to strive to be “meek”, “poor in spirit”, “persecuted because of righteousness,” etc. but could it be that these words are meant for us simply to receive as proclamations of blessing and not as instructions to follow? could Jesus be saying, “if you are meek, you are blessed! if you are feeling like scum, if you are being trampled on, if you are mourning, if you are hungering and thirsting, if you are merciful, if people hate you — God bless you!” isn’t it ironic (and sad) that even Jesus’ explicit words of blessing we can manage to turn into a law for ourselves?

   Grace
grace on November 14th, 2009

3. I too disagree with this interpretation, though acknowledge that it is vital to understand Jesus in his Jewish context, and that his listeners would absolutely have referenced the 37th Psalm in their heads while listening to this.

   N.T. Wright uses the term “double dissimilarity” to point out that we misunderstand Jesus if we forget his Jewishness, but at the same time the Jews were surprised at how Jesus interpreted and applied their own understanding of God, and in particular of righteousness.

   The best exegeses I have read in my studies on the Sermon on the Mount point out that Jesus was not simply acceding to the expectations of Judaism, nor was he replacing Israel with Church. He himself was fulfilling the identity, role and promises of Israel. He himself was fulfilling the law and the prophets, exceeding the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees. He himself was meek, persecuted, poor in spirit etc… ie, all the things Israel was called to be.

   So the Sermon on the Mount is not a series of new laws, but a declaration of the Kingdom of Heaven, a description of true and perfect righteousness. We don’t strive to live up to these as commands in order to win heaven, we live to participate in the life of Christ, to imitate him, because he is our elder brother, Christ-in-us the hope of glory.

   Grace,

   Aaron
aaron on November 18th, 2009

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