The problem with self promotion

How blessed are those who don’t promote themselves, for to them life yields its rewards,” Matt. 5:5

Standard translations vary slightly in their wording of the third Beatitude (“Blessed are the meek,” Matt. 5:5) but the above translation brings out the intended meaning more clearly. It is from my Jesus, In His Own Words, p. 32.

I ask, “In what way was Jesus meek?” To most contemporary ears, the word “meek” fails to carry the nuance intended by the Greek. When we say that Jesus was meek we don’t intend to convey the idea that he was not quite up to the challenge of life and that he protected himself by assuming a quiet fireside approach that would elicit smiles of approval. The meekness of Jesus was seen in the humble way he gave himself to a life of sacrificial service to God and his fellow human beings. His true strength lay in his ability to resist the temptation of taking over on the center stage of life, but rather to humbly give himself for the needs of others. A. W. Tozer wrote that, “The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he decided long ago that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort.”

Meekness describes the manner in which Jesus set aside what was due him in order to pay the price for the sins that were due others. Meekness is the true strength of a Christ–like person. It washes the feet of others, not because custom calls for it, but because dirty feet need to be washed. The meek do not “promote themselves” because they can use that time more effectively in discovering the needs of others. The self-denying are pleased to live with the welfare of others in view because that way they can use their time for the common good of others.

The life of Jesus displays a refreshing self-forgetfulness. Not once in the gospels do we see him neglect another in order to satisfy a valid personal need. His quiet demeanor was a tower of strength. During the last days of a rewarding 60 year marriage I caught on that total attention to the needs of a failing partner can be life’s greatest joy. As the text says, “to them life yields its rewards.” God has so arranged our affairs so that complete commitment to the needs of another provides the richest kind of personal life. It is by giving that we receive, by dying that we live, and by letting go of personal desire we receive the greatest blessing.

The Beatitudes are the game plan for life. They prepare us for battle, strengthen us when we need it the most, and protect us from our own selves.