Inheriting the World

Matthew 5:5

It is an astonishing promise Christ makes in the third Beatitude—practice humility, and the world is yours! That appears so astoundingly simple. Most of us would like to think we are humble enough. We do not see ourselves like some of the latest athletic superstars who make trash talking an art form. A lot of us would absolutely hate to think that our neighbors see us as rudely arrogant when we meet checking the mail. We know how awful it is to have to sit in the presence of a blowhard. So, most work on being politely present in the world. Many try to maintain contentment with who we are as we are. And Christ promises us the world! 

Is it that simple?

Yes and no.

Yes, humility is indeed the path that Jesus lays before us. He sees it as essential to our being able to coexist with whomever we encounter along our way. He sees it as a means to lasting security in an increasingly uncertain time and place. He sees it as a means to our fulfillment as children of God. 

It is all of those things because of something else Jesus has in mind as he speaks this blessing—humility, i.e., meekness, is no more and no less than a proper understanding of our place before God. It is first and foremost recognizing God to be God—the center of all that is. It is seeing that all things come from God, including the talents and abilities by which we make our lives what they are. It is seeing that we succeed because of God’s grace. It is recognizing that God intends for us to exist cooperatively, ensuring that everyone also has the opportunity to experience the full blessing of God’s providence, redemption, and love. It is seeing that nothing is really and truly ours, but all is a gift from God. 

Now, we begin to see the “no” mentioned above—staying clear in our perspective and priorities is never actually a simple thing to do or achieve. So much gets in the way. So much becomes distracting. Even truly good things become matters of self-service, done because we seek gratification, advancement, and private redemption. The “no” appears when we recognize that this beatitude is inextricably tied to Jesus’ further call to lose ourselves if we seek to find ourselves—“…whoever loses their life will find it.”

So, there is the hard part, but God is good and grace abounds. In Christ, God is with us with no further purpose than to ensure our success in being whom God seeks us to be. Christ came because the Law of Moses was not enough to see us through, nor was our devotion to righteousness and justice, nor was anything else that depended solely on our abilities and outlook. God intervened. God became Immanuel. 

The means by which to enter this redemptive work of God brings us full circle—in humility, believe it to be so. Do not think it too simple, not deep enough. It is our hope. Live into it.