What do you think a Christian should look like? The Christian college I attended forbade long hair for guys and short skirts for girls (knees should not be seen). You had better keep any tattoos hidden as well. Maybe the intent of the dress code was more about looking professional than meeting some Christian standard, but it sure felt like ironing your shirt promoted you to a higher level of godliness. But is being a Christian really about the way you look?
In a way, yes.
Colossians 3 tells us what a Christian should look like. It’s not exactly a dress code, but the character qualities discussed should be visible just like the clothes we wear. We should take off things like anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk. And put on things like compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love (see Colossians 3:8-14).
So what’s it like to wear meekness? In our culture, meekness is not a sought-after quality. The general attitude is that if you show others meekness, you’ll get run over. You need to be bold and confident. Do a few “power poses” in the mirror before you show yourself to the world. Meekness is associated with being mild mannered, timid, and weak.
But a better understanding of meekness is this: strength under control. Meekness is having the right and the power to do something but refraining for the benefit of someone else. Meekness is a father rolling around on the floor with his 3-year-old son – he’s not using his strength to overpower his son but to make sure he doesn’t crush his son.
A great illustration of the strength meekness requires is seen in the movie 42. Starring as Jackie Robinson, Chadwick Boseman questions the expectations of Brooklyn Dodgers owner, Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford), by saying, “You want a player who doesn’t have the guts to fight back?” Rickey responds, “No, I want a player who’s got the guts not to fight back.” Robinson faced countless slurs, threats, and injustices; but he withheld action to defend himself to make a way for other persons of color to play baseball at the highest level. Meekness takes guts.
Jesus also put on meekness. Accused of wrongs he never did. Tortured and killed though he never committed one crime. Even when dying on the cross he could have commanded the army of heaven to rescue him. Yet he restrained his rights to achieve our salvation. And because Jesus was meek for us, we can be meek for others.
-Bryan Miller, Pastor of Care
Watch the full sermon from week 4 of our Colossians series here:
