Reflection: Jesus, Meek and Mild

"Jesus says of himself that he is gentle. Some translations use the word meek. We don’t have a good English word that expresses the meaning of the Greek word used here. We think of a gentle person as someone who is careful with babies and kittens. A meek person takes whatever other people dish out without retaliating. 

Throughout his ministry, Jesus had compassion on the poor and ignorant, the sick and broken who came to him in crowds so large and pressing he often couldn’t find time to eat. But we don’t dare fail to note that, while he demonstrated his love for them, he also made it plain that he didn’t come to bring peace but a sword. He said their choices were black or white, not gray. Whoever wasn’t with him was against him, and whoever tried to save his life would lose it."