Breaking Ground
What life achievement are you most proud of? Why?
The Dig
This Sunday, we continued our series on the Beatitudes, Jesus’ opening blessings for the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.
Start by reading Jesus’ third Beatitude in Matthew 5:5. Here, Jesus declares that the meek are blessed & will inherit the earth. NOTE: As a reminder throughout this series, Jesus’ definition of being blessed is about coming into the proximity of God.
How would you define meekness? Do you & your culture view meekness as a positive or negative trait? Who or what comes to mind when you think about meekness?
In many ways, to be meek is to consider oneself unimportant (either in your own mind OR because the world tells you that you are). Thus, this is a vision of oneself that can be either healthy or unhealthy depending on how you understand the term (that is, it can produce healthy humility or unhealthy self-loathing). However, in this scene, Jesus speaks directly to a group of people his world would’ve definitively labeled unimportant people &, shockingly, declares that they are the blessed ones who are positioned at the top of his upside-down Kingdom.
First, with Jesus’ definition of blessed in mind, why do you think meekness might bring someone closer to God? What does this reveal about the nature of God?
Why would those who are important in their own eyes or those of the world be less likely to embrace Jesus’ worldview or Kingdom? How does this help explain the second part of this blessing?
Close by reflecting on how this Beatitude might speak to you right now.
Where do you find it easiest to be meek?
Where do you find it hardest to be meek?
How might adopting a healthy view of meekness equip you to grow in these parts of your life?
Getting Out of the Hole
Take time to reflect on the Sunday sermon & how this week’s section of Ephesians might speak into your daily life.
- Read Matthew 5:5. Highlight & make note of key terms & images that stand out to you or speak to you in this season.
- What does it mean that the meek are blessed?
- Where do you struggle to embrace meekness when it comes to your worldview? How might this be holding you back from following Jesus more fully?
- In what ways would adopting a posture of meekness help you better navigate your internal & external/relational worlds in this next season? What might growing in this area look like tangibly?
- Re-read the passages & pray over your answers to the previous questions.
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through each week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
Matthew by Stanley Hauerwas
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
Saturday, September 17th: Join us next Sunday for week 5 of our series on the Beatitudes!
* Please see mye3.org for details.