Meek

"Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart." (Matthew 11:28)"Meek" is one of the most important words in scripture. It is one of

the few words the Savior uses to describe himself, and as we will see,

meekness is an indispensable condition to salvation.Meek comes from the root soft, to soften, pliable and gentle.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines meek as gentle, courteous, kind.

A meek person is free from haughtiness and self will, is humble and

submissive. A meek person is not violent or strongly assertive, but

mild. A particularly important aspect of meekness relates to persons in

positions of power or authority over others. In this context meekness

implies mercy, compassion and sometimes indulgence. A meek person,

particularly one in authority, is patient and unresentful under injury

and reproach.For example, we are taught that "no power or influence can or

ought to be maintained ... only by persuasion, by longsuffering, by

gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned." (D&C 121:41)The only two persons described as meek in the Bible are the

Savior and Moses. "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all men which

were upon the face of the earth." (Numbers 12:3) The Savior described

his entrance into Jerusalem to two of the disciples saying, "The King

cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and the colt of the

foal of an ass." (Matthew 21:5)It is no accident that meekness is used in connection with two

such powerful figures, for meekness is not only willing submissiveness,

but also forbearance of the exercise of power when not required.In a wonderful book by Deirdre J. Good, "Jesus the Meek King," we

learn that the further we go back in understanding the word meek, the