Peace is something that everyone longs for. For too many it is a longing for peace instead of war or political and religious conflict. Others long for a peace that enables them to transcend the strife and pain that surrounds them in their daily lives. Others struggle with guilt, un-forgiveness, anger, confusion and so many other inner conflicts that make peace a mere illusion and drives them to despair.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9).
The Bible’s answer to peace does not lie in man’s attempt to engineer his peace by whatever means, but rather by a right relationship to God through which all other forms of peace flow and find their ultimate meaning.
The Bible talks a lot about peace. In the Old Testament peace (shalom) means completeness, soundness and well-being. This includes the concept of harmony with God and others, material prosperity and physical safety. When shalom is connected to the spiritual well-being of a person it is invariably associated with righteousness and truth. In one sense, peace can be seen as a by-product of righteousness and love, as sin and guilt are dealt with, and with love replacing self-hate, anger and frustrations, so peace can dominate.
In the New Testament the Greek word “Eirene” carries the full meaning of shalom but nearly always holds a spiritual connotation where it is linked with the key words such as grace (Romans 1:7), life (Romans 8:6) and righteousness (Romans 14:17). It is a powerful reminder that God’s peace is a special blessing from above.
So the peace that Jesus is referring to is one of total well-being and inner rest of spirit of a person in fellowship with God. It is not just an absence of activity or struggle but an inner rest and sense of well-being that can be present through intense activity and even surrounding strife. Jesus is not offering peace free from the struggles common to man. Rather He is offering a deep inner peace that transcends such external pressures and gives the believer an inner contentment and joy independent of adverse circumstances.
Peace of this nature is one of the primary hallmarks of the kingdom of God, for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the holy Spirit. As people who have experienced the peace of God in our lives, we must become peacemakers. The blessing indicated here is for the peacemaker rather than a general blessing about peace in the life of an individual.
Jesus did not say blessed are the peacemakers because of their success! The final beatitude talks about persecution for righteousness sake. This suggests that the peacemaker may well be rejected and scorned for their efforts. It is our obligation as Christians to seek to be peacemakers where we can, irrespective of whether our overtures are well received or roundly rejected by the recipient.
This Beatitude is directed to the propagation of peace through the believer, not the acquisition of peace for the believer or non-believer. It is our responsibility to offer peace to a world that does not experience this sort of peace, it may experience other types of peace, and these types of peace may be commendable and praiseworthy, but it does not mean that they are recipients of the accolade of being called sons of God. That accolade is reserved for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, and who in turn, see this accolade find its greatest fulfillment this side of eternity through sharing that peace with a lost world. This Beatitude does not say, “Blessed are those who experience peace, or find peace”!
Jesus first and foremost came into the world to reconcile us to God through His atoning death on the cross, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus Christ’s passion and calling was to restore mankind’s broken fellowship with God. Through He also came to bring peace between men, He was aware that His mission would also result in conflict as well. In a very powerful statement Jesus declared, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division” (Luke 12:51). In Matthew 10:34 He declared, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”. It is clear that Jesus was fully aware of the consequences of His mission. There would be spiritual conflict6 and resistance to His message and sacrifice. He knew that, rather than bringing universal peace, His call to repentance and faith would bring division, even within families.
Though Jesus never deliberately sought division, He fearlessly denounced sinful practices and the hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Matthew 23). He did not shun controversy, anger and resentment among His hearers as He systematically tore down the false teaching of the day (Matthew 5:17 – 6:18). This speaks volumes of what He saw s His priority; which was to restore men and women into right relationship with God. This relationship, issuing from His death and subsequent resurrection, would result in peace with God and a life of joy, righteousness and peace.
It must be understood that Jesus Christ did not come just to ensure that we would have a peaceful, pain-free life! Rather, peace with God is the precious goal of our Christian lives and Jesus’ sacrificial death. This is not necessarily the sort of peace that most people seek. In fact many would prefer to have a “peaceful life” without having to complicate it by adding God into the equation. In their concept of God and a good life, submission to God and His rules is synonymous with boredom and restriction. Though many live a very stressful and painful lives, they do not see God as a solution because their concept of God is a “Being” who is always demanding obedience and laying down restrictions on their freedom: who wants that on top of all your other problems!
The basis on which many reject the offer of peace with God is rooted in the misunderstanding of the role and goal of obedience in the Christian life. The vast majority of non-Christians are of the opinion that the role of obedience is to deflect the anger and disapproval of God. They believe that the goal of obedience is God’s acceptance of them. They think that God’s ultimate goal is to have an obedient people who do not cause Him too much hassle and heartache! They picture God like some selfish earthly father who tries to force his kids to behave and shut up so he can have a bit of peace and quiet while watching the football game on TV.
One of the tremendous blessings in finding peace with God is the joy of finding inner peace with oneself. Peace with oneself is meant to be one of the primary by-products of peace with God. Forgiveness of sin, and security in the knowledge that we are unconditionally loved, are powerful forces that give inner peace. Although many have a sense of regret and even shame for past sins and failures, there is wonderful freedom in the knowledge that God Himself has forgiven us.
Though at times God may seem distant and we long for a greater tangible sense of His presence and love, God trains us to live by faith and trust His revealed character and find our inner peace flowing through that revelation and inner knowledge of God. This is the place of peace God wants to train us into. It does not come automatically, but once learned and lived in it enables us to have inner peace through the most trying of circumstances and challenges.
Forgiveness helps us to get to that place of inner peace. Jesus challenges us to forgive our enemies as well as our friends. He places no limit as to what should be forgiven, and unless we are willing to forgive from the heart (Matthew 18:35) we can find no true and lasting peace. Jesus came to the world to bring peace. He makes it clear that many will reject His peace and His peacemakers, but He demands that we love and forgive none-the-less.
An unwillingness to forgive someone, especially someone who is asking for forgiveness, robs all parties from experiencing peace. For the weak brother who is not being extended the hand of forgiveness, permanent and lasting damage can be done into his life as he grapples with condemnation, lack of self-worth and hurt.
There are times we must judge critically the actions of others and not compromise our stance. Jesus spoke bluntly and fearlessly against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees as the Sermon on the Mount and Matthew 23 graphically illustrate. With powerful imagery Paul declared that those who promoted circumcision as a steppingstone to salvation should go the whole way and emasculate themselves (Galatians 5:12)!
It is clear that keeping peace and harmony was not Jesus’ or Paul’s over-riffing priority when it came to matters of fundamental truth. In Jesus and Paul’s mind, being a peacemaker clearly did not mean avoiding conflict at any cost. Yet it is also very clear that they sought wherever possible to be at peace with all men. The apostle Paul commanded believers in Rome to, “Accept him whose faith is weak” (Romans 14:1), and encouraged them to be peacemakers by saying, “if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).
Jesus, in the same sermon as He bluntly challenged the teachings of the Pharisees, also commanded His listeners not to judge hypocritically or self-righteously (Matthew 7:1-5). Whenever a Pharisee came to Jesus with a pure motive of seeking the truth, Jesus challenged and enlightened, but never rejected the person (John 3:1-16).
In this seventh Beatitude, Jesus’ encouragement to be peacemakers, and so be true sons and daughters of God, is a deeply challenging call. It should force us to find our peace through surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Through this surrender, strengthened by our knowledge that we are accepted and forgiven in the Beloved, we are able to find peace with ourselves and live at peace with all men. In our calling to be peacemakers we must make it our conscious goal to ensure that those ethnic groups around the world that do not have access to this wonderful gospel of peace, can be introduced to the Prince of Peace. As His followers and bearers of His life, we marvel and glory in the wonderful privilege of such a high calling.