Teaching from the Mountainside - Pt. 8

[Jesus said] “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9 ESV).

 

On October 26, 1881, the famous shootout at the O.K. Corral began one of the deadliest gunfights recorded from the Old West. Within the first 30 seconds of the shootout, three members of the Clanton gang were killed. Men on both sides, including Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Billy Clanton, would become legends in part because of what happened that day in Tombstone, Arizona. They were also firing a legendary weapon as well. The Colt Single Action Army held many names over the years. First came its clunky official title, the “New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol.”  But soon it became known as the Frontier, the Equalizer, the Model P, and most famously, the Peacemaker. The Peacemaker revolver proved extremely popular on the western frontier with people who relied on their guns to survive. Lawmen, outlaws, scouts, and cowboys loved the accuracy, power, and reliability of the Colt. Famous outlaws like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Butch Cassidy and lawmen like Bat Masterson, Ben Daniels, and Pat Garrett all carried Colts. And so did Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday on that fateful October day at the O.K. Corral.

 

Some are calling for “peacemaking” in our country. I am hopeful they are not advocating the taking up of arms to accomplish this peace, though some rhetoric is fanning the flames of violence from the more polarized groups. And, while the vast majority of our country would agree that our society is broken and in need of renewal, we must understand the teaching of Jesus for that peace to happen.

 

Biblical peace (shalom) is a robust picture of the world functioning as God intended. This is a world of right relationships between nations and peoples, where society flourishes and is prosperous, where the culture advances and the creation is well cared for. This wholeness is what we long for. As Christians, we are called to be God’s agents of peace. We are called to work in banks, classrooms, boardrooms, playgrounds, and farms seeking the renewal of God’s world. But true peace is not a human endeavor. It’s our response to the God who is the ultimate peacemaker. God is so committed to making peace with a fallen world, with us, that he endured the willing death of his Son so that our relationship with him might be restored.

 

God has made peace with us; how will you participate in God’s mission of peacemaking today?