Peacemakers

 

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

 

Some of us may remember the 1960s as an era of peace demonstrations. Crowds would gather and demand change in social and political structures that were seen as unjust. More recently in the U.S., other groups have echoed similar calls for change. Though we may be on different points of the political spectrum, most agree that our society is broken and in need of renewal. However, the answer is not to be found in human effort alone. This is the impact of Jesus’ next statement of our reading today. Jesus shares a desire to bring restoration into our world. The full renewal of all society for good is what the Bible calls peace.

 

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 dairy 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; now it becomes necessary for us to carry that same message of peace to others. Let me make some practical suggestions concerning how we might be peacemakers in a world full of conflict.

 

First, be at peace in your heart. This means we understand who God is personally in our lives. Second, do not participate in the conflict of the culture. We cannot give our ascent to the division we presently see in our culture. Third, be gentle in your relationships with others. Fourth, be resolute in your values centering them only in the Scripture. Political or social groups are not anointed with infallibility. Only the Scripture can claim its words to be God-breathed (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17). And, last, be longsuffering and patient. God has a plan and is working to bring it to pass. He will not fail in this end.

 

Pure in Heart

 

[Jesus said] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8 ESV).

 

“Just follow your heart!” is the relatively new mantra of religious pluralism. Religious pluralism generally refers to the belief in two or more religious worldviews as being equally valid or acceptable. More than mere tolerance, religious pluralism accepts multiple paths to God or gods as a possibility and is usually contrasted with “exclusivism,” the idea that there is only one true religion or way to know God. While religious pluralism has been in existence since at least the seventeenth century, the concept has become more popular since the latter half of the twentieth century in Western Europe and North America. Specifically, the idea of religious ecumenism (religions working together as one) and the recently popularized interfaith movement have led to the increased acceptance of religious pluralism in popular culture.

 

The problem with “following your heart” is that it depends on us having a good heart to begin with. Let’s be clear from the perspective of the Scripture. It is easy to confuse “heart” with emotion or sentiment. So when Jesus invites us to treasure a pure heart as a quality of life in the kingdom of God, we may not immediately grasp what he is saying.

In the Bible, the heart is the center of one’s being. It’s where the will, intellect, and emotions intersect. What we value in our heart sets the course for how we live our life—how we spend our money, form relationships, and make decisions. The condition of our heart is immensely important!

 

A person with a pure heart is one who is undefiled by sin. We simply cannot make that claim. Even without the instruction of the Scripture, no one who is intellectually honest can make that claim. We simply aren’t perfect. Frankly, I don’t know of anyone even close, certainly not myself. This has far reaching consequences. The Bible tells us that only those who have no sin in their heart are fit for God’s presence. That would be cause for despair, but the Bible also assures us that no one except Jesus has a pure heart. His life was perfect in every way, and yet for our sake he was willingly banished from God’s sight, as if he had an impure and imperfect heart.

 

The bible further says, there is only one way to get that purity of heart. If you believe the gospel, you are cleansed from your sin and impurity, and you receive the gift of a pure heart. There is only one right answer… His name is Jesus. Where have you placed your trust?

 

Mercy

 

[Jesus said] “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7 ESV).

 

You’re bored while standing in line or forced to sit in a doctor’s waiting room. What do you do to amuse yourself? Invariably, many of us turn to people watching to pass the time. Without even realizing it, perhaps, we decide whether those sharing our space, even temporarily, are smart or dumb, interesting or dull, or happy or anxious. We might even start to spin theories about them, knowing nothing about them other than their facial expressions, what they’re doing, and the way they walk or sit. Fleshing out our theories is the additional information we get from the clothes they’re wearing, the jewelry they have on, and even the state of their shoes. On our recent trip to the Smokies I found myself sitting in the Village waiting for Mary to do her shopping and couldn’t resist. After all, there were lots of people to watch.

 

People watching can reveal something about our heart. Sadly, we find it easy to make quick judgments about other people, and our conclusions are almost always negative.

Such an attitude does not fit with the way of life Jesus wants for us. Jesus wants us to treasure mercy as a quality of life under his authority. He wants us to embrace compassion and empathy for people who are broken, hurting, and sinful. He wants us to do what we can to alleviate the needs in our fallen world stemming from hunger, poverty, and racism.

 

True mercy begins when our hearts are stirred by the pain and suffering that taint every corner of our world. When our hearts are hurt with the way things are and we long for the way things are meant to be, we see the world as God sees it. God’s love for a sinful world is what prompted the greatest act of mercy ever. At the cross, God displayed supreme mercy as Jesus willingly took on our punishment so that we could be free from condemnation.

 

God’s mercy to us gives birth to a heart that loves to show mercy to others. The next time you find yourself just watching, think about each of those people the way God does. Look at them from the perspective of fellow pilgrims on their journey in need of the grace of God. Extend to them, at least in your mind and heart, the same grace that has been given to you. That’s the beginning of mercy that brings us mercy in return.

 

Hungry and Thirsty

[Jesus said] “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6 ESV).

 

In the animal kingdom one of the greatest drives of any creature is the need for food and water. In fact, one of the easiest ways to find wildlife is to find a good source of preferred food. In the case of whitetail deer in areas where there are lots of hardwoods, that place might be a large stand of acorn producing oaks. In the case of water, deer prefer a source where there is ample cover for protection as well as a calm water surface from which to drink. It is one of the essentials of life.

 

In our reading today Jesus is making the point that we need to make our desire to live righteously just as much as a priority as we do food and water. He uses the word “hunger” to emphasize the importance of this way of life. Many of us are hungry; however, it is not always for the things of God. Sometimes we hunger for approval. Children want their parents to tell them they are proud of their accomplishments. We want our employer’s stamp of approval on our work. We want our friends to think we are good enough for them. Deep down, this longing for acceptance comes from a longing to be found right in God’s eyes. We are hungry for righteousness.

 

Sadly, we often try to satisfy our hunger by gorging on junk food. We want approval from others so badly that we’re willing to compromise our convictions. We want to prove ourselves through our job so badly that we burn out on our career, sacrificing our family and our health. We want so badly to be morally acceptable that we build our lives on a system of rules, looking down on others and sinking into despair when even we don’t measure up. These foods cannot satisfy our hunger for true righteousness.

 

Later in his ministry, Jesus illustrates how he satisfies hungry hearts. “I am the bread of life,” he says. “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). Jesus offers us his own righteousness, and God credits us with it (even though we don’t deserve it) so that we can enjoy the acceptance and approval we long for. (cf. Romans 3:21-26; 5:6-11). Seek the right “food” and you will be satisfied!

 

 

The Meek of the World

 

[Jesus said] “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5 ESV).

 

A very good friend of mine, Jamie McClain, who serves as the senior pastor of the Denton County Cowboy Church, is also perhaps the best “cowboy” I know. I make no claim to that ability, though I have come to understand some of what is necessary to get a horse “saddle broken.” The term "broken" refers to a horse that is considered safe to ride and has all his basic manners. Breaking a horse is the practice of training him to be ridden. It involves teaching the young horse to accept a saddle, a bridle and the weight of the rider on his back. The goal is to develop “meekness” in the Biblical sense in the horse. It is not an easy task.

 

In our reading today, Jesus continues to teach the crowds of people gathered that another one of the characteristics of a believer is “meekness.” So often today we have come to see that aggressive behavior is rewarded and come to the wrong conclusion that the way to success is through aggression. Jesus insists that under his leadership, aggression is out. Those who are meek and gentle, who are slow to anger and patient in the face of provocation, are truly happy. A meek person doesn’t fuel the fires of conflict with unfair accusations. Being meek means letting your temper chill when you’d rather argue with your spouse. It means showing patience with your children. It means not losing your cool when coworkers repeat their mistakes. It means allowing Jesus to be the master of our strength and will just as a rider masters the strength and will of a good horse.

 

Meekness is often difficult for us because it seems like weakness. But it’s really about patience and self-control, which require great strength. In going to the cross, Jesus illustrates that the path to great life is through longsuffering love. Jesus was humble and meek for our sake. The Apostle Paul said to the Philippians:

 

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 ESV).

 

It is through this characteristic that we “inherit the earth.” How saddle broke are you?