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.