The world is in great need of peace. But how do we find it? Do we really even want it? Do we understand the cost of peace? Understanding the cost, would we pay the price? If history is our guide and predictor of the future the answer is no.
The church is supposed to propagate peace. After all, our savior, the one whom we call master and Lord, bears the name Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). But the occupants of the church are also occupants of this world. Thus, we find ourselves caught in a trap, constantly pleading “peace, peace” while all the time peace illudes us.
It was not any different in the days of Jesus. Matthew tells
us that Jesus saw the crowds, all of whom were torn and tattered by the
concerns of this world. Needing some
distance from the crowds Jesus retreated to a hillside and sat down. But his
disciples gathered around him. Redeeming the time Jesus began teaching them
about how they needed to live if they were to be his followers. He instructs them
about how to live a blessed life. If they really wish to be blessed and truly desire
to be identified as being his disciple, they will not just pursue peace but
they will seek to be peacemakers. For “Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).
There not very many peacemakers in the world. In fact, there are not very many peacemakers in the church.
I have discovered however, both outside the church and
inside the church, there are a lot of peacetakers. Peacetakers, are those who
require a lot of the energy of those who are around them. Peacetakers are not evil.
They are also not benevolent. Either out of necessity or out of selfishness their
lives are focused on their needs and desires and they are unable or unwilling
to be of much help to others. One of the hard facts of life and ministry is
that we are going to encounter a lot of peacetakers. We must love and minister to
these folks. They are no different than the crowds that Jesus ministered to. They
are like sheep without a shepherd. So instead of complaining we ought to
understand that God has given them to us to shepherd and we ought to be thankful
that we are a sheep that has heard the call and obtained the ability and means
to be a shepherd.
We are also going to encounter people who are peacebreakers. These folks have evil intentions. They will destroy peace. They understand the mechanics of dividing and conquering and in their tool box they have the necessary wrenches and screwdrivers and chisels to do the job. Peacebreakers are calculating souls. They will do whatever is necessary in order to propagate their selfish ideas and agendas. Jesus had other names for peacebreakers. He called them broods of vipers and whitewashed sepulchers. We might want to refrain from name calling. But while we strive to be as gentle as doves let’s remember to likewise be as wise as serpents. Because peacebreakers will destroy a family. They will demolish a nation. They will disassemble a church. Peacebreakers need to be identified, ostracized, and immobilized lest they dismantle the good and perfect things God has established in our world.
Then there are those who are peaceseekers. Peaceseekers do
not like conflict. Peaceseekers will try
to stay out of the way when things are not going well. They are determined to
not incur any wounds and to make it through the war without any scars. They may
be your “friends” but when you need their help, they are likely to leave the
battle field and in search of a place of peace.
We also come in contact with those who are peacekeepers. Peacekeepers will try to stop the fighting. Yet they will do very little to address the source of the turmoil that causes the fighting. Peacekeepers never resolve anything. They are content with the status quo if that is what is necessary to “keep the peace”. Peacekeepers strive to keep the loudest voices happy even if those voices are selfish voices. They will allow the preferences of a few to take precedence over the priorities of the kingdom. This results in gospel abating policies rather than gospel advancing strategies.
Peacekeepers will try to keep the pot from boiling over but they will not do anything to turn down the flame or get the raging pot off the stove. Peacekeepers will tolerate dysfunction, justify vile attitudes, and cover up sin, all in the name of “keeping the peace”. Peacekeepers will marginalize the victims and protect the villains. Peacekeepers will ignore truth and allow a false narrative to prevail. Peacekeepers will placate the powerful and punish the weak and they will rationalize that it is ok if that will allow the accepted ways and means of our lives and institutions to continue as they are. Righteousness may not prevail but that is ok so long as we “keep the peace”.
But Jesus did not come to be a peacekeeper! “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34-36 ESV).
Jesus came not to “keep the peace” but to make peace. Jesus did not make peace by avoiding conflict. Rather, he spent his life stepping into the middle of conflict, ultimately making peace by the blood of his cross (Col. 1:20).
Jesus encouraged his disciples to be peacemakers. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).
Peacemakers do not relish conflict. They are aware of the dangers of conflict and they approach conflict with fear and caution. Nevertheless, they trust God and seek to make peace in the midst of conflict. They seek to resolve problems rather than continue in chaos. Peacemakers are not just trying to tidy up the house and sweep the ugly stuff under the bed. Peacemakers are not just seeking to negotiate a ceasefire or even to disarm the enemy. Peacemakers realize that lasting peace will become reality only when the heart is changed. Peacemakers know that the only way that peace will come to our broken society is by actively engaging people with the redemptive purposes of Christ. Jesus demonstrated how we should live here on earth and how we can live for all eternity. So, to be a peacemaker we must point people in the direction of Jesus. If we do that, we will be called the sons of God.
If you were to see a picture of my dad and I together you would have no doubt that we belonged to each other. People have often said to me “You look just like your daddy”! I would reply “Well, he was a good-looking man”. We did look alike. My wife would say that we also thought alike and acted alike. That is not too bad either.
Twenty years or so ago I was with my dad and he introduced to me to one of his friends. The friend looked at both of us and said “Well, that nut did not fall far from the tree. You sure could not deny him”. My dad said “I would not want to deny him”.
I don’t want my heavenly father to deny me either. I want
to look like Him, and think like Him, and act like Him. If that is going to
happen, I need to be a peacemaker. Because peacemakers are called the sons of
God.
