Peacemakers
Matthew 5:9
March 19, 1995
by J. David Hoke
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew
5:9)
Are you a peacemaker or a troublemaker? We live in a world full of troublemakers. You
cannot escape the reality that our society is filled with conflict and violence of every
sort. You cannot escape it. Most often, we think of the conflict happening around us
today, but it has always been so. In 1968 a major newspaper reported that there had been
14,553 known wars from 36 BC to date. Since 1945 there have been over 70 wars and more
than 200 significant outbreaks of violence. From 1958 over 100 nations have been involved
in one way or another in armed conflict of some kind.
There has always been conflict. Many believe there always will be. Someone had said,
"peace is that glorious moment in history when everyone stops to reload."
We should say that conflict has continued in spite of a multitude of peace
organizations. Is it that the message is not being heard? Or is it that we do not heed the
message we hear? Perhaps it is a deeper problem. Could it be that the external conflict in
our world is merely a reflection of the internal conflict in all of us? How can we make
peace when we have no peace ourselves?
When Jesus said "Blessed are the peacemakers . . .", it must
have sounded strange to their ears. Certainly almost all listening to Jesus that day were
Jews struggling to live under the dominion of Rome. Many of them wanted to see Rome
defeated and run out of their country. There were Zealots among them who believed that the
only way there would be peace in Israel was through hostility. Now they were being called
to be peacemakers.
We haven't changed much over the years. We still struggle with the turmoil around us.
We have our own conflicts. Each one of us deals with hostility all the time. We run in to
rude people who try our patience. Sometimes we find ourselves in volatile situations that
might explode in some sort of conflict. And we run into our share of troublemakers.
The temptation, of course, is to jump right in and become like them. When we are barked
at, we like to bark back. It is all too easy to adopt the little slogan "don't get
mad, get even!" But these kinds of responses only escalate the conflict. Let me ask
you again: "Are you a peacemaker or a troublemaker?"
You see, we have been made right with God. For those who have come to Christ, the
conflict is over. We have peace with God. And because we have peace with God, we should be
those who do His work of peacemaking. Jesus call to be a peacemaker is a call to see
ourselves as agents of reconciliation. By being agents of reconciliation we actually enter
into the very ministry of Christ. This is our challenge. Therefore we need to consider the
implications of Jesus' statement in order to understand how we can become peacemakers.
We Need Peace
Jesus' statement implies that we need peace. And considering the presence of conflict
in our world, this implication should be obvious.
But it is important to understand the characteristics of this peace about which Jesus
speaks. We must be clear both about what it is and what it is not.
When Jesus speaks of peace, He is not simply referring to the absence of conflict.
Peace is not some sort of vacuum in which we all exist, isolated from one another. In such
a state you would certainly have peace. Cemeteries are peaceful places too. Peace is not a
void.
Neither is peace agreeing simply to agree. Peace is not to be found in compromising
truth and righteousness. If we compromise the key issues which make life meaningful and
valuable, the result is not peace even if it is done for the sake of peace. If "peace
at any price" is the slogan of the day, true peace is precisely what you do not
get. Peace sought in this manner will ultimately result in future conflicts, perhaps of a
worse variety than you have now.
Peace is not the absence of something, rather it is the presence of something. True
peace is the presence of righteousness. Peace is a positive result of people submitting to
righteousness of God. It is facing the truth and yielding to it.
The kind of peace many of this world seek will not be found without a yielding to
righteousness. The problem which breeds conflict in our hearts is sin. Until we take care
of this sin problem we will never experience true peace. We read in James 3:17, "But
the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable." Through purity comes peace.
Peace does not come by laying down our guns. It comes by dealing with the wrong attitudes
and actions that cause the conflict in the first place. Unless we are willing to lay down
our selfish attitudes and submit to the righteousness of God, we will never experience
real and lasting peace. The psalmist expresses it this way: "Righteousness and
peace have kissed each other" (Psalm 85:10).
Now this means that peace might have to come through conflict. In other words, before
people can experience real peace they will have to struggle with their own sinfulness and
selfishness. They may even have to be confronted with the truth in this process. This is
probably what Jesus was getting at when He said, "do not think that I came to
bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew
10:34). Submitting to God's truth is the way to peace.
Unfortunately, there are many who oppose this truth. This truth is like a sword. And
this sword will pierce many a soul as they struggle against it. You see, God is not
interested in telling us what we want to hear. He is interested in dealing with the things
in our lives that destroy us. Sometimes this is not a peaceful process, but in the end it
brings a peace that no one can take away. We need that kind of peace.
We Make Peace
Jesus statement also implies that we must make peace. In other words, we must become
peacemakers.
The place to start is perhaps to examine our own lives to be sure that we have
experienced peace ourselves. We must understand that the source of all peace is God.
Through Jesus Christ, we can experience real peace. In Ephesians 2:13-14 we read, "But
now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of
Christ. For He Himself is our peace." Again, we read in Colossians 1:19-20, "For
it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to
reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross."
It is clear from these scriptures and others as well that an encounter with the living
Christ is the pathway to peace. Before we can become peacemakers we must first know peace
in Christ ourselves. Before we can share the bread with another beggar, we must first know
where the bread is. True peace is found only in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Then we must set about actively making peace. This is what it means to be a peacemaker.
To make peace we must do something to bring others into this relationship of peace with
Christ.
Paul, in 1 Corinthians 7:15, speaks of how God "reconciled us to Himself
through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." It is as we
participate in this ministry of reconciliation that we bring others to a place of true
peace. Paul goes on in the two verses which follow (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) to say, "God
was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against
them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God were entreating through us."
We are ambassadors for Christ in this ministry of reconciliation. It is our job to
share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ so that people can make peace with God.
An amazing thing happens when this occurs. When they make their peace with God, they begin
to make their peace with one another. When the conflict in their own hearts is settled,
they begin to be able to settle the conflict that exists among themselves. Peace breaks
out when God is in control.
You see, the key to making peace is Christ. In any interpersonal conflict, the key is
the party's willingness to submit to a commonly accepted authority. If people are willing
to come together under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, conflict can be settled. Peace can
reign.
Now, this does not mean that there will be no risk involved in being a peacemaker.
Peacemaking can be a struggle indeed. Sometimes people resent your efforts at peacemaking.
Often you can risk losing your relationship with the person you are trying to help. Jesus
never said it would be easy. He said we would be blessed.
We Portray The Prince Of Peace
Jesus statement also implies that we should make peace because we portray the Prince of
Peace. In other words, we should become peacemakers because we should be like God.
Peacemaking is a God-like work.
When it says that peacemakers shall be called sons of God, the point that is
being made is that since we are doing the work of God we reflect the image of God. When
someone says to a son, "I can see your father in you," they are talking about an
inherited image. The same is true for Christians. We inherit the image of our heavenly
Father.
Being born again, we now take upon us the very nature of God. By His Spirit Jesus lives
in us and His character and personality is reflected through our lives. We become like
Christ.
It is because our actions reflect the nature of God that we are called the sons of
God. This is our testimony before God to the world.
It seems unclear from the text whether we would be called sons of God by people
or by God Himself. Perhaps it is both. People, seeing our God-like work in peacemaking,
call us children of our Father. And God calls us His children as well. This is the reward
for being a peacemaker.
Are you a peacemaker or a troublemaker? Do you seek to point people to the Prince of
Peace? Become an agent of reconciliation. Take seriously the call to be an ambassador for
Christ.
Copyright (C) 1995 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property of
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