Peacemakers
The Blessed Way - 7
“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9
When we think of peacemaking, we usually think of people who are pleasant and able to mediate conflict. As important as those gifts are, Jesus’ call to be peacemakers is not simply an exhortation to be more diplomatic. Neither is it a call to false peace which comes by overlooking obvious sin to the sake of pretended harmony. Instead He promises blessing to those who seek to restore and reorder relationships in the way that He did while on earth.
Making peace usually involves sacrifice. When there is a division between two people, someone must step into the gap. We often resist because we think, “If I give, that means I’m admitting fault. He or she should be the one to do it instead.” That’s where we have a perfect example. Jesus came into a world filled with strife. There was strife between Jews and Romans, between Jews and Samaritans, and even strife within various Jewish groups. Most of all, there was no peace between God and man. When Jesus came, He sacrificed Himself to make peace between us and His Father. His earthly ministry gives glimpses of His peacemaking work among those groups who were at odds. He showed us the way to make peace – now we’re called to that same sacrificial work while we point others to the Peacemaker.
Jesus’ words overturn our natural way of being in the world and reveal a new way. We don’t just give of ourselves blindly; we give in faith, knowing that in due season we shall reap if we don’t lose heart. Your sacrificial work of pursuing peace between God and your neighbors, you and your neighbors, and even between embittered neighbors will end with your Father welcoming you home as His child.
This can be a discouraging work, since we often don’t see the results we wish for. We should take a lesson from King David. He had hopes that his work of defeating God’s enemies would end with a peaceful kingdom for Solomon. Though it was a time of peace, God was not finished yet. There would be another King who would come, bringing peace not just to Israel but throughout the world. When we walk in God’s greater path of blessing, the one that demands humility, meekness, love of justice, mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking, we are establishing pockets of God’s kingdom, small though they are. This is the path not only to our own happiness, it is way the world discovers who Jesus is and what He has done.
Take whatever opportunity God gives you to pursue peace with your neighbors and tell them of the peace brought by Christ. Doing so is God’s way of showing His children to the world.
The Lord be with you all,
Matt