Jesus promised the multitude that if they were peacemakers they would be called the children of God. Wonder what went through their minds as they heard Jesus speak these words. They didn’t expect their Messiah to be a peacemaker. They expected Him to set up an earthly kingdom, and that would have meant putting together an army to fight the Romans and gain control of their nation.
This must have come as a surprise to them to hear this carpenter from Nazareth pronounce blessings on those that were peacemakers. They probably felt, not only surprise, but also dismay.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines peacemaker as, “One who makes peace, especially by settling the disputes of others”. The word, “peacemaker”, is not in my Bible concordance; but the word “peace” is defined as calm, repose. The word, “peaceable” is defined as quiet, tranquil.
Jesus wants us to be calm and tranquil. He wants us to find ways of settling disputes not creating them.
There are many stories in the Bible that give us good examples of how to settle disputes. Let’s look at just a few.
In John 8, the scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus with a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. According to the Law of Moses, she could be stoned for her sin. The Jews were guilty of several transgressions of the Law for bringing this woman into the temple as they did. They also failed to bring the man she was with.
The scribes and Pharisees used this opportunity to test Jesus. Being the peaceable man that He was, He stooped and wrote on the ground. As He wrote, He simply said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”. None of them could say that he was without sin, so they went out from the temple leaving Jesus with the woman.
Jesus could have made a big deal about this, but He found a peaceable way to deal with the situation. He didn’t dismiss her sin, but rather He encouraged her to go and sin no more.
When Jesus was taken by the soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. Jesus rebuked Peter and said, “Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword”.
We see example after example of Jesus’ humility and peaceable solutions as He was persecuted, rejected, and humiliated through His trials and ultimate death. The Jews had expected an earthly king as their Messiah, one that would form and army and take away the power from the Romans. This is one of the reasons they had such a hard time accepting that He was the Christ. Jesus would not allow Peter to use his sword to defend Him against these soldiers. He went with them peaceably.
In the book of Romans, chapter 14, Paul talks to the church at Rome about an issue that arisen in the church there. There was a dispute among the members of the church regarding eating meat. Remember that under the Old Law there were restrictions regarding the eating of certain animals. There were evidently some eating meat, and others thought this was sinful. Paul said in verse 19, “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” In verse 21 Paul says, “It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, not any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak”. Paul offered a peaceful solution to the problem. He said they were not to do anything that would cause their brother to stumble or sin.
Peace doesn’t come on its own. The psalmist said in Psalm 34:14, “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it”. We have to look for it, seek it out, and pursue it.
Paul gives us several references in his letters concerning peace. He says in I Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (ASV).
As he closes the book of I Thessalonians he tells the church in Thessalonica to “be at peace among yourselves”. He talks about warning the unruly, encouraging the fainthearted, supporting the weak, and being patient and longsuffering to all men. All of those things are a part of being peaceable.
The writer of Hebrews sums up everything for us. He says in chapter 12 verse 14, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord”.
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if we would all follow this admonition to live in peace with all men? Isaiah said of the Lord, “Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea”.
We sing a song in our worship service called “It Is Well With My Soul”. The first line of this song says, “When peace like a river attendeth my way.” If we allow peace to attend our way, our lives will be very different. Every aspect of our lives will change if we pursue a peaceful life.
I leave you this week with one of my favorite passages of scripture from Philippians 4:6-7. Paul says, “In nothing be anxious; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and thoughts through Christ Jesus”.
Sandra Oliver