The Joy of Lament: Present Day Peace Makers

 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God - Matthew 5:9

Expressions such as “Like father like son” and “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” are common and we know what’s being communicated when people use them whether in a flattering context or a resentful one. Jesus is still shifting our gaze upward. He is laying bare the heart of the Law of God and intentionally making us feel the weight of our unworthiness and inability all the while calling us to Himself to receive the relief our souls desperately need. He began this tiny shift in verse 7 where He commands us to be merciful considering the mercy we have received and then in verse 8 where He commands us to live out of a pure heart renewed by The Spirit. Here He is calling us to be present day peace makers, but what is that exactly?

To answer that question, we must look to our example, Christ Jesus – The Son of God. What is the peace that Christ came to bring? Well, certainly there is the coming day when He will usher in a new heaven and a new earth and the wolf will lie down with the lamb and the peoples will know war no more. There is that day when we will turn our weapons into plowing equipment and the child will be able to play over the den of a poisonous snake and not be hurt, but that day is His alone and while it is good and right to work toward peace as we know it on the planet that He has given us to steward, it’s not the ultimate, and here Jesus is speaking of ultimate peace. 

The need of every human heart is to be known, loved, and accepted. When sin entered the world, we lost that. The One who truly knows, loves, and accepts us had been pushed away from us by us, and though we fill ourselves with the husks of the world we are not satisfied. God has sent us His Son to reconcile us back to Himself. God set Jesus forth as the perfect propitiation for our rebellion against Him and vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead so that all who turn from themselves and their sin can be reconciled to God forever. Now, those who are called by His Name have been given this same ministry. Just as God in Christ called men to Himself so it is Christ in us pleading with all men to be reconciled to God (2^nd Corinthians 5:12-21). Just as He came to lay His life down as a ransom for many so also are, we. Jesus came to show us The Father (John 14:9 -11). He is the express image of The Invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and we, who are called by His name are to be imitators of Him and ambassadors for Him (Ephesians 5:1-2 and 2^nd Corinthians 5:16-21).

We are sons of God because we have been reconciled to Him by grace through faith in Christ alone and our sonship is proven as we mirror Christ to the world around us and lead others to Him to be reconciled to God. This is the ultimate peace and we are to do all things to this end, which leads to another question; “What does this look like on a practical level?” 

Our world is currently filled with division, selfishness, and hatred. The love of many is growing cold at an alarming rate. This is something that Jesus said would happen and it’s a direct answer to a question His disciples asked Him. In Matthew 24 after Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, they ask Him when will these things be and what will be the sign of His return.

One of the first things He says is that we are to watch and make sure that we are not led astray by false christs, then He says ethnic group will rise against ethnic group and kingdom against kingdom. I have to resist getting off track, so let’s jump down to verse 12, which is where I want us to focus. He says BECAUSE OF THE INCREASE IN LAWLESSNESS THE LOVE OF MANY WILL GROW COLD, and then He gives some examples of what this cold love will look like and we're seeing much of it in our world today. Tensions are at an all time high. Christians are dividing over politics, race, justice and many other outside things but what I think we fail to miss is that these things seem to be challenging core tenants of our Faith. To be more accurate they are challenging what we believe in our heart and it's a sad indictment that most of us DON'T KNOW WHAT WE BELIVE OR WHY. 

As a peace maker we do not sit silent on the sidelines. We speak the truth in love! We call people to repent! We tackle what's difficult without being offensive, as one Pastor has said, "The message is offensive enough there's no need for us to be." We meet people where they are. We feel their pain and enter their sorrows and struggles all while preaching Christ and displaying His character.

As peace makers we are a firm yet calming voice in a hostile world. We are joyful and long suffering. We are faithful and gentle. We are patient and exercise self control. These are the by products of a life lived in love that has not grown cold (Galatians 6:22-24). These are the marks of a peace maker because they are sons of God. 

In Christ

Storm Knight

photo credit: Aa Dil pexels.com and Epiphany Fellowship of N. Philadelphia