Blessed are the Peacemakers

Blessed are the Peacemakers

An Article by brother Gordon Wilson

The Administration of President Jimmy Carter is, regardless of party, generally regarded as having been unsuccessful. Although the President was and is very likeable and highly respected personally, there were both economic and foreign relations failures. Yet, one great achievement has saved the memory of that Administration from obloquy, if not obscurity: that remarkable outcome of negotiations known as the Camp David Accords. When, in 1978, Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel and President Amwar Sadat of Egypt were brought face to face at the presidential retreat, their negotiations were carefully guided by our President. When the two leaders then came together in Washington and signed the agreements, with President Carter signing as witness, the huge explosion that was on the verge of occurring, and that would probably have ignited the entire Middle East, was averted. Peace for that time was achieved through the laudable efforts of the President of the United States!

   I relate this bit of our national history (which occurred within the memory of many of us) to emphasize how important peace is in relationships between nations. We pursue it, and when someone achieves it honorably by wise diplomacy, even partially and temporarily, we praise him for his accomplishment. Peace is likewise sought after in less public realms; indeed we seek it always for ourselves in our jobs, in our families, and in the church. Everywhere peace reigns we feel blessed, truly happy. Jesus Himself wants it so, for His last bequest to His disciples was peace, peace even in the midst of tribulations (Jn 16:33). Jesus, however, wants more than this. He wants His followers to enjoy the peace He left them, certainly. But He wants us then to turn to others and become peacemakers. In doing so we receive a further source of happiness.

   Matthew begins his record of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount with a list of eight kinds of persons called “blessed.” (Some people count nine by dividing the last one into two). The seventh of these beatitudes is: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Mt 5:9). To “be called” in this verse is a Hebraism meaning simply to be. One who is a peacemaker is a son of God.

   The word “sons” here is also a Hebraism. The point of using the Greek word huioi is missed by those translations that render the word as “children.” I am in accord with the motive of those who want to make clear that our Lord’s promises are not limited to the male sex, but we should not ignore the special way this word was often used by Jewish speakers. It was a Jewish way of describing an individual, whether male or female. To be a “son of” meant that the person was “like” something or someone; that they partake of some of the characteristics of another. A number of examples can be cited. When James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven, lightening, to destroy a Samaritan village, Jesus applied to them an Aramaic word that means “sons of thunder.” Jewish believers gave one of the disciples by the name of Joseph the surname Barnabas, which was, according to Luke, translated “son of consolation”(Acts 4:36). When Jesus was sending out the seventy He told them to enter a house with the salutation “peace on this house.” Those who would receive them in peace were called “sons of peace” (Lk 10:6). The phrase means a peaceful person.

   In like manner, in the beatitude “sons of God” means that peacemakers are like God in that quality. They share one of His characteristics, for God is Himself a peacemaker. Throughout the OT God’s desire for peace among those who worshiped Him is emphasized. Even when He sanctioned war, the object was in order that His people should enjoy peace in the land He had given them. The Heb word for peace (shalom) appears more than 250 times, often referring to the characteristic of God; other times referring to the way God wants people to live. The prophets foretold that the eternal plan of God was to be worked out through the sending of His Son, who was to be called “Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6), and endless peace would characterize His reign (v 7). The entire Messianic age would be an age of peace (Isa 2:4). This passage does not refer to peace between nations of the world; if it did, the prophecy has certainly not been fulfilled to this day. But peace was in fact achieved by Jesus Christ through the cross, by means of which Jew and Gentile were reconciled to one another and brought together in one body (Eph 2:14-17).

   We may, then, imitate God --be His sons-- as peacemakers, by being peace preachers; that is, by proclaiming the gospel of peace to those alienated from God and from those who enjoy the peace that God bestows on those whom He favors (Lk 2:14). It is not the public preacher only who has this privilege, for the instruction is given to all Christians: “Having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15). Additionally, in all our relationships of life we should be promoters of genuine peace. Sometime back, in a study of the Sermon on the Mount, I wrote these lines: In our relations with other people our behavior and words will habitually tend toward peace and friendship or else toward strife and enmity. It is not difficult for others to see the tenor of our lives, but it is harder for us to see it for ourselves. The reason is that we can always justify what we do as “standing for the truth” and our gossip and slander as “telling it like it is.” There are people who leave behind them wherever they pass a trail of bitter feelings and hatred. Others solve problems, heal wounds, and make friends of those who were formerly enemies. The disciple of Christ ought to cultivate those qualities that will edify, and pursue the things that make for peace. Such “shall be called sons of God,” for they imitate the Father, whose entire eternal plan culminates in reconciliation and the creation of one body from those who had once despised one another.

   We may want to take notice of the fact that there are three kinds of peace –or rather three manifestations of peace, and each is produced by the grace of God with our cooperation. We have mentioned already the peace brought about between Jew and Gentile by the blood of Christ, and this kind of peace can be made between those now in the one body and those who are outside; this is done through the preaching of the gospel. It also can and ought to exist in the church as the result of brotherly love. This is peace between human beings. Second, there is peace with God, by His grace, but conditioned on our faith: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand…” (Rom 5:1, 2).  The chapter goes on to show how God, while we were yet His enemies, reconciled us to Himself. Third, there is the peace of mind that all of us long for; inward peace; an easy conscience. This can be ours if we establish the lines of fellowship with God: “And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7). The passage continues by outlining what the mind in search of peace will think on, and ends with the promised outcome: “And the God of peace will be with you” (v 9). The peace of God and the God of peace! What more could one want than a peaceful heart and the presence of Him who is the source of all peace?

   What we seek for ourselves, though, we must seek also for others; to do our best to spread peace, preach peace, and “if it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Rom 12:18).