Blessed are the Peacemakers...

... for they shall be called sons of God.

Peace is a hot topic right now. After all, we’ve been involved in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan for seven years – and we don’t know when it will end. As a nation we’re spending a lot of money on the war, and for a lot of people, it doesn’t seem like we’re getting the "bang for our buck" in the Middle East.

Many Christians continue to debate the war; is it a just war? Is there really such a thing? This isn’t a new debate, however.

There were Jews of Jesus’ time, even among his twelve disciples, who were called Zealots. This was the militaristic arm of the Jews, those who hoped to throw off the Roman rule. They sought and hoped for a warrior Messiah who would flex his muscles and return the power to them. Unlike us, most of whom enjoy relative peace, Israel only experienced peace as long as they obeyed their Roman rulers. The idea of pax romana allowed people to live like they wanted to, as long as they didn’t bother Rome. Was that really peace? Would a slave who worked for a "pretty decent" master who "didn’t beat him much" really live at peace?

Those who were expecting a military Messiah were probably shocked to hear Jesus say, "Blessed are the peacemakers." That wasn’t their kind of Messiah! Their Messiah was a warrior!
As it was, Jesus wasn’t talking to those who were the military aggressors. Though we often imagine that the Bible was originally written in English and directed straight to our culture, these words weren’t aimed at a world Superpower. They were aimed at a people who had no power. Israel wasn’t the alpha dog; they were underdogs. They didn’t rule, but they were ruled. What hope did they have of really being peacemakers?

Jesus elaborated on this concept a little later, in Matthew 5:43-48: "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven;
for He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?


And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

You can probably see that this kind of peace is going to go a bit deeper than just the absence of war! You see, that kind of peace is really no peace at all. I remember a comment (that I can’t attribute right now) that peace is simply when both sides stop fighting long enough to reload.

This isn’t the kind of peace that Jesus talks about. It’s also not a peace that says, "As long as I’m the one in power, and as long as I’m not attacked, then there will be peace."

What is peace?

True peace is complete Shalom – wholeness of body, mind, and soul. This kind of peace doesn’t just come because someone is not currently at war with someone else. It is much more than that, because true peace can be obtained even in the midst of terrible circumstances.

When I was growing up, I had this best friend named David. When we were in middle school, my sister (like many middle school girls) was boy-crazy. She liked all kinds of boys. Except for David. She hated him with a passion. Any time they were around each other, they were at each other’s throats. One time, though, David was at my house and after he left, my sister said, "Did you see that!? We didn’t fight!" That’s not true peace. That’s just a cease-fire.

Peace does more than just "get along" with someone. The peace Jesus described, the "be perfect" kind of peace, loves enemies and prays for those who torment and persecute you. Instead of just "not fighting" with people you don’t like, peace actually seeks them out with the express purpose of loving them. Hebrews 12:14 tells us to "Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Why should we do this? Because it’s just what God did for us. Romans 5:8: God proves His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Because God did this for us, we who are growing in Christ’s likeness also do this for one another. But it’s not enough to just seek out people we don’t like and trying to love them. If you’ve ever tried that, it just doesn’t work on it’s own. Peacemaking is a byproduct of righteousness.

Remember the triangle I showed you a few weeks ago? I used it to describe a married couple trying to get closer to one another, but if they’re both seeking God with everything, the byproduct is that they get closer together. This is a peacemaking concept that doesn’t just work with married couples. It works with everyone. The closer you get to God, the more you see everything through His eyes, the more peace you will have and the more peace you will share.

Thus the greatest enemy of peace isn’t war. The greatest enemy of peace is sin. Sin separates us from God and thus separates us from one another. John MacArthur goes so far as to say that "Regardless of the circumstances, where there is conflict, it is because of sin." God says in Isaiah 48:22 "There is no peace for the wicked," says the LORD. Sinful humanity cannot create peace. All of the protests and all of the disarming we could do can never create peace. This is the reason that Communism didn’t work: sin got in the way. As long as there is sin, we will not have peace.

This brings up something that seems counter-intuitive. Because sin is the root enemy of peace, and where sin remains, there cannot be peace, a peacemaker roots out sin. Peacemaking is not easy, and nor is it peaceful.

In Matthew 10:34, Jesus makes the wild statement: "Do not think I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." This statement has always confused me, because isn’t Jesus all about peace? He is – in fact, He is the Prince of Peace. So what’s this about a sword? Hebrews 4:12 can help us figure it out. "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Think about it this way: if I had to have surgery, would I tell the surgeon, "Whatever you do, don’t cut me!" That would be stupid and dangerous. Think about cancer: you probably know someone who has had a cancerous growth removed and who has not had any recurrences of the cancer. Can you imagine someone who is otherwise healthy deciding that they’d rather have the cancer spread and kill them rather than to have a skilled surgeon remove the cancer?
The peacemaker relates to sin much as the surgeon relates to cancer.

When I was in college, I got a good start with church, but I got sidetracked pretty quickly. Praise God that He even used some of my rebellion to His glory – we serve an awesome God. Anyway, one day, my fraternity brother, David, came into my room and after a little small talk, he told me, "You first invited me to church, but lately I don’t see you living that lifestyle."

That comment hurt a lot, but it was true. And David didn’t say it to hurt me; he said it to help me. David, by bringing up the truth about how I was living my life, was a true peacemaker. Peacemakers often bring pain before healing, because peace cannot exist where sin remains. Peacemakers will not "let sleeping dogs lie." They will not protect the status quo if it is ungodly and unrighteous. They are not willing to "make peace at any price."

If we are to make peace, we can’t avoid facing truth, and we can’t avoid facing others with the truth just for the sake of harmony. In the short term, I’d have rather had David just leave me alone, but I could not truly be at peace with God or with others until my disharmony with God was confronted.

In John 4, the evangelist tells of Jesus’ visit to Samaria, where he encountered a Samaritan woman at the well. We are used to Jesus treating everyone better than others would, but here’s something interesting: Jesus confronted the woman about her living arrangement when he asked her to go get her husband. She tried to change the conversation by talking about worship, and He confronted her false ideas about worship (Samaritans worship on Mt. Garazim while Jews worship in Jerusalem – Jesus said that true believers worship in spirit and truth).
Truth (with a capital T) always confronts sin, because our God is the God of peace. I’m not a big one on bumper sticker slogans, but it’s true that with no God, there’s no peace, but when you know God, you can know peace.

And only those who belong to the God of peace can be true messengers of peace. Here is what a peacemaker looks like:

  • A peacemaker has made peace with God. He or she is a believer who is constantly, continually being made clean by the Holy Spirit.
  • Leads others to make peace with God. Peacemakers aren’t an elite country-club who has peace and looks down on others who don’t. Instead, we’re a body of sinners cleansed by Jesus Christ and commissioned to carry His Gospel of cleansing to the rest of the world (not like the Pharisees). Peacemaking is built on humility, sorrow over its own sin, gentleness, hunger for righteousness, mercy, and purity of heart.
  • Helps others make peace with others. This starts with us making peace with others. The Bible tells us that even if we are bringing a gift to God, we are to leave our gift at the altar and go make peace with our brother before we offer the gift. The first step to making peace is to rebuke others about their sin – the supreme barrier to peace. In Matthew 18:15-17, we’re told that if someone in the church sins against us, we are to confront them one-on-one. If they don’t listen to you, take another church member or two with you to confront their sin. If they refuse to listen to you, you’re supposed to bring it to the church, and if they refuse to listen to the church, they are to be treated as a Gentile or a tax collector. Not to confront sin doesn’t preserve peace, but makes a truce with sin. Sin that is not dealt with will disrupt and destroy peace. In Jeremiah 8:11, God denounced the corrupt leaders of Israel for proclaiming "peace, peace" when there was no peace.
    This is a great place to make a plug for cell groups. In a cell group, you will get to know other people and will get to make peace with them and learn to trust them.
  • A peacemaker endeavors to find a point of agreement. God’s truth isn’t weakened or compromised, but there is hardly someone so horrible that we cannot find some point of agreement. Wrong theology, standards, or beliefs aren’t the place to start a peacemaking relationship. One of Rudy’s best friends is Mormon. Though they now have vigorous debates about Christianity versus Mormonism, this isn’t the way to start the relationship. Someone who doesn’t agree with you will not all of a sudden decide to listen to you when you start out on the offensive, attacking them, but just might once a point of agreement is found.

The blessing in this passage is this: Peacemakers will be called sons of God. Now, remember that when Jesus was saying this, there was a difference between being a son and a daughter. Sons were entitled to inheritances. Sonship was a relationship with the dignity and honor of the Father. This is not to say that this blessing is exclusive to the male portion of the audience. The audacious thing was that Jesus opened this blessing to women as well! Now, regardless of gender, each peacemaker has equal claim to sonship.

This is what it means to be one of God’s sons or daughters. God gives his children gifts. In Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus says this: Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread will give a snake? Or if your child asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! The parallel verse in Luke 11:13 goes like this: "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

This is the ultimate gift – God gives Himself to His children. Colossians 1:20: Through (Jesus) God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
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We are blessed to be God’s children. Complete fulfillment will happen in heaven, but partial fulfillment happens now. All heaven rejoices as another member is added to God’s family – all heaven rejoices because God named each one as His child.

A little post-script: Know that God’s peacemakers will not always have the peace of the world. Next week we’ll look at our final beatitude: peacemakers are often persecuted. In Christ we have forsaken the false peace of the world and consequently will not have peace with the world. But while we live in a world full of conflict and strife, know that you are a beloved child of God given all the rights and privileges of being his son or daughter!

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God!

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