Making peace
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. –Matthew 5:9 (NIV)
We live in a world and in a culture where peace is hard to find. In fact, it seems to be getting harder by the day. It feels like we are more willing than ever to draw our lines, find our tribe, and launch missiles (verbal or otherwise) at those we consider our enemies. We divide ourselves by race, by sex, by religious affiliation, by politics… the list goes on. In the past year, many have even chosen to divide themselves by how we have responded to the ever-changing landscape of a pandemic! We do have an enemy and there is a battle we need to fight. But first, let’s talk about peace.
When Jesus spoke to His followers about peace, He had no illusion that the world was going to magically wake up one morning and be a more peaceful place. It has been said that peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God. When people of the world think of peace, they generally think of stopping hostilities, of resolving conflict, of a cease-fire. They think in terms of keeping peace. There are a few ways to be a peacekeeper; we see it between people, communities, and nations.
Appeasement – I capitulate to the demands of another to avoid conflict.
Domination – I operate from a position of strength and impose my will.
Negotiation – I compromise to get part of what I wanted, living to fight another day.
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. -John 16:33
We saw an example of this recently in the situation that unfolded in Afghanistan. Regardless of how you feel about whether the US military should have been there in the first place, whether it was time to get out, or how that decision was executed, one thing is clear: There was no peace. As long as the US maintained a presence, the situation remained relatively stable and much safer than it would have otherwise been. But there was no meeting of the minds. The forces in play were never going to gather around the campfire and sing “Kum ba Yah”. Immediately after the US began its withdrawal, Islamic extremists came in to rape, kill, and pillage. The US forces on the ground had been there to keep peace, not to make peace.
In peacekeeping, one party usually has the advantage. There may be a “good guy” and a “bad guy”, and we may root for the good guys, but someone is going to win and someone is going to lose. Even in compromise, there is winning and losing, but both parties are willing to lose a little now to keep the discussion going, oftentimes with the hope of winning a little bit more later. Peacekeeping is not the same as peacemaking.
We were God's enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Now that we are God's friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ's life! –Romans 5:10 (GNT)
Peacemaking involves not only an end to hostilities, but reconciliation, a harmony between two parties that were previously at war. It is the introduction of an idea or a purpose or a person that transcends the discussion and makes the previously held positions of disagreement pale in significance. When Jesus discussed peacemakers, this is what He had in mind. Next week, we will explore a case study of how Jesus made peace.