Ephesians 2:13-18: 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15 He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.
Matthew 5:1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Blessed Are the Peacemakers
This morning in our series on the beatitudes we come to, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God.” We start with a rather horrifying statistic. In the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 of all those years have not had war. I did the math for you. That means only 7% of the time have we had peace. The other 93% of the time there has been war. Currently there is war in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar. That’s just what I got in a quick look at CNN. There probably are other wars going on also. If we consider those of us here in our congregation today, we have lived through World War Two, the Korean War, the War in Vietnam, two Gulf wars, war in Bosnia and Kosovo and the war in Afghanistan. And that’s just wars our own country has been involved in. Why is it so hard for us to maintain peace in our world? I could talk about ideologies, economics, social problems, oil, religion, many reasons but when we get to the true bottom of it, there is only one reason we have war. Sin. That’s the total reason in one word, we have war in our world because we have sin in our world. The problem lies within people’s hearts and until people’s hearts are changed by the Holy Spirit there will never be peace.
The first four beatitudes, poor in spirit, mourning, meekness, hungering and thirsting for righteousness are attitudes that God forms in us when we are filled with God’s Holy Spirit. These “beautiful attitudes” then are further worked out in us and cause more changes in our hearts. Martyn Lloyd-Jones suggests each of the first four are linked to each of the last four. So poor in spirit results in being merciful, mourning for our sin causes us to be pure in heart and today’s beatitude of being peacemakers results from being meek. Only those who are meek, who are able to put aside their own self-interest and self-concern can be peacemakers.
Meekness is a disposition that is free of arrogance and pride. It is a calm, peaceful state of mind. When we are meek we will have a gentle spirit because we will trust God. At the same time we will possess strength and self-control which we will exhibit in extending love rather than retaliation against any who wrong us. It takes meekness to be a peacemaker.
When we fully understand what Jesus is saying in this beatitude, when the Holy Spirit applies it to our troubled hearts, it can bring both inner peace and allow us to be instruments of peace in our world. It is impossible to be an effective mediator until we first achieve inner peace. When I took mediation training through the Carlisle Presbytery the importance of a non-anxious presence was stressed. Non-anxious means you are relaxed when all around you others are upset and angry. It’s the ability to remain calm in stressful situations. The only way to a non-anxious presence is to first have an inner peace that cannot be shaken by the world around us.
Jesus gave us His peace. Through Him, we can know true inner peace. In John 14:27 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” Aren’t those wonderful, encouraging words? Through our relationship with Christ we can have a true peace that keeps fear and anxiety at bay.
The Message translates this verse as, “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.” Peace within and peace without. Internal and external. Peacemakers work for peace in families, congregations, communities, countries and the entire world.
Let’s take the term peacemaker apart. Peace comes from the Hebrew word shalom. The Biblical concept of shalom has a deeper meaning than just the absence of strife. It encompasses the totality of our being. It involves health, wholeness, peace, and well-being.
The second half of the term, maker, implies that we are active. We are not passive but actively pursue peace in all its fullness. We pursue more than just the absence of conflict; we pursue all the wholeness and well-being implied by shalom. Peacemakers seek to extend wholeness, God’s shalom to others.
The beatitudes continue to build on each other. Last week we talked about being pure in heart and this week we find that only those whose hearts are pure can be peacemakers. People with hearts filled with jealousy, envy, anger, lust and other horrible things can never be peacemakers. Those who live to criticize and judge others cannot be peacemakers. Those who delight in gossip and quarrelling cannot be peacemakers. Only those who are meek, who can put aside self-interest and self-concern can be peacemakers. To be a peacemaker we cannot be sensitive, touchy or on the defensive. We need to maintain a neutral presence, as I said before, a non-anxious presence.
Now don’t start thinking that a peacemaker is a wishy-washy pushover. Oh no. A peacemaker is not someone who is easy-going and ignores things going on around them as long as it doesn’t involve them directly. A peacemaker is not someone who avoids conflict at any cost, appeasing everyone around them. A peacemaker is not someone who is always tolerant of others, a ‘you do your thing and I’ll do mine’, never mind the cost. A true peacemaker is not afraid to make waves and to stand up for the truth. A peacemaker is always honest, judging the situation around them and clearly sees what is happening. A peacemaker is willing to risk pain. It’s very easy to let things slide, to go with the flow but a peacemaker is willing to risk and take the hard but necessary steps. Peacemaking cannot take place without a radical change in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit working inside us; changing us to be more gentle, humble and loving people.
Let’s turn to Jesus as the perfect example of a peacemaker. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be called the Prince of Peace. Listen to Isaiah 9 verses 6 and 7. 6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore.” The Prince of Peace will bring peace forever more. At His birth Luke tells us the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to all whom he favors!” (Luke 2:14) Paul, speaking of Jesus said in Colossians said, 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. (1:19-20) Christ made peace through His blood. Jesus is our Peacemaker.
Our first text was from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in which he explains how Jesus brought peace, breaking down the dividing wall, the hostility between the Gentiles and the Jews. This peace came to us through the blood of Jesus, through His sacrifice for us on the cross. Jesus Christ is the ultimate peacemaker. It cost Him his life to bring peace but Jesus willingly gave His life to create in Himself one new humanity for it is through Jesus that we have access in the Holy Spirit to the Father. That is why the blessing with this beatitude is that we will be called “children of God.” God Himself will adopt us as His sons and daughters. Jesus the Son of God brought peace and by acting as peacemakers we are acting as sons and daughters of God.
Our closing hymn today was written in 1955 by Sy Miller and Jill Jackson Miller. They wrote a song about their dream of peace for the world and how they believed each one of us could help create it. One summer evening in 1955, a group of 180 teenagers of all races and religions, meeting at a workshop high in the California mountains locked arms, formed a circle and sang a song of peace. They felt that singing the song, with its simple basic sentiment – ‘Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me,’ helped to create a climate for world peace and understanding.
‘When they came down from the mountain they brought the song with them and started sharing it. And, as though on wings, ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth’ began an amazing journey around the globe. It traveled first with the teenagers back to their homes and schools, churches and clubs. Soon the circle started by the teenagers began to grow. Before long the song was being shared in all fifty states. The song spread to all corners of our globe. In Sy Miller’s words again: ‘This simple thought, ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth, and Let It Begin With Me’ first born on a mountain top in the voices of youth, continues to travel heart to heart – gathering in people everywhere who wish to become a note in a song of understanding and peace—peace for all humanity.”
We too can be part of the song, we too can work for peace. Peace in our families, in our communities, in our country and in our world.