The Blessing of Peacemaking

Matthew 5:9

May 12, 2002

 

We often use the term "radical" to describe someone living on the edge of societal norms. He pushes the envelope of decency or propriety or culture or structure to accomplish his goals. He does not fit into the regular pattern of a society, perhaps even to the point of separating himself from civilization. He may live in remote areas or operate in "underground" fashion or even indulge in destructive practices to make his point. The "Unabomber" fit the mold; so did the "white supremacists" that bombed the black church in Birmingham in the early sixties. The college student that wanted to draw attention to his views regarding the government expressed his radical mind by bombing mailboxes in the west. Islamic fundamentalists have adopted this same kind of radical approach to destruction to draw attention to their desires. This is the kind of "radical" that we can do without!

 

But I would suggest to you that what Jesus Christ describes in the Beatitudes is nothing short of radical, however not in the typical use of the word. The Beatitudes express the character and practice of kingdom citizens, which is a life radically different from the world. Rather than causing destruction, the radical life of believers brings healing, wholeness, and the only message of peace to a world bent on self-destruction. So the challenge of the seventh Beatitude is radical when compared with the unbelieving world. But this is the kind of "radical" that the world needs. True Christianity engages in peacemaking, and that is radical. What does peacemaking imply? How does it affect the Christian and those about him?

 

I. Radical trait

 

We have been noting that the descriptions given in the Beatitudes are not commands but facts or realities of those who belong to Jesus Christ. Against the backdrop of the Jewish anticipation of a military messiah that would lead them in battling triumphantly against the Roman Empire, and a messiah that would focus on material prosperity, Jesus declared that kingdom citizens are radically different. Rather than material minded they are poor in spirit, recognizing their spiritual bankruptcy. Rather than the frivolity and worldly spirit so prevalent today, they mourn over their sin, repenting unto God, and pleading for forgiveness. Rather than the dog-eat-dog mentality, kingdom citizens are gentle, exercising self-control, bending their wills in submission to the will of God. Their greatest desire is not for fame or things but they hunger and thirst for righteousness. Because they have received mercy, kingdom citizens are merciful toward others, practicing the same kind of forgiveness they have known from Christ. Their longing is for both moral purity and single-mindedness in their devotion to Christ rather than immersing themselves in the pollutions of the world. All of this is radical! This is not a description of the typical person. But Jesus Christ sets this forth as the description of those who belong to him.

 

It is very natural that the next Beatitude addresses peacemaking, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God." I say it is natural because each Beatitude flows out of the previous one. We find holiness and peace coupled in Hebrews 12:14, "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." James explains, "the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable" (3:17). It is in the context of the redemptive work of Christ, the work that gives the foundation for purity and wholeness to the Christian, that Paul describes Christ as our peace, and the message of the gospel to Jews and Gentiles as a divine declaration of peace (Eph 2:11-18). So peacemaking will be the normal occupation for those who have come to know the peace of Jesus Christ.

 

1. Contrary to the norm

 

However, this is contrary to the normal pattern of life. We do not have to look far to discover that peace is a missing commodity from society. Check out the news and immediately you will be confronted with situations in which there is no peace. Everywhere we turn there is conflict between nations so that we find aggression and hostility on every continent. It is apparent in families as well. Consider the widespread breakup of families in our day; it inevitably happens when there is an absence of peace. Yet it is in this setting that our Lord calls his kingdom citizens "peacemakers." We are the only ones who really understand what peace is about. I do not say this in a caddy way in the least; but just look at the Middle East as an example. How many man-hours have been spent trying to negotiate peace between the hostile neighbors of the Middle East? There is a "peace summit" here, and another "peace plan" there, and then a "peace proposal" offered when those fail; yet no peace.

 

Why does it all fail? Why does it fail even on a family level in so many cases or in relationships on the job? It is because of the problem of sin in the human heart. At the very root of our lives is an antagonism to peace. That's why Paul can exult in the grace of God that finally and ultimately brings peace: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God" (Rom 5:1-2). That staggering news comes after he has exposed the root problem of sin in the first three chapters of Romans. As man refuses to acknowledge God as Lord of all, his mind is "being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful" (Rom 1:29-31). There is no peace that can grow with that kind of roots.

 

James asks the question, "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?" That is a fair question that we must ask on a family, church, community, and global level He answers with another question, "Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?" In other words, is it not selfishness, pride, self-centeredness, and greed that stand at the heart of your conflicts and quarrels? It is that desire to have one's own way with no thought for the glory of God, no thought for putting the welfare of others above one's own that leads to conflict (Phil 2:4). Where sin raises its ugly head there is the need for peace (James 4:1).

 

2. An explanation

 

But let us pause for a moment to consider the kind of peacemaking that Jesus refers to in this Beatitude: "Blessed are the peacemakers." The word is used only twice in the New Testament, once here, and the other occasion in Colossians 1:20 referring to God as the original "peacemaker" through Christ: "For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross" (1:19-20). This peace presupposes a condition of hostility, enmity, or war. It brings about a concord or reconciliation in relationships. That which caused hostility in the relationship-sin-has been conquered through the substitutionary and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ at the cross. Peace requires a price to be paid; it requires that the hostile elements be addressed decisively. It is not the same thing as appeasement, which acquiesces to enmity and conflict, ignoring the root problems, and acting as though the hostility no longer exists.

 

We've seen this so often in family and global situations. A conflict may be mounting in a family and inevitably the husband will usually attempt to ignore the problems that have created the tension and treat them as if they do not exist, when in fact they do. Britain sought appeasement with Nazi Germany prior to WWII even though Hitler continued to encroach upon other nations. Historian William Manchester made the following observation in light of what he called disgraceful journalism that suppressed the facts of what was going on in Nazi Germany:

The average Briton was better informed. To be sure, The Times was not the only paper in which rogue editors disgraced their craft by the distortion or outright suppression of the facts. Nevertheless the truth was there for those who cared to know. A majority chose to ignore it. Confronted with the prospect of another world war, they sought refuge in escapism [The Last Lion, 305, italics added].


Escapism seems to be the common practice, whether in families, relationships, churches, or nations. Instead of realizing that sin has left our whole world distorted, twisted, and wrecked without a chance of peace, we tend to ignore any personal responsibility, thus never achieving peace. It is in this kind of atmosphere that Jesus Christ sends us forth as "peacemakers." He does not call us "peace-achievers," for that would imply that we would always have success. But "peacemakers," are those that labor by the grace of God to show forth "acts of love by which we try to overcome the enmity between us and other people" [John Piper, www.soundofgrace.piper86/jp860019.htm]. We may not be successful. But on our part we seek to be faithful in bringing about reconciliation. As Paul reminds us, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men" (Rom 12:18).  I would summarize "peacemakers" in two ways: (1) he seeks to be a reflection of the inward life of peace that belongs to him through Jesus Christ, i.e., he models peace because he is at peace with God through Christ; (2) his aptitude and aim is to seek reconciliation where enmity occurs, to be an instrument in God's hands to help establish peace.

 

II. Radical practice

 

This is radical because "peacemakers" have relationships in mind in all they do. Enmity grieves them because they have realized what it is to have the enmity removed and to be at peace with God, as well as with others in the body of Christ. "Blessed are the peacemakers" is a call to a lifestyle of reconciliation, but not at the expense of purity or truth. Peace with God comes only on the basis of divine truth. And it is no less true that peace in relationships will take place only on the basis of divine truth as well.

 

1. When peace is not peace

 

But there is a "peace" that is not real peace. I say this in light of the various peace-movements that have been part of the world scene the past 30-40 years. I find it ironic that some of the groups that yell "peace" the loudest are the most violent in relationships. They are ready for you to lay down your principles and beliefs to have peace with them, while they will not budge from their ideology. Others pursue peace through appeasement that is, the shifting, realigning, and dropping of convictions and beliefs for the sake of figurative peace. We see this constantly in the political world. It also happens in families when parents drop convictions to appease the fit throwing of their children in order to have peace. Couples do it without removing the barriers to reconciliation. But I would suggest to you that none of this is peace. It may be a temporary cease-fire, but it is not peace.

 

We see this in the story of King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Jehoshaphat, for the most part, was a godly but naive king that sought to bring reconciliation between Israel and Judah. But to do this he had to accommodate the ungodly Ahab, thus appeasing him in order to produce peace. There was no foundation for peace, no principles upon which to build peace, and certainly no selfless spirit between the two. Jehoshaphat almost lost his life as a result of his false peace with Ahab, who suckered him into battle with Syria as an ally of Israel.

 

Peacemaking is radical but it is not to be foolish, without convictions and without a biblical basis.

 

2. Arenas to pursue

 

There will be several areas that Christians are to busy themselves in peacemaking. First is in the arena of the family. When you have sinful people living together under one roof you face inevitable tension, difficulties, misunderstandings, and sometimes major problems. Remarks are made without thought that end up creating hurt and division. Wounds are created through neglecting one another or by acts of selfishness. This may result in "Cold War" tensions at times, and sometimes open hostility. We must not try to cross the globe building bridges in others lives when we need to pursue pace in our homes.

 

Peace begins at home by checking our personal ambitions. Have we pursued some course of life, some private goal, some secret delight to the point that we have ruined relationships with a spouse or child or parent? Then go back and inventory your ambitions. Look at your attitudes with an honest and open mind. Think through about how you have treated others in your family. Have you shown compassion? Have you accepted their weaknesses and labored to help them develop more strength? Have you modeled the mercy and gentleness of Christ toward them? The issue is not how they have treated you or how they have spoken to you, but rather how have you pursed a peaceful relationship with the other person(s) in the name of Christ?

 

What can you do to bring genuine reconciliation, harmony, and peace in your home? It will not happen by a dogged desire to get your own way, or an insistence that the other person must do the changing. Instead of focusing on the other person's sins and problems, focus on your own sins. Deal with those things that keep you from showing the love of Christ to the other person. As Jesus put it later in the Sermon on the Mount, "Treat people the same way you want them to treat you" (7:12).

 

The second arena to pursue peace is in the church. We have considered recently the exhortation in Ephesians 4:3, "being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Peace is viewed as the cord that binds together the different shapes, sizes, personalities, temperaments, backgrounds, and cultures of church members into one body that manifests unity. It is the peace of reconciliation through Christ to God and to one another that serves as the foundation for peace and unity.

 

Consider the nature of the church as the body of Christ, and how you as part of the body are described. You are the Bride of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit, the building that Christ builds, the ones for whom Christ died, joint-heirs with Christ, and the focus of the eternal love of God. I think that we can admit that disagreements are normal even in this kind of setting, but disunity and conflicts are inexcusable for those who are in Christ. So "blessed are the peacemakers" as they diligently labor to make sure the body of Christ reflects the peace and unity that belongs to the Church.

 

At the root of discord in the church will be strange teaching that produces legalism, as in Galatia, or antinomianism, as in Colossae. Or it involves misplaced affections, with a desire for power, egotism, grabbing for positions like that of Corinth. Or it involves selfishness or an inward focus so that we neglect the many exhortations involving "one another" as we find slowly creeping into Philippi. It is rather apparent that if there is discord in the body there is a problem of sin at the root. For peace to reign, sin must be dealt with according to God's Word. This inevitably brings us back to the gospel.

 

One more arena for peace is in the community. Here we face a different challenge. We must recognize that we are the salt and light for Christ in the community. Consequently, we are to have a pungently preserving effect upon those about us, as well as gospel light for them to see the way to the cross of Christ. We may become arbiters of peace at our jobs or at school because others recognize that we know something of peace experientially, and recognize that we will seek to be fair in dealing with others. This will involve us in the right use of biblical principles. We cannot apply to an unbeliever what God has promised believers. So we must use the opportunities in the community to show that ultimately we have peace through Jesus Christ and the gospel.

 

3. Ways to peacemaking

 

Let me identify four ways to practice what Jesus says belong to believers in "blessed are the peacemakers."

 

First, we help to preserve and cultivate peace in the way we use our tongues. Sometimes, perhaps more often than not, it is in learning when not to speak. A word spoken rashly or in anger or in a cutting way can drive a wedge in relationships. Speaking our minds is not necessarily a virtue! Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes, "The peacemaker is a man who does not say things. He often feels like saying them, but for the sake of peace he does not" [The Sermon on the Mount, 124]. This does not imply that you avoid communication, but rather that you avoid the misuse of the tongue.

 

Second, we help to preserve and cultivate peace through gospel conversations. The gospel has a leavening effect upon those about us. Ultimately, it is the gospel that brings peace to a life through Jesus Christ. "Peacemakers" are evangels of the good news of Christ.

 

Third, we help to preserve and cultivate peace through taking a positive approach with others. By this I mean that we are positive when we hold our tongue from speaking guile. But we are also positive when we find that someone with whom we are estranged has a need and we seek to meet it. Did Jesus tell us to "club your enemies"? He said to feed them. Showing concern for those that desperately need peace will possibly provide the means to peace. This is where we bear others burdens, take the time to listen and empathize with them, try to understand their plight, and seek to be gentle in dealing with them.

 

Fourth, we help to preserve and cultivate peace through the way we live. Our attitudes and actions go a long way to cultivate peace. Lloyd-Jones comments, "We do this by being selfless, by being lovable, by being approachable and by not standing on our dignity" (125, also some of the basic ideas of the four ways were from Lloyd-Jones).

 

III. Radical identity

 

The promise found in this Beatitude gives "peacemakers" great assurance of their standing with God: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." This is a far cry from the 1960's when radicals called for peace on one hand while they bombed buildings, caused riots, and abused others. They were identified by particular dress styles, or lack of style, by certain slogans and chants, by particular hand signs and emblems. They were easy to spot because of their identification with peace symbols, ragged bellbottoms, scruffy hair, and often glazed eyes. The radical peacemakers of God's kingdom are identified much differently, "for they shall be called sons of God."

 

1. Family character

 

The use of "sons of" is a common Hebraism that we find in numerous places in Scripture. Paul calls unbelievers "sons of disobedience" meaning that they are characterized by disobedience (Eph 2:2). Jesus described the impetuousness of James and John by calling them "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17). So what Jesus implies is that peacemaking is so much like God that Christians are characterized in their peacemaking as being like God. Is there a greater commendation than that?

 

I wonder, do others look at the way you treat relationships with family, church family, co-workers, fellow-students, people in the community, and say that you remind them of the way God would treat them?

 

2. Thoroughly Christian

 

What Jesus is doing in this Beatitude is giving us another characteristic to test the veracity of our Christianity. We know that we are Christians by the practice of being poor in spirit, mourning over sin, gentleness, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, being merciful, being pure in heart, and being peacemakers. That is the whole rationale for the Beatitudes. They do not come as commands but as realities of genuine faith.

 

Conclusion

 

What does this Beatitude say about your Christianity? Does it verify your faith? Or does it call into question whether or not you have truly been born again? It is "peacemakers" that will be called "sons of God."

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by South Woods Baptist Church.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:

Copyright South Woods Baptist Church. Website: www.southwoodsbc.org. Used by permission as granted on web site. Questions, comments, and suggestions about our site can be sent here.