"With Peace & Grace" (Matthew 5:9-12 part four)

“Blessed are the peacemakers”

A “peace-maker” is not just one who desires peace or believes in peace. A “peace-maker” actively works for peace. And surely peace-making activity is what we need at so many levels. We see so much inner turmoil and violent conflict everywhere.

The history of the world is a sad tale of nation set against nation. Conflict is as old as Cain and Abel. God’s ideal of peace was shattered by the human craving for power and control. Take a moment to consider how God feels when He is forced to watch wonderfully made human beings destroy each other.

Jesus rejected violence, and chose the path of a servant (rather than a master). Jesus is weeping over the violence in the world, as he wept over Jerusalem when he observed what was going on there in his time. This violence doesn’t just happen in war, but also, so sadly, in homes, and in neighbourhoods.

What is ‘peace’? Clearly it’s more than just our desire for bit of quiet (or time to ourselves). There is a deeply spiritual component to ‘peace’. There is the Hebrew concept of “shalom” which speaks of the well-being and harmony in which people live. This is in respect of their relationship with God, and also, their relationship with their land, their neighbours, and the whole of creation. “Shalom peace” brings wholeness, completeness, soundness; and thus should lead to less and less hostility. If we are thinking about the lack of peace, then we would be caused to first look within.

In the New Testament there is a clear connection between the presence of the Holy Spirit and the possibility of peace. The gift of the Holy Spirit brings the gift of peace – 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” (John 14:27). It is the Holy Spirit that enables Jesus’ work of peace-making to continue through us. Our effectiveness as a peace-maker … derives first … from having peace with God … through having accepted God’s gift of grace and forgiveness.

We have seen (from the earlier ‘beatitudes’) that it is the “poor in spirit or the humble”, and the “mourners or the repentant” … that begin the journey of gaining the peace … that can then be paid forward (through the Holy Spirit). Again we must say, peace-making starts within ourselves, allowing the space for Jesus, ‘the Prince of Peace’, to take up residence in our lives. Jesus went on to say to his disciples, “Peace be with you; as the Father sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). Peace is a divine gift, but also a human work. There is an anonymous saying, “I wondered why somebody didn’t do something for peace – then I realised that I am somebody”.

Frank Rees, in a recent blog, defined peace this way: “Peace is not just the absence of conflict, oppression, noise or demands—though an end to all those things is deeply desirable! Peace is a much more positive and enabling concept. Peace is about the well-being of life and therefore it is about the flourishing of community. Peace is about healthy living with ourselves, each other and with the earth and all its creatures”.

So it is this “flourishing of community” that peace-makers actively promote. This would involve bringing people together who may otherwise stay separate. This is about bringing peace to relationships (starting with our own), helping to reconcile people with people, bringing individuals together, assisting families to interact as well as possible, helping groups to work together effectively, bringing harmony to communities – pointing to common and worthy goals, breaking negative cycles (of abuse); all working toward the elimination of discord and violence.

What attributes or skills does the peace-maker need to develop???

·        Calmness – important, as some people just look like they are ready for a fight all the time.

·        Another skill required – is to be able to bring a broad range of opinions together, and facilitate people moving forward together. This requires good communication skills, and a careful use of words. And this is something we all need to work on (with the Holy Spirit’s help).

We also need to be open to God’s small voice … which is why we had to work through the earlier process … up to and including being ‘pure in heart’ (pure motivations and honesty). If we can be free of any selfish agendas, we have the space to hear God’s voice when we most need it. We need to be able to model forgiveness, as opposed to bitterness or retaliation. We need to strive for peaceful homes. And I think we should add … taking special care for the vulnerable.

In the church, we have the unique calling to bring people to God, who may, for a variety of reasons have been separated from God. Sometimes, tragically, things get in the way of this mission. When, at times, people in churches are using up good energy fighting each other, people are not hearing the Gospel, and also being turned away from the Gospel. When diverse (even competing) views exist, a peace-maker actively works to hold people together, seeing the vision of love as primary.

Over time a variety of attitudes have been brought to the notion of peace-making. On the largest scale, some nations will seek peace through deterrents or strong defensive measures; others through pre-emptive strikes or even invasion. We would always have to allow the teaching of Jesus to comb its way through such activity. Conversely, many people have refused to take up arms, even when their nation has gone to war. The notion of loving enemies, and being merciful, and the predominance of love, have led many to strongly critique war and aggression.

This is all complicated … because there can be NO peace, where justice or freedom is denied, or where important issues are evaded (rather than working creatively through them). In ancient Israel, a person could not truly be at peace if their neighbour was under any oppression. Peace can NEVER be reduced just to how I feel. There is NO shalom where excess and poverty co-exist in neighbourhood and nation – when the wealth of one is at the expense of others.

There can be a sort of ‘pretend peace’ … through covering over the problems or agreeing to disagree, but this just leaves the issues simmering on the back-burner. “Peace in the sense of human community, a community of human flourishing, requires justice … where all have an opportunity to grow, learn, develop their potential” (Frank Rees). Thus peace-making may have a long struggle attached to it (involving some pain); working towards new ways of living together that prevent conflict or oppression and enable peaceful living. Ross Langmead wrote, “The task is huge, and all we can do is bite off a small corner and begin chewing away at it”.

From Paul, who knew something about conflict … Romans 12:18 – “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all”. There is the concession here that sometimes it may not be possible, or at least out of our control or influence. But there may still come a day, a day we might even pray for, where we can share a word or a good deed, that speaks volumes into a place of hostility. “Instead of delighting in division, bitterness, strife, or some petty ‘divide-and-conquer’ mentality [that’s the world], disciples of Jesus delight to make peace wherever possible” (D A Carson).

After a stabbing attack in SW Sydney on Saturday 10th September that left grandfather Wayne Greenhalgh in hospital with serious injuries, two Anglican pastors visited Minto mosque with a message of support. In a letter they delivered to the mosque, seven Anglican ministers from South West Sydney said, "We know that the overwhelming majority of our Muslim neighbours want nothing more than to live peaceful lives, working together with everyone else to make Australia a great place to be". The letter encouraged all people in the local community to "rise to the challenge of reaching out in love and friendship to our Muslim neighbours at this difficult time".

The blessing of being a “peace-maker” … is to be regarded so like God, that we can be “called” his children. I want to be called a child of God (mainly by God)! This is how important peace-making and reconciling is – it taps into the very centre of who God is. God is a Peace-maker, and we cannot be like God, or grow into the image of Jesus, without being a peace-maker ourselves. You cannot initiate, perpetuate or ignore conflict, and truly be a child of God. How much does the world need to see the children of God!? Romans 8:19 reads, “… the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God”. You can’t get any bigger need than that.

The call to be a “peace-maker” naturally leads on to the thought of persecution, because people who are content in their hates and prejudices, won’t be particularly warm to a peace-maker. Some level of persecution seems inevitable when we have adopted the earlier ‘beatitudes’. The arrogant don’t understand the humble. The care-free don’t understand the repentant. The ‘closed of opinion’ don’t understand the ‘open’. The apathetic doesn’t understand an appetite for purpose. The world doesn’t understand the (Holy) Spirit. The revengeful or heard-hearted don’t understand the merciful. The selfish don’t understand the ‘pure in heart’.

Courage – “Blessed are the Persecuted”

John Stott wrote, “Persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value systems”. We can have many things in common with most people … just from being human. The crunch often comes when we state and live out an allegiance to Jesus. And this is the crunch that needs to come, lest we live a sort of double-life, where any difference we may make for good gradually dissipates. In some ways, persecution (which we might define as … an attack or opposition to what we believe and who we are) is a compliment, because the words you are saying and the role you are playing is significant, and being noticed, and making a difference for good. Persecution is good, in that it brings an end to nominal Christianity (people just going through the religious motions) – only the real Jesus-followers will be seen, for they will be ones who can endure and persist, as they demonstrate their allegiance, loyalty and good works – and great is their reward in heaven.

When Jesus lived out what he was teaching … the people stuck him on a cross. What people don’t understand, they tend to destroy (or at least strike out against). How then did this play out for the Jesus-followers of the first century? They suffered ridicule, slander, social isolation, torture, imprisonment and execution. Why? They were different – their conduct and moral integrity threatened the consciences of others. Their ethics – the way they felt about and treated other people – challenged the ‘dog-eat-dog’ social norms of the time. They refused to worship Caesar or any other ‘gods’. They promoted mercy – i.e. forgiveness and compassion.

We might be okay with the word ‘witness’, because it might sound mild compared to what we are talking about here. However, the same Greek word that is translated “witness” in some places, is also translated “martyr” in other places [depending upon context]. In the first century to be a ‘witness’, was likely also to mean being a ‘martyr’. As we follow in the way of the first disciples, they followed in the way of God’s righteous ‘prophets’ before them – experiencing opposition.

Opposition can happen when we are working on the side of righteousness (God’s ways and will), and working on Jesus’ account i.e. being willing to, or preferring to, suffer for what is right and fair (whatever than means in terms of sacrifice – financial, time, position), rather than just accepting injustice; standing up for people, rather than letting them be oppressed or discriminated against. This involves being willing to stand out in the crowd when necessary; but also to quietly work away at building relationships with due patience. This involves seeking to be consistent in all contexts and all circumstances (no matter what group of people we are with). And we grow in trust that God will provide.

So the lesson here is ‘courage’ (a very real application of faith) … no room for fear, and absolutely no room for promoting fear. With courage and faith we can challenge the world’s values. We come to accept our present toil and tears, remaining steadfast, however much shaken, in our commitment to God.

This is a call to courage ... just like from the psalmist of old - "Even though I walk through the darkest valley [or, the valley of the shadow of death], I fear no evil; for you are with me" (Psalm 23:4a). To truly be with Jesus we must go to the valley of death, not to a bubble that has removed itself from the world [idea from Gemma Bell, CCVT magazine "The Edition", August 2016, p.31].

Claude Alexander, bishop of The Park Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, urges Christians from all walks of life to step up into bold leadership. Here's his take on bold leadership: There are questions that beg to be answered. There are dilemmas to be overcome. There are gaps to be filled, and the challenge is for you to fill them. That is the essence of the high call of spiritual leadership. There is a purpose for your being here. You are meant to answer something, solve something, provide something, lead something, discover something, compose something, write something, say something, translate something, interpret something, sing something, create something, teach something, preach something, bear something, overcome something, and in doing so, you improve the lives of others under the power of God, for the glory of God.

And there is a blessing attached for this level of courage and boldness (the same blessing as for the “poor in spirit”) – truly knowing God. Part of this blessing is the knowledge that God dwells within any trials and suffering that comes as a result of our living for Jesus. Out of this persecution comes the opportunity for growth. It is those living on the edge (out of their comfort zone), sharing their faith (against the tide) – thus likely to face persecution of some kind – who will experience a special measure of God’s presence (and enabling power), and get to grow (toward their full potential). In our courageous bearing of suffering, we really experience God.

Paul epitomises this blessing in Romans 8:31-39:

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 

32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 

33 Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 

34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 

35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." 

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 

39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Conclusion

As we look at all these ‘beatitudes’ and consider how close we are to them, and how much we experience the “blessing”, we should think in two ways: (i) we are works in progress that God is not finished with yet; and (ii) we should feel discontent until we have pushed the envelope as far as we can … pushing ourselves up the growth curve (or rather, allowing the Holy Spirit to get the job done). The goal is always … becoming like Jesus.