Good morning, ladies!
Today’s beatitude is found in Matthew 5:9 and it says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” This was an interesting one for me because I used to think of being a peacemaker as being nonconfrontational and not keeping the ball rolling by joining in on the gossip. But the type of peacemaker here is actually active rather than passive. A true peacemaker helps others to resolve conflict and seek reconciliation. They pursue righteousness instead of just passively avoiding disputes. This is the difference between being a peacemaker and a peacekeeper.
Personally, I don’t like disputes, and I would rather let others always have their way than to argue my side. I ignore the elephant in the room and walk around it if possible. But that’s not what God is calling us to do. I don’t think He wants us to be nitpickers and sticking our noses into every argument we come across but I think it’s especially important within the church that we do address disputes.
Jesus is called “the Prince of Peace” because He reconciled humanity to God by sacrificing himself on the cross. He made it possible to restore our relationships with God. Actively pursuing peace often means we have to take the initiative and be direct in confronting problems. If problems are not addressed, there can be no reconciliation. It’s much easier to just avoid the problem and pretend it’s not there but aren’t we blessed that Jesus didn’t choose to avoid the problem because it was going to be uncomfortable for Him? Active reconciliation requires us to take the initiative to heal relationships rather than waiting for others to make the first move.
When division does happen, it’s important to focus on healing those hurts and attaining righteous relationships. And disagreements will happen in the church family just as it does in biological families. I wasn’t born yet when my great grandmother died, but I remember hearing that my dad didn’t attend his grandmother’s funeral because of something she did to his father. He just couldn’t forgive whatever she had done because he was that loyal to his father and loved him that much. While love and loyalty are good things, unforgiveness is never okay. Conflict resolution often means having difficult conversations to achieve genuine peace instead of the superficial peace that comes from ignoring the problem.
Being a peacemaker is a reflection of God’s character, and I believe that is why peacemakers will be called children of God. Because children take on the characteristics of their parents. We should all probably be a little afraid about our kids and grandkids mimicking our behaviors unless we are consistently trying to emulate God’s character.
Who are some peacemakers in Scripture? Jesus was the obvious best example but there were others. Joseph is a good example because he chose to reconcile with his brothers instead of seeking revenge. Considering the awful way they betrayed him, he still chose to pursue peace with them. Jonathon was another example of a peacemaker. He actively tried to make peace between King Saul and David. He saw the value of harmony rather than rivalry. Paul was also a peacemaker after Jesus transformed him from being a persecutor of Christians. Paul spent much of his time advocating for peace and reconciling relationships between Gentiles and Jewish believers.
I tried to think of what characteristics a peacemaker might have. I believe it takes courage to address problems directly. It takes impartiality to be able to negotiate peace without taking sides. It takes gentleness in words in order to not make matters worse and to calm tense situations. It takes a focus on reconciliation rather than just being right. And I think it takes the patience to endure uncomfortable situations in order for there to be a lasting solution. I believe peacemakers are committed to truth, but they share it with love and grace. Truth can’t be sacrificed just to make a situation comfortable.
Other Scriptures that address peacemaking are Romans 12:18 which states, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
James 3:17-18 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
2 Corinthians 13:11 tells us, “Finally brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” (I don’t believe this suggests that we should agree with someone who is living obviously outside of God’s will.)
Hebrews 12:14 urges, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
In conclusion, I think that peacekeeping is pretty easy and just requires us to passively ignore the conflict around us, but peacemaking is a much more difficult path and requires us to be actively involved in helping people to reconcile with God and others.
This week let’s strive to be peacemakers and if you are looking for a church to attend on Palm Sunday, please join us at the little church on the hill, it’s worth the drive!
Lori Hug
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