Blessed are the Peacemakers
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The Beatitudes
[Jesus] said:
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 be shown 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 because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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Blessed are the Peacemakers for they will be called children of God
I was privileged to visit the Chapel of the Sermon on the Mount in 2010 where the Beatitudes were first preached by Jesus. I did wonder, as I stood at that place, how did his voice carry to the back of a crowd of thousands on that small Mount. I could imagine myself at the back of the crowd, like Brian, in the Monty Python film ‘The Life of Brian.’ Brian misheard Jesus’ words and passed on the message, ‘Blessed are the cheesemakers.’ Like Chinese whispers he misheard, ‘Blessed are the Peacemakers.’ Thus, cheese makers were venerated.
But, that’s not how it was, Matthew’s Gospel clearly states that Jesus turned to his disciples and taught these ‘blessed’ words, so these ‘beatitudes’ were taught to the disciples and a crowd may have gathered around but the disciples were closest to him. Thankfully, we have an accurate account of the Lord’s words passed down the oral tradition until the disciple Matthew put quill to papyrus.
Blessed are the Peacemakers is the seventh beatitude…..
“Blessed are the Peacemakers - for they shall be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
Peacemakers
In sport, when a player fouls another, the other and some of their teammates will often find a way to retaliate. The real world believes in retaliation. When Jesus blessed peace-makers, he went against our nature. Make peace, show tough, wise love. This makes no sense unless we remember what we are about as Christians [1] is to lead people to Christ, (changing their lives now and saving their eternal souls); and, [2] to pray in the Kingdom of God which will transform society.
“There is no disguising the hazardous prospects when we dare to embrace the seventh beatitude. Jesus’ ministry brought peace to others, it also led to his rejection and death on the cross.”
Rob Warner SOTM, pg. 84.
Every Christian according to Jesus, is meant to be a peacemaker both in the community and in the church. In this second set of four beatitudes, the fifth to the eighth, there is a natural sequence from being merciful in verse 7, to purity of heart, verse 8 and peace-making in verse 9.
Our Lord as the Prince of peace, calls us to be makers of peace. 1 Peter 3:11, ‘Seek peace and pursue it,’ Hebrews 12:14, ‘make every effort to live in peace with all,’ and ‘so far as it depends on you live at peace with everyone,’ Romans 12:18.
Let us explore this Seventh Beatitude in three sections, Meaning, Understanding, and finally, the Gospel.
Meaning
Understanding
Gospel
Meaning
1 The Hebrew word for peace is well known, ‘Shalom.’ It means everything that makes for a person’s highest good. It is a multi-layered prayer for
peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquillity.
When someone says ‘Shalom’ they do not mean simply the absence of trouble for that person but that they wish for the other the presence of all good things - both the presence and the enjoyment of good things.
2 The blessing is on peacemakers not peace lovers. Many love and prefer peace, who wouldn't, but by avoiding a difficult situation or a demand some may be creating trouble in future. Peace does not come from avoiding issues it comes from tackling them and gaining victory through Christ who strengthens us (Philipians 4:13). Furthermore, peace-making is not peace at any price. The cost of our peace was immense, our Lord’s death on the cross. Peace-making will inevitably be costly. Jesus does not pronounce blessing on those who live peacefully but rather those who are active in establishing peace, peace-making.
Understanding
This beatitude could be understood in three ways
1 Peacemakers are people who attempt to establish right relationships between people. There will be the cost of listening, being unprejudiced, and seeking to understand two or several opposing points of view, risking ridicule and possibly failure in order to be peacemakers. There are many Christians within church and society who cannot stomach bitterness they feel the need, the call to bring parties together to heal the rifts and see peace restored. Bless it are the peacemakers. This fits in with the block of four that I referred to earlier merciful, pure in spirit, peacemakers, and then of course the eighth ‘those who are persecuted,’ or who suffer for Christ.
2 Peacemakers could also mean listen to those who make this world a better place for all. World leaders like Abraham Lincoln who said, “Die when I may, I would like it to be said of me, that I always pulled up a weed and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.” These are people who lifted the world a bit and left it a better place.
3 Peacemakers could also have personal spiritual meaning, blessed is the person who makes peace in their own heart and soul. In the turmoil within for any believer, there are always temptations to go against God's will> In the Christian life it often feels like we are in a spiritual battle and that the battlefield is us! So in a very real sense a person who finds spiritual peace through a daily walk with the Lord and continuously casts cares on him will indeed be a peacemaker within. However, I am not convinced that this is what Jesus had in mind when he said blessed are the peacemakers. I favour the first explanation.
Gospel
Jesus' peace-making made him an activist over three years of his public ministry to seek and save the lost, Luke 19:10.
In Luke 9:51, His resolve was unflinching when he travelled to Jerusalem for the last time knowing it would be when he would be wounded for our transgressions …. and that the chastisement of our peace would be upon him (Isaiah 53:3). He was unwavering despite knowing he was the suffering servant who did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Matt 20:28). He is our peace prince, praise his name. Because of his peace-making, we have peace with God, we are children of God and are invited to call him Abba, our Father in heaven.
There are also those who feel a strong call to bring peace between God and others, reaching to the lost, these too are peacemakers who partner the Lord in this evangelistic ministry. We must never forget however that search for reconciliation between God and persons is a work of the Holy Spirit, through the blood of Christ. It is not simply a matter of a peacemaker forcing the good news onto an unsuspecting target (Colossians 1:20). Nonetheless, all Christians have a responsibility or rather, a mission, to ‘gossip the Gospel.’ This proclamation must be a regular central tenant of every member of every church. It is indeed a great joy to guide a friend on their way to peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
There was no promise in our Lords speaking of these beatitudes that they would be easy, or peacemakers would succeed but that there would be blessing, for they, for you will be called children of God.
In 1998 a 33-year-old Vietnamese woman named Kim Phu placed a wreath at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington and gave a short speech. When Kim Phu was 9 years old, her picture went viral around the world. Her village was bombed in a United States napalm attack. Her two brothers were killed. Kim Phu's clothes were burned off her. In the photograph, this little girl was running, naked, in pain and terror. Twenty-four years later, she spoke to a hushed crowd in that Vietnam Memorial: "I have suffered a lot from my physical and emotional pain. Sometimes I thought I could not live, but God saved my life and gave me faith and hope. If I could talk face to face with the pilot who dropped the bomb, I would tell him we cannot change history, but we should try to do things for the present and for the future to promote peace."
