Blessed Are the Peacemakers
Thinking about Matthew 5:9.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)
A peacemaker is someone “who cultivates peace” (Mounce).
God’s people being individuals who cultivate peace is emphasized throughout the Scriptures - and Jesus’ role in bringing peace is a critical component of the gospel message.
8 Proverbs on Peace for Daily Living.
The book of Proverbs reminds us that pursuing and cultivating peace is the wise way to live. Rejecting peace or promoting strife is to embrace the foolish life.
1. Sudden disaster comes to those who sow discord rather than peace.
A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing. (Proverbs 6:12-15)
2. God hates the sowing of strife among brethren.
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)
3. Planning peace brings joy.
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy. (Proverbs 12:20)
4. Pride and arrogance do not bring peace.
By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom. (Proverbs 13:10)
5. Being slow to anger deescalates strife.
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger…A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention. (Proverbs 15:1, 18)
6. God can make even the enemies of His faithful people be at peace with them.
When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:7)
7. Our homes should be a peaceful retreat.
Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife…It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. (Proverbs 17:1; 21:9)
8. It is an honorable thing to take peaceful action.
It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling. (Proverbs 20:3)
These few passages remind us that the path of wisdom includes pursuing peace and being people whose lives are characterized by peace.
But what we find as we move into the New Testament is that we have chosen a very different path - the foolish path.
Jesus as the Great Peacemaker.
In choosing to sin (Romans 3:23), we rebelled against God and became His “enemies.” When we had followed the path that led us away from peace with God, Jesus came and died for us so that we might be brought back to God.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:10-11)
We were once God’s enemies because of our sins, but Christians have now been reconciled to God through the death of His Son. Jesus reconciles us to God and makes peace through His blood.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:19-20)
God reconciles the world to Himself in Christ, and we serve Him by taking the message of reconciliation to the world (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). This message of reconciliation and peace is for both Jews and Gentiles - all people are reconciled to God in the one body of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. (Ephesians 2:14-17)
However, the peace that Jesus brings does not bring peace as this world expects. The message of peace in Christ Jesus will sometimes cause the ones we love the most to turn against us (Matthew 10:34-39).
When that happens - when we are mistreated - how should the followers of Jesus Christ respond?
God’s Children as Peacemakers.
Live peaceably with all people.
Everything within the Christian’s control must be done to live in peace with all people – even people who mistreat us and pay us “evil.”
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:17-19)
We must make our minds up to “do what is honorable in the sight of all.” This means not “taking justice into our own hands” when someone does us wrong. Just as Jesus “committed Himself to Him who judges righteously,” so must we as His followers.
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:21-24)
Why should we seek to live peaceably with all people - even people who mistreat us? Because our Savior came and died for us - even for those who mistreated Him, and He did not return their evil words to them or threaten those who tortured Him.
We are called to follow in the steps of our Savior.
Desire to lead a peaceful and quiet life.
A Christian’s prayers for government leaders ought to be motivated by a desire to “lead a peaceful and quiet life” that is “godly and dignified in every way.”
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)
This kind of behavior is acceptable to God and consistent with God’s desire that all people be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
The words Paul uses for “quiet” and “peaceable” paint an interesting picture.
Have you ever been out in the woods all by yourself, and you just stopped and listened? That’s the picture of Paul’s word in 1 Timothy 2:2 for “quiet.”
The word for “peaceable” means “keeping your seat” or being undisturbed and not disturbing others. Picture a long table, and everyone is shouting at each other. They’ve stood up from their chairs and are pointing fingers at one another. And then, at one end of the table is one person just quietly eating their food and sipping their tea. That’s the picture of what Paul means to live a “peaceable life.”
Christians are called to live a “quiet” life, “keeping our seat” by not becoming disturbed even when the world around us may be losing its mind.
Why?
Because it’s this kind of life that is consistent with God’s desire that everyone be saved - it’s this kind of life that points people to the peace that surpasses all understanding in Jesus Christ.
Those who are peacemakers are called God’s children. These have been brought back to God by His Son Jesus Christ – and now have peace with God. If you have not obeyed the gospel of Christ, then you do not yet have peace with God (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-7).
Those who have peace with God must follow His Son’s example of being a peacemaker.
🙏💖🙌