“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
If we want to be like Jesus, we must be peacemakers. Full stop. There is no way around this.
In the beatitudes, Jesus says that the peacemakers are the blessed children of God. In this statement, Jesus is proclaiming a unique kinship with those who follow. Indeed, all humanity is made in the image of God and therefore all are children of God to a certain extent. Yet, if we desire to become full children of God like Jesus—the Begotten One of God—then we must also fully adopt the lifestyle of our Savior and Lord. This includes an unwavering resolve for peace and relentlessly bringing about peace wherever we may go and in whatever we may do.
The “making” portion of this beatitude is critical. Saying we like peace or we support peace is not enough. Surely, most rational humans would say such a basic altruistic statement! What marks true Christ followers as different though is their tireless work towards peace.
Furthermore, this endless work for peace must take place in all aspects of our life. Peacemaking must be an active part of our lives at home, at work, when commuting, when resting, when praying, and when playing. In civic acts, in social settings, in how we talk, and in how we think—indeed, in every part of our life we must be peacemaking.
The Sermon on the Mount emphasizes peacemaking to a radical extreme. We are called by Christ to pray and bless our enemies, to give our possessions to those who mistreat us, to quickly seek reconciliation when we wrong others, to forgive to a degree that appears foolish, and to abandon even rational anxiety in order to discover the unexplainable peace of the present. (Matthew 5:21-48, 6:7-15, 6:25-7:23)
Churches, companies, cities and countries have to decide if they are fully committed to the radical peacemaking presented in the gospels. Like individuals, corporate righteousness is in vain and pointless if there is what is being proclaimed is not being practiced. If human-made groupings claim to be for peace and still support strife and warfare (directly or indirectly), they are far from being “mini kingdoms of God” (the societal equivalent of being children of God). The Christ follower should protest the sinful love affair with war that rages all around us and promote peace between all people.
At the core of our radical peacemaking efforts is an undying love for humanity, which is a reverberation of the love that our Lord Jesus demonstrated for us. Jesus’ life and sacrifice for us was, and is, the ultimate example of transcendent love and bridge-building peace. We take up the call to be peacemakers fueled by the awesome love of Jesus Christ and equipped with the wondrous power of the Holy Spirit.
Wherever we are led by God, let us in our wake make true peace, for the glory of an Eternal Kingdom no earthly despot or warmonger can ever destroy.
Relevant Reformation 