“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9)
“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – Jesus (John 13:35)
“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:19)
As we stand before the cross in our Lenten journey we see the ultimate expression of love and sacrifice. We see the One prophesied by Isaiah finishing the work that He came to accomplish…peace between God the Creator and His creation. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a more vivid illustration of the price of peace. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, gave up His life…laid aside His royal robes and sacrificed to bring reconciliation…to restore a broken relationship. He was “Mighty God”, but did not destroy us. He knew our sins, yet He did not condemn us or judge us. He was right and we were wrong, but He showed us mercy. Why? To bring peace.
To bring peace always requires self-sacrifice. It starts when loving each other and building up one another becomes more important than our need to be right. Jesus says in this beatitude that we are recognized as children of God when we are peacemakers. Later, as He had the last supper with the disciples, He said that their love for each other would be the identifying characteristic that they were His disciples. Conversely, then, when God’s people are fighting and arguing is when they are most unlike their Father in heaven. Paul told the church at Ephesus,
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)
“Like father, like son” is a phrase that we have all heard or used. It is usually a commentary on a young man’s behavior that identifies a resemblance with his dad. In other words, “I can tell who you belong to by the way you are acting or talking.” Jesus is saying that people will notice the family resemblance if we are peacemakers…if we love one another more than ourselves.
Let’s go back to the cross. Jesus showed us that peace requires self-sacrifice. This is when restoring a broken relationship is more important than people getting what they deserve. Jesus demonstrated His love for us by dying for us so we could experience mercy and, as a result, peace with God. When we do the same, people will recognize whose children we are…and we will be called “sons of God”.
Today, let us be peacemakers and may God’s peace be with you.