What Did Jesus mean by: "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God"
““Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.””
Peace is the Hebrew concept of shalom.
Shalom is not just the absence of conflict.
Shalom is not a cease-fire that lasts for a season.
Shalom doesn’t just deal with the carnage of war; instead it deals with the root causes of conflict by addressing the warring impulses inside of us.
Or, to use a distinction made by Dr. King in his letter from Birmingham jail, shalom is not a “negative peace”, which is solely the absence of tension. Rather, it is a "positive peace” which is the presence of justice — of right-relatedness.
Shalom is holistic. Shalom is peace between God and people and people and people. It is a psychological, environmental, relational and spiritual. Jesus as the prince of peace comes to bring this type of wholeness — in part now, in fullness later.
Jesus describes the posture of a peace maker when he says elsewhere, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Peacemaking is not an avoidance of conflict or evil, it is an act of love. It is a willingness to confront conflict and evil, but with a commitment to not respond in kind.
The apostle Paul writes, “Never pay back evil for evil…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
“By choosing to endure suffering themselves rather than inflict it on others
”
In other words, peacemaking looks like the cross.
We refuse to repay evil for evil, which just leads to more evil.
We confront evil with good, which opens up the possibility for changed hearts and minds — it pries open a pathway for true and lasting peace. Blessed are the peace-makers because they will be called children of God — children who reflect the image of their Father.
RELATED CONTENT
