Our verse of the week is from the Beatitudes at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9, ESV)
Some people constantly seek to cause division. They are critical of others. They intentionally and unintentionally create a divide in families, churches, and other organizations. They push buttons to get a rise out of others. It is almost as if they enjoy the drama they create. They are called the peace-takers. We all know people like this. If we are honest with ourselves, we will recognize some of these characteristics in ourselves.
But it is the peacemakers whom Jesus says are blessed. They are the ones called the sons of God.
Today is Palm Sunday. We celebrate Jesus as he enters Jerusalem to conquer death. But when he enters the city he rides on a donkey rather than a horse or chariot. You would have expected the King to ride on a horse. The horse was an animal of war. Many thought Jesus was about to begin a revolution. They were right. But it was not the revolution they expected.
Jesus rides the donkey. It is an animal of peace. It the animal you would expect to see ridden by a man of peace such as a farmer, a priest, or a merchant. The revolution Jesus came to begin was of an entirely different category than anyone could imagine. He was about to usher in an era of peace between God and humanity. Many in the crowd thought Jesus would overthrow the Gentiles. But the one Jesus was to conquer was Satan.
Being a peacemaker does not mean you will never fight any battles. Being a peacemaker is knowing which battles to fight. Jesus knew the battle people wanted him to fight was not the battle he needed to fight. He wasn’t concerned about living up to the expectations of others. What mattered most was the will of his Father.
Now Jesus says the peacemakers will be called sons of God. Peacemakers are the ones after God’s own heart. God is all about peace. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. Becoming a peacemaker starts with following Jesus. It is desiring what God wants more than anything else.
Being a peacemaker also goes beyond holding peaceful disposition. A peacemaker is an active proponent of peace. It means standing in the middle of the fight. And when you stand in the middle of the fight you might get wounded.
Again, Jesus is the greatest example of this. There was already perfect peace between him and his father. But his mission was to restore peace between his Father and us. To make peace happen, he was willing to be wounded. He was willing to give his life. He was willing to suffer that we might experience perfect joy. He was willing to give everything for peace.
So the question that needs to be asked is what are you willing to give for the cause of peace?
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