Holidays are a wonderful time to come together. And where friends, and more often families, come together, you are sure to encounter conflict. In Matthew 5:9 Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
In the surrounding passage, Jesus is going through the foundations of Hebraic Law and contrasts the understanding of the day with how we should understand them as followers of Christ. I want to focus on this idea of peacemaking and dispel some myths.
First, let’s define a term. Blessed is the recognition of hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. Peacemaking is NOT the absence of conflict. Peacemaking in the Bible is never to be confused with inaction. Peacemaking is not avoiding strife. Peacemaking is not simply appeasing all parties. We must remember that glossing over problems, acting as if everything is alright when it is not, is not being a peacemaker.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘peacemaker’: a person who tries to persuade people or countries to stop arguing or fighting and to make peace. It has become increasingly more difficult to create peace in our very divided society. In his book, Not in it to Win it, Pastor Andy Stanley writes, “How we treat, talk about, respond to, and care for one another is the identifying mark of a genuine Jesus follower. Not what we believe.”
We shouldn’t enter conversations with loved ones this Christmas season trying to defeat or convince them. This will not lead to the peacemaking Jesus preaches about.
Peacemaking can be messy and difficult. It takes time and emotional energy. Jesus, our example of a peacemaker, established healing relationships of peace using the example of his relationship with the Father. We will fail, and we will get bruised, but we are to love one another.
Often, I find myself wanting to simply react and often not in the most edifying manner. Next time you hear or read something that bothers or upsets you think of this acronym: ENATA. Before you respond, ask yourself is what you want to say Effective, Necessary, Accurate, Timely, and Appropriate? If you cannot answer yes to these, perhaps you should just listen and not add to the noise and vitriol. Remember, God is the God of Peace (Hebrews 13:20) and Christ is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) when we are peacemakers, we are partaking of God’s nature.