Blessed are the Peacemakers

It is the morning after a great and terrible murder. King Duncan has been slain by MacBeth. The “traveling lamp” is “strangled by the night”, as the planet is struck into darkness by a solar eclipse. Ross, cousin of MacDuff, ponders the signs in the sky, and the power of evil. Turning to an old man he asks;

“Is't night's predominance, or the day's shame, That darkness does the face of earth entomb, When living light should kiss it?” - Act 2, Scene 4, lines 9-11

Shakespeare's ability to explore themes of universal relevance was a big reason for his fame and success as the most influential figure in the history of English literature. Here in MacBeth Shakespeare explores the problem of evil, a matter that will never be far from the human mind. For as it was in the days of MacBeth, and of Shakespeare, our world remains today a bitter, broken and twisted place. We, too, find ourselves asking with Ross why it is that darkness does the face of earth entomb, when living light should kiss it.

The Peacemakers - Children of God

It is nearly 2000 years since a mild-mannered Jewish chap from Galilee gave the most powerful sermon ever preached. From the Mount of Olives Jesus of Nazareth put a new slant on the law and the prophets. He showed that God’s law goes much deeper than just what we should and should not do. He spoke of a creator who is just as interested in the thoughts and feelings of our hearts as he is in any actions that might be seen by our fellow man.

In this sermon, the “Sermon on the Mount”, you will find the verse I have used as the address for my new blog. This verse is a statement so simple and so sweet, yet full of profound implications.

Matthew 5:9 reads;

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

Just think about it; Christ has offered to those who receive him, to those who believe in his name, the right to become children of God. Children of God who, if we are willing to share in his sufferings, are destined also to share in his glory.

As the Apostle John reflected some years later;

"How great the Father's love for us, that we should be called children of God! That when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. That because of this hope we are purified, just as he is pure” - 1 John 3:1-3

Light & Darkness

God has granted us, in Jesus, a wonderful hope and promise. He has demonstrated to us a truly amazing grace. Yet our world remains a dark and disparate place, where many are without hope and unaware of the bountiful and wondrous promises of God. As the witches and Lady MacBeth manipulated the Thane of Cawdor, and as MacBeth committed treachery against the King, so too do men and women conspire against one another today. We have all seen, or been party to those evil acts, motivated by pride, greed and just plain badness. And again we ask how it can be, that darkness the face of earth entomb, when living light should kiss it.

Jesus Christ gave an answer to this question as he walked the planet all those years ago. The following words are recorded in the gospel of John (3:19-21);

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

John himself made a similar statement in the first of his biblical letters;

“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." - 1 John 1:5-7

Light has come into the world, but it is day’s shame rather than night’s predominance that stops it coming further. Our world remains dark because so few of us are willing to wholeheartedly embrace the light.

Light is Love

So what does it mean to live in the light? What is this light? What does John mean when he says "God is light"?

John makes another "God is" statement in chapter 4;

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

To embrace the light is to embrace love; the two go hand in hand. This is evident not only in the writing of John, but in the teaching of Christ himself.

Consider the similarity of the following two statements;

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." – John 13:34,35

Our good deeds shine as light before mankind, and are evidence of the creative, providential and gracious love of our Father in Heaven. Jesus says in the first passage that people will praise God because of our good deeds, and similarly in the second passage that people will know we are our his disciples by our love for one another. Those good deeds we perform are acts of love. And as we love one another the darkness that entombs the world gives way to the light that would kiss it.

What is Love? Really?

But of course we all know this. We know the importance of love, and that God is love. We know that Jesus taught that the greatest commandment is to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind' and to 'Love your neighbor as yourself' (Matthew 22:34-40). But what we don’t know is what this love really looks like.

We know 1 Corinthians 13, which we hear at every wedding;

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Maybe we have heard this passage so many times we have become immune to its power. Think about it. Love does not envy. Love keeps NO record of wrongs. Love always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

How is it we can hear something as amazing as this, but then rubbish a person who has angered or offended us behind their back? How is it we have this amazing message of love and hope yet we can hold a grudge against our brother and sister and do our darnedest to avoid them? If love is so humble – not proud, not self-seeking – then why do we avoid those who are despised out of fear of what others might think. To quote our vicar from a recent sermon, “Christianity is not necessarily a calling to be seen in all of our dignity”. Yet in embracing love and grace we find an honour and a dignity that far surpasses the superficial glory mere earthlings wish to adorn us with.

Unforgiveness

There is one particular area of sin, to call it for what it is, that by my existence I wish to eradicate. Jesus taught that before we try to remove a speck from anyone else’s eye we should first attend to the log in our own eye (Matthew 7:1-5). I am grateful that the good Lord, by his grace, has made possible the extraction of this log from mine own eye.

This sin, this nasty and abhorrent cyst on the brotherhood of man, even the body of Christ, is the sin of unforgiveness – the grudge. It is crucial for us to address this sin for it is more than just a sin; it is a rejection of the very nature of God, of humankind, of our existence and thus of our salvation. If we think we may hold on to grudges and unforgiveness, and yet remain covered by the blood of Christ and the grace of God, then in the words of the Apostle we lie and do not live by the truth. For whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Let us consider the words of Jesus Christ, again from the Sermon on the Mount;

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” – Matthew 6:14,15

It doesn’t get much more black and white than that. If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Walking in the Spirit

Did anyone think it odd that when Christ said “blessed are the peacemakers” he also said “they shall be called the children of God”? Doesn’t John 1:12 say that all who receive Christ and believe in his name have the right to become children of God? What about Romans 8:14, which says that those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God? Yet Matthew 5:9 says that it is the peacemakers who are called children of God. Does this mean if I am not a peacemaker then I am not a child of God, that I have not received Christ, that I do not believe in his name, that I am not led by his Spirit? Let us consider what it means to receive Christ, to believe in his name, to be led by the Spirit.

Jesus told a parable of a servant who owed his master ten thousand talents, and when his master demanded he settle he couldn’t afford to pay. His master required he and his family to sell everything they owned to settle the account, but when the servant begged him to be patient, and give him more time to pay the money, the master had pity on him and cancelled his debt.

It would be a wonderful story if it ended there, but sadly it doesn’t. I will quote the remainder of the parable from Matthew 18;

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.”

The moral of the story? Again, the words of Jesus (verse 35);

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

To expect the continued grace and mercy of God when we haven’t paid that grace forward in our own lives, is nothing but pungent ignorance. We are but mere men and women, with no worth or rights apart from those endowed by our creator. How can we justify withholding our grace when the very King of the Earth – from whom, through whom and for whom everything was created – so freely gives to us his grace?

It would pay for us to take heed of the advice of Jesus found in Matthew 5:23-25;

“If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul, after hearing of divisions in the Corinthian church, tells the Christians they should wait for one another before partaking in the Lord’s Supper, and examine themselves before eating of the bread and drinking of the cup. “For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” The Corinthians were so divisive and unloving in their fellowship that Paul advised them their meetings “do more harm than good”.

Peace & Unity in The Bible

The Bible is full of verses that direct us towards forgiveness, peace, reconciliation and unity. One of my favourites, which a dear brother in The Lord quotes commandingly at every prayer meeting, is Psalm 133;

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head,
that ran down upon the beard,
even Aaron's beard:
that went down to the skirts of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon,
and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion:
for there the LORD commanded the blessing,
even life for evermore."

Then there is that great prayer of Jesus, from John 17:20-23;

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

The concern of the Apostle Paul for peace and unity is evident in the following few one-liners;

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” – Romans 12:18

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” - Romans 14:19

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” – Hebrews 12:14

His passion for unity is emphasised even more in Ephesians 4:2-6;

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Finally, the passage above is mirrored in Philippians 2:1-11, where Paul encourages the Philippian church to be one in spirit and purpose and makes an example of Jesus Christ in this regard. Our interim priest finished his sermon with this passage in his first address to our parish two weeks ago;

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."

The Good News

We will only find rest for our souls when we accept this truth – that God is love, and that he overlooks our every sin and weakness and by his grace pays the price for our faults, accepting us despite our sin. Through his torment and death on the cross Jesus Christ takes our place, receives the punishment we deserve, conquers sin and death and clothes us spiritually with his righteousness.

To receive Jesus, to believe in his name, is to believe in a God who upholds perfect justice yet extends grace and mercy to sinners who don’t deserve it, sinners like you and I. To walk in the Spirit is to receive that forgiveness and love God offers us, to believe in faith we mean that much to him he would do such a thing, and to let this knowledge transform our hearts and minds to enable us to pay that love forward to everyone that we meet.

We must accept this love and forgiveness offered to us all, for if we don’t we will not be capable of loving and forgiving those who offend us. If we reject this offer then we live in darkness and merely add to the confusion, chaos and torment that cloaks our world. And if we claim to have accepted God’s love and forgiveness, yet fail to love and forgive EVERYONE he has created, we are liars and do not live by the truth. If, as Christians, we resist the light and are unwilling to share our lives with the remainder of the church, Christ’s body, then we eat and drink judgment on ourselves.

Jesus said, “whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God” (John 3:21). If our deeds are done through God then all men will know we are his disciples (John 13:35), and will praise our Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16). As Christians we have nothing, absolutely nothing to hide. It is only those who do evil that hate the light, and avoid it for fear that their deeds will be exposed.

As Paul wrote to the Ephesians (5:8-14);

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."

If we commit ourselves to the light, to unity and to peace; If we do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk; If we spend ourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed: Then our light will rise in the darkness, and our night will become like the noonday (Isaiah 58:9,10). Then it will be said we truly are peacemakers, the very children of God.

Put up thy Sword

I have created this blog in the hope it will be a place where the peace and unity that Christ prayed for will be actualised. Not just the sort of peace that beauty pageant winners hope for, but the peace that goes deeper – the oneness in mind, heart, love and purpose that Paul spoke of. The peace that does nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility considers others better than ourselves.

“Put up your swords” was the plea of Benvolio, as he sought to establish peace between the servants of Capulet and the servants of Montague. “You know not what you do”, he exclaimed, echoing the words of his saviour from the cross. We celebrate Romeo and Juliet as a triumph of romantic love over duty, but the true star of the show was the peacemaker Benvolio. And in the same spirit I hope that with this blog I and all who contribute will honour the will of our creator, the prayers of our Lord, and the burden of the Apostles – that we would learn to love one another in true unity of spirit, heart and mind.

I will close by quoting a benediction from MacBeth, the words that the old man spoke to Ross as they parted company that dark and evil morning.

God's blessing go with you; and with those that would make good of bad, and friends of foes!