Blessed are the peacemakers

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9

Blessed are the peacemakers. It is very appropriate that this one comes up right now. We could use peacemakers in this world with all the chaos that has been happening lately. The word for peace is εἰρηνοποιοί (eirēnopoioi) which means peacemakers plain and simple. 😊

God has called us to be peacemakers. What does this mean? How do we practically do this? Jesus is our peace and He has broken down every wall. It is by us manifesting His Holy Spirit in our hearts that we become like Him. He is the Prince of Peace. It says in Isaiah 52:

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” Isaiah 52:7

In those days they would have runners that would bring news to the city of the outcome of battles that were being fought. The watchmen on the walls of the City were trained to be able to detect by the way the runner’s legs were pumping whether or not the news was good . When the runner came looking dejected and worn out, perhaps even bloody, there would be a sense that the battle had not gone well. When the runner was looking happy and jubilant the people in the City would rejoice. This is what they are referring to in this passage. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of them who bring good news. The word Gospel in the Bible is euangelion which means good message or good news. If a Doctor visited a person and declared that the problem was not serious, this was considered good news. The good news is that although the problem was serious, we have the cure. The good news of Jesus is that He is the Prince of Peace. In Isaiah 9:6 there is a prophesy about the coming Messiah

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace”

The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom. It is often used in reference to an appearance of calm and tranquility. God has brought us peace by restoring us to God. Jesus said in John 16:33

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Yes we will have tribulations and they are very real and very present, but the beauty of it is that no matter what happens in this world—even death—it doesn’t matter because we know that Jesus has already overcome the world. There is nothing that can separate us from this fact. It is the reality of the joy that we can have regardless of the circumstances around us. Because of this we can spread the peace of God with the people around us. Jesus always did that even to the point of forgiving them when he was dying on the cross. One of the 7 sayings that were recorded in the gospels of Jesus while He was on the cross is: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Stephen--when he was being stoned by the Sanhedrin for defending the faith--said the same thing. This is the assurance that we have. Jesus said to His disciples “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27. He told them this when He was heading for the cross.

He wants us to bring this peace to the world around us. A peacemaker actively works towards peace. Whether it is to provide peace between two people or two Nations we need to bring the ministry of reconciliation. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God. True children resemble their Father. True sons have the fruit of the Spirit of God written in their hearts. We can rejoice that we are called sons and daughters of God because Jesus purchased us back from our fallen state. Even though by nature we are rebels against God, He loved us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place so that we could be reconciled to Him. This is the good news that we can receive and then share with the world around us. This is the Shalom that He wants to produce in us. God Bless you.