Blessed are the Peacemakers
Setting the Stage for this Blog
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
-Matthew 5:1-10
I have been reading, rereading, and rereading Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount recently. I have come to find this passage more relevant than ever in my life & in the lives of others around me here in the Middle East. I never read this passage the way that I do now. It is amazing how a change in your own personal context can reveal so much you never realized before. It is as if I have been given a new pair of eye-glasses in which I see the world so differently & read my Holy Book with a new perspective.
I was talking with an old-time, dear friend the other night. She asked me, “So what has changed for you exactly & why?” My response was, “It has become personal now.” What once was so far removed by living in the States - not seeing, not experiencing first-hand people living in oppression, blatant injustice, & long-history of wars has now become personal. These are my friends. These are the people that I have chosen to live among willingly. My world that once was so simple & explainable has now become complicated with more questions than answers.
For me, it is passages like Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that help me to realize how upside down & wondrous the “Good News” really is. It speaks into the relevancy of any context or situation. It is both spiritual and practical. It cares about the future and the present. It is both seen and unseen. It always seeks to transform. It inclusively invites a response despite who you are or location both for the oppressed and the oppressor.
“Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.” -verse 9
The verse that follows,
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” -verse 10
Peacemaking is hard. True peace means there will be great conflict amongst those that do not want true peace. True peace means that the “first shall be last, and the last shall be first” (Matthew 20:16). It could mean an overthrow of those who lust after their own power & prestige over others & systems. It suits them well to live in places of privilege, money, & authority. They benefit from the poor & vulnerable. To live without their earthly comforts & the fear of what they may lose in this world, they will never have it. They live in fear because of their own past trauma & broken relationships. They live in insecurity because of what has been done to them. If only they knew that they too live in oppression as the oppressor. If only they knew that true freedom & justice means freedom & justice for everyone - a true peace in which right relationships are made right between God AND each other. This is a real reality, not simply a spiritual one. It is both. True peace is not just an absence of conflict or violence, it means that relationships have been restored both individually & collectively. Both personally & in society. Tragically, this does not just exist outside of churches. This also exists within churches & other institutions of the Christian faith where these entities are suppose to be places of safety, healing, restoration, and reflections of God’s Kingdom founded in what the above Sermon on the Mount describes - A deeply profound, “Good News” Kingdom that lives against the values of our earthly ones.
I tend to naturally default to my own human weakness & brokennes. My own struggles & hypocrisy consist of the uncomfortable feelings of guilt & shame of that which I have missed & do not know. An avoidance attitude that does not want to face the hard questions & realities of the world in which we live. It is highly uncomfortable. It is easier to justify than to confront. It is safer to avoid that neighborhood, country, or situation. Otherwise, I may have to do something about it. I would rather not do anything, to be quite honest. I cannot be responsible for that which I do not know, right?
BUT, there is another alternative response. To seek the way & path of Jesus. In this path, I am not alone. I find comfort knowing that Jesus has paved a new way, a way of true peace that invites all of us to enter into. It will not be easy. Jesus’ life was far from easy. So it will not be for us either. BUT, Jesus suffered so He suffers with us.
So how & why does the Sermon on the Mount invite peacemakers to live?
“This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
-1 John 2:5
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
-1 John 3:17-18
Live as Jesus did.
Love in action & truth.
How to become involved
Subscribe to this newsletter blog
Share this blog
Give a one-time or monthly donation to Savannah’s work - click on the button below