Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 contains the blueprint for Kingdom living. Some erroneously thought that Jesus was giving his instructions on how to live and conduct one’s life during the supposed short period between his first coming and the imminent establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. It was supposed to be an emergency lifestyle that would prepare His disciples like Peter and John, etc. for the glorious immediate future. Then when it became apparent that the literal or actual eschatological kingdom was being indefinitely delayed (see II Peter 3), the Sermon on the Mount was presumably rendered obsolete. But there is nothing in the sermon itself that warrants such an interpretation. It is jam packed with proven wisdom that was meant for all seasons. The beatitudes that are at the beginning of the sermon tell us what a child of God is like. They tell us who we are in Christ. As we become more like Christ i.e. pure in heart, merciful, hungry for truth and righteousness and sensitive to the suffering of others, we become more likely to display the awesome behaviors featured in the rest of the great sermon.
One of the beatitudes which became most illuminating to me this week was, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 (NIV). Any church is blessed when it has peacemakers among the body of believers. We live in troublesome times when people including Christians are under a great deal of pressure. Money is tight, jobs are less and less available, natural disasters and man made disturbances seem to be on the increase, families are in crises and conditions like these put people on edge. This can cause tension in the church when vulnerable people, even our closest friends, feel they have been slighted or abused. It is then that Jesus’ call for peacemakers becomes especially needful. What are the characteristics of a peacemaker?
The peacemaker keeps his ego in check. She does not fight fire with fire but looks to diffuse a potentially volatile situation or one that has already gotten out of hand. Friendship is put before ego. Humility is offered instead of hateful reprisals. Risks are taken in order to restore community, The peacemaker is ready to assume responsibility for the slightest of improper behavior and he refrains from minimizing the pain of those she offends. The peacemaker springs into action rather than wait until they are proven to be “justified.” He does not condemn but she spreads healing balm on another’s wounds and does this in the spirit of truth and reason, that is, evil is not condoned but a process is put in motion which frees everyone concerned including the peacemaker(s) from the shackles of evil. Peacemaking is love in action. It is the stuff out of which reconciliations are forged and unity in the church is preserved. In short, the peacemaker overcomes evil with good. See Romans 12:9-21 as well as I Corinth. 13:4-7. Can you make peace when every primitive instinct in you wants to wage war?
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