Peacemakers and Persecution

A few years ago, a story came out of New York City that was tragic and deeply disturbing. One night a woman was attacked in her apartment and brutally assaulted. Her screams for help echoed through the halls and alleyways around her apartment, but no one intervened, and in the end, she was beaten to death.

As the police conducted their investigation of that murder, they discovered that no fewer than 47 people in that neighborhood had heard the woman’s desperate screams for help. But not one of them did a thing to intervene or summon the police, because they were afraid of becoming involved. The neighbors regarded their own personal peace as more important than saving that woman’s life.

There is a profound lesson in that story for us as Christians. It’s a lesson that is tied to the Beatitudes; specifically to the relationship between the last two of them. The final two Beatitudes speak of peacemaking and persecution. They are found in Matthew 5:9–12…

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus goes on to further amplify the last Beatitude—the one about persecution—in verses 11–12. But I would point out that the eighth Beatitude ends just as the first one did, indicating that the series is complete at verse 10.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven… Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We’ve come full circle; the eight Beatitudes are a unit.

Now I’m glad that we are able to consider these last two Beatitudes together today because they belong together. Jesus tied them together, as we will see.

The first question we need to ask is: What does Jesus mean when he talks about being a peacemaker? Is he talking about being the kind of person who takes up a career in international diplomacy—the kind of person who works for the United Nations?

No, he’s telling us something much more profound than that. In order to understand what a peacemaker is, we need to appreciate that the idea of peace—of “shalom”—is an incredibly rich concept in the Bible. The word “peace” appears all through the Scriptures, and it has very significant connotations.

It is, above all, a Messianic word. The bringing of peace is a ministry of the Messiah. Turn to Isaiah 52 (page 730). This passage deals with the redemption of the nation Israel. It serves as a kind of prologue to that great Messianic chapter, Isaiah 53, which talks about the suffering servant of God, the one who would accomplish that redemption. Let’s read beginning at verse 7…

Isaiah 52:7 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!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

And then Isaiah goes on to introduce the servant of God, the Messiah, who will accomplish this great deliverance and bring peace, not only to Israel, but to all the nations. “He will sprinkle many nations.” it says in verse 15.

How will he accomplish this peace ministry? Isaiah tells us in chapter 53…

…He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Do you see how the concept of peace—of shalom—is woven throughout this prophecy? The Messiah is the great “peacemaker”. He makes peace between God and man by personally shedding his own blood; by giving up his own life.

The passage we read earlier in the service, Ephesians 2, gives us more detail. Paul describes there how Jesus Christ, by dying, reconciles both Jew and Gentile to God, and in the process, breaks down the wall of hostility that separates them and makes them one in Christ.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

It’s no wonder then, that Isaiah tells us in ch.9:6 that one of the titles of the Messiah is “the Prince of Peace”.

It’s no wonder then that when the angels announced the birth of Jesus, they cried out “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace—shalom—good will toward men.”

It’s no wonder then, that Paul, in describing the work of Jesus Christ in Romans 5 says “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”

It’s no wonder then, that when Jesus first encountered his disciples after His resurrection, His first word to them was “shalom”—”Peace be to you.”

The concept of peace is a Messianic concept. Jesus Christ is the peacemaker “par excellence”. With his shed blood, he brought us back into a “shalom” relationship with God. He reconciled us to God.

Now what does all this have to do with us? The answer is found in 2 Corinthians 5 (page 1145):

2 Corinthians 5:18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

A true follower of Jesus Christ is going to be a peacemaker, because God has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation. A true follower of Jesus Christ is going to be an “ambassador of shalom”, bringing the message of reconciliation to men and women who are still at war with God. We are emissaries of the Prince of Peace.

And as we carry out this ministry, we will be called “sons of God”. The KJV translates this “children of God”. That is an incorrect translation: the Greek word is “huioi” which means “sons” not “children”. Why is that so significant?

Because in the Jewish culture, if someone called you “the son of someone” (or something) they meant that you resembled the character of that someone or something to whom they were referring.

For example, Jesus called the brothers James and John “Boanerges”, which means the “sons of thunder”, because they must have always been rumbling and growling about things. In the early church, Joseph of Cyprus was given the nickname Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement”, because he was always going around lifting people’s spirits. You get the idea?

By saying that peacemakers will be called the sons of God, Jesus is saying that we will actually model the character of God when we do the work of reconciliation. We resemble God in doing the work of peacemaking.

But being a peacemaker isn’t restricted to simply sharing the Gospel of Peace with people who don’t yet know Christ. The ministry of shalom extends into all our relationships, especially those relationships that we have with other Christians in the church.

The NT is full of exhortations to live in peace with one another in the Body of Christ. But it seems that not everyone in the church gets this message.

There are always a few people in the church who seem to delight in division. They seem to be happiest when there’s a controversy, or a big fight going on. They relish being the first ones to know the bad news about someone or something that’s going on in the fellowship. And they love to pass this information on, to keep the pot boiling so to speak.

If some brother or sister is offended by someone else in the church, these folks are quick to choose up sides and take up the cause. They are the crusaders of controversy, the soldiers of strife, not the peacemakers that God wants them to be.

When someone comes to you with a piece of damaging information about someone else in the fellowship, what do you do with it? If someone comes to you who has been offended by someone else in the fellowship, what do you tell that person?

If you’re talking with people about a situation in the church, what kind of “spin” do you put on it? Do you try to describe everything in the most negative light—do you play that “Ain’t it awful?” game that so many people love to play? Or do you seek to be an encourager, a faith-builder, a positive, peacemaking person?

If someone in the fellowship offends you, how do you deal with it? Do you go to that person who offended you and seek reconciliation, or do you go and tell some third party who’s not even involved?

Did you know that there are specific biblical procedures to follow in these situations? They are found in passages like Matthew 5:23–24; Matthew 18:15–17; Galatians 6:1–2, Ephesians 4:29–32, and many others.

If we take seriously the call of God to be peacemakers, we’ll follow those procedures. Because God wants to use us to bring reconciliation, and restoration to all of our relationships.

Notice that Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers…” not “Blessed are the peaceful…” Being a peacemaker is not always a peaceful occupation! And this takes us to the next Beatitude.

Let’s go back to that story about the woman in New York who was murdered while her neighbors stood by and did nothing. They did nothing because they just didn’t want to get involved.

They didn’t want the hassle of becoming an official witness to this situation. They didn’t want their name to go on the record. They didn’t want to have to give a report to the police, and have to testify at a trial. And they certainly didn’t want to run the risk of possibly becoming a target of revenge themselves, assuming that the murderer remained at large.

Their own personal peace, comfort, and safety was what really mattered most to them, not the life of a woman who was dying. And in that way, I fear that those neighbors bear a resemblance to many Christians today.

It is risky to be a peacemaker. Because the world doesn’t want the peace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The world doesn’t appreciate the ministry of reconciliation. That’s why Jesus finished the Beatitudes by talking about persecution.

He said “If you’re going to be committed to being a peacemaker, this is the reception you’ll get. Insult… Slander… Abuse… Maybe even death. Why am I so sure? Because this is the way they treated the prophets, and this is the way they treated me.”

There’s no “maybe” about persecution for a Christian. It’s 100% certain.

John 15:19-20 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.

2 Timothy 3:12 …everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted

1 Peter 4:12ff Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

So often, Christians cry and complain when they run into a little opposition. “Oh, my boss at work treats me so bad, and I know he does it just because he knows I’m a Christian.”

“Oh, those neighbors of ours are impossible. I think they hate us because they know we go to church; they know we’re Christians. We’re praying that God would either get rid of them or let us move.”

We cry and complain when we should be rejoicing that God has allowed us to bear reproach for His name.

I fear that we have become so committed to pursuing peaceful, tranquil, quiet lives, that we have forgotten that God has called us to be peacemakers, and that puts us under the gun.

The elections are coming up next week. Thousands of Christians all across America are in a frenzy of activity campaigning to get certain politicians elected so that we can legislatively “turn back the clock” to a more peaceful day when Judeo-Christian values were supreme.

But that day is gone in America, and I believe it is gone forever. It is gone because, somewhere along the line, we became committed to pursuing a peaceful life, rather than a peacemaking life. We became anesthetized by the American dream of personal peace, prosperity, and happiness. We forgot that to be a Christian is to be on the outside of society, not on the inside, not in the Establishment.

We became self-absorbed with our churches and our fellowships. We turned inward rather than outward. We forgot how to be salt and we failed to shine the light, and our culture simply passed us by. And now, to most Americans, the church is not an institution to be admired, or hated; it is simply an institution to be ignored. To them, we are irrelevant.

And the only way to regain our effectiveness—is to get back to the ministry of reconciliation—to being peacemakers—to being “Gospel people”.

That’s going to cost us something. It means stepping out of our coccoon. In the immediate sense, it may cost us that “Hi, how are ya, nice day today” easy, comfortable, live-and-let-live, you-stay-on-your-side-of-the-fence-and-I’ll-stay-on-mine, relationship with your neighbor.

When you share the Gospel with someone like that, you’re putting yourself on record. In the eyes of your neighbor, you’re no longer “Harry, that nice fellow that lives next door who goes to church every Sunday” anymore. You become “Harry, that guy who’s always talking about Jesus and asking me personal questions about my spiritual life”.

You’re going on record. You’re sticking your neck out in a way that those people in New York didn’t want to. You’re taking a risk. You’re trying to be a peacemaker between that friendly, good-neighbor, Philadelphia Eagles fan with two cars and a boat and a family of four, who’s going to hell because he doesn’t know that he’s at war with God. That’s pretty scary work!

Don’t expect it to be easy sledding. You’ll be misunderstood, misinterpreted, talked about behind your back, the butt of jokes, and perhaps even shunned and rejected. Isaiah, the prophet who brought God’s message of “shalom”, who said “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news…” was sawn in half for being a peacemaker!

But what’s the alternative? The alternative is found in Luke 6:26 “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.”

The message of peace with God is not going to be well received. Like Paul in 1 Cor. 4, we may find ourselves feeling “…hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

But Paul went on to say ”Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

He had an eternal perspective. He measured the hardship of today by the glory that was waiting for him tomorrow. And so he persevered.

Peacemaking will lead to persecution. But persecution will bring with it the blessing of God.