Not the Absence of Violence

Talk about a belt-high fastball down the heart of the plate - today’s beatitude is absolutely tailor-made for our current season (and, no, I don’t mean baseball season - although baseball is a great game.) I’m going to do you and everyone else a favor and not pick the low-hanging fruit by saying today’s beatitude revolves around Wyatt Earp’s gun (although when it comes to Tombstone, I’m your huckleberry.) I will say, though, today’s is a saying that can be looked at as an opportunity as well as a word of correction, depending on how one might choose to look upon things.

Yes, today’s beatitude is Jesus’ words as found in Matthew 5:9 - 

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

Who among us does not yearn for peace? Who among us does not wish all the sniping would cease? Who among us wants ALL conflict to end?

Here’s a challenge, though, with respect to Jesus’ words here - we can get easily confused if we conflate peace with the absence of violence. With good reason Jesus teaches elsewhere that one does not have to make a physical act in order to bring harm to another - if it is in our hearts and minds it is as good as done. To say that one is a peacemaker simply because they get two entities to quite attacking one another, I believe, is a bit of an oversimplification - if hatred still exists, then there is no peace.

This is not, however, to say that we can rest on our laurels to just sit back and say we love everybody and want no harm to anyone. As we have seen elsewhere in this series, Jesus calls us to a life of action. We cannot simply sit around and think that because we have good, peaceful feelings and good vibes that all is well.

The challenge Jesus is offering us here, in fact, revolves more around the hearer of these words taking measure of how they are facilitating peace in their sphere of influence. To be peacemakers means to work towards helping people find reconciliation, not just to put down their physical - or proverbial - swords. Sometimes, this means not just in something we do, but maybe - and potentially with more impact - more around what we choose NOT to do or say. (HINT: Did you really NEED to pass along that Facebook meme that denigrated someone or something you oppose?)

Being peacemakers is needed as much now as at any point in human history. Lord knows there are enough people already who are stirred up and who get paid to stir up others - do we really need to jump in on that kind of stuff? Do we really need to forward another meme? Do we really need to talk about how ungodly we think another person is and how it should be obvious to everyone? Do we really need YET ANOTHER story about how there is a conspiracy about this, that, or the other?

Jesus is quite clear here - those who choose to be peacemakers will be called children of God. If someone were to do an audit on Jesus’ behalf of our emails, text messages, and social media feeds, would the auditor find a peacemaker?

Remember, peace is not the absence of violence. Peace is a way of life, a life that spreads the good news of the Prince of Peace to all in thought, word, and deed. May it be so now and always that, regardless of what has passed, from now on we boldly accept God’s calling to be peacemakers.

Grace & Peace,
Lamar