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Suggested Reading: Matthew 5:1-12
“Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.” Previous to this, Jesus said that those with a pure heart are blessed.
He then continues to name one of the outward effects of a pure heart: A person whose heart is being purified will loathe unrest and discord. He will become a lover of peace.
But that is not where it will stop. He wouldn’t run to the mountains for some isolated sense of peace; he will play an integral role in establishing peace. He will find ways to make peace. For him, peace doesn’t come from isolation, but from being right in the middle of the dynamics of human relationships and finding ways to let people see eye to eye. Sometimes, peace can only be made by first turning everything upside down and that’s the hard part.
When I see my child inclined towards wrong behaviour and my child is stubborn and I know that addressing that behaviour is going to cause some disturbance of peace in the home, I have a choice to make. Either I opt for the easy way out and leave the situation as is, so that there can be “peace” in the home. But this kind of peace is a fragile and superficial peace which may turn into mayhem at any second.
Sooner or later the wrong behaviour is going to catch up with the child and then we have to face the wrong which we preferred to ignore while it was staring us in the face. By then the problem may be a much bigger one. The other option is to view the long-term effects of misbehavoir and to cause a little disturbance now so that disaster can be avoided in the long run. This kind of peace is long-lasting and bears good fruit in the long run.
Those who are prepared to face short-term discomfort to establish long-lasting peace are wise and these peacemakers will be called, “sons of God.” The reason being that children emulate their father. God sometimes causes a little short-term discomfort to establish long-term peace in our hearts and lives. The most remarkable way in which God established peace was how He allowed His Son to experience temporary suffering so that we may have eternal peace with God.
On the other hand, those who are not the sons of God, find peace a disturbing thing. It bothers them when things are going too smoothly. It makes them restless when relationships between friends and family are peaceful. They need to find ways to break up and destroy that peace, and they usually revert to gossip and troublemaking to disturb the peace.
In Proverbs 6 there is a list of seven things that the Lord hates. The seventh thing on the list is an abomination in His sight and it is this: “A person who sows discord in a family.” (Proverbs 6:19 NLT). This extends to people who sow discord among friends and who take pleasure in breaking up relationships. A “peacemaker” has the exact opposite desire. He or she wants to see relationships restored.
The world may see you as blessed when you would rather conform to their ways than address the wrong. You don’t like to disturb the shaky “peace” among those who live in the world, so you rather conform and things are going well for you. But those who take a stand for what is right, no matter the consequences, no matter how unpopular they are, they are the ones God calls blessed. God did not save us to enter a popularity contest. Who can gain the most followers? Who can have the biggest ministry? Whose church building can be the biggest? That’s not what it’s all about. We are saved to stand up for what is right and to stick with it even when things get tough.
There is a saying that if you don’t stand for anything, you will fall for anything. Winston Churchill said that if a man has made a few enemies in his life, it means that he stood up for something. I am not promoting the idea of going around making enemies out of our neighbors, but I am trying to say that sometimes, when we take a stand for what is right, we may make a few enemies in the process. When that happens we shouldn’t draw back from our stance. Jesus didn’t. He stood up for the Truth even when His life was endangered.
We should follow His example, but when it comes to choosing between right and wrong, we have to take a stand for what is right, no matter the consequences. This, of course, leads us to the final beatitude where Jesus says that those who follow the Lord and take a stand for what is right will be persecuted by man but will be blessed by God. More on that in the next post.
Related Articles
- Blessed are the Peacemakers (provocativechristian.wordpress.com)
- The Beatitudes: Blessed are those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness (thoughtsonscripture.com)
- The Beatitudes: Blessed Are The Pure in Heart (thoughtsonscripture.com)
So this explains why I have so few friends. On top of this, there are those who think I am actually suffering from a mental illness, because my social responses do not follow the ways of the world-”normal people”. Christians follow the Way; when we are sinned against, instead of getting even or gossiping, we respond as Jesus would. I am just as bewildered and wonder if there is such a thing as spiritual retardation, where people just do want to be loved and cared about as Jesus loves them, but these same people do not want to return this love to others, but remain in a state of sin while ENJOYING themselves in the planning, the carrying out, and the aftermath of sinful behavior. I just do not get it!! How anyone can find pleasure withing their heart when causing pain to others is beyond me.
Hi Jan, I have had the same experience. Only recently we had to make a decision that would serve to our loss, but that would be following the teachings of our Lord. People said we were “crazy.” However, I have seen the power of God’s word is often released only after we obey and not before. Because we have seen this power in action before when we followed His teachings instead of the ways of the world, we know He is faithful. Even if we never see the benefits on this side of heaven, we will still trust in Him. You are right when you say that we should be sharing what we receive from the Lord. Whether it be love, forgiveness or mercy. I also believe a heart touched by the Holy Spirit will be tender to the pain of others, as it is written that a bruised reed He will not break. He is gentle, He says in Matthew 11:28-30 and therefore, His Spirit works in us that gentleness. It is a process though. Thanks so much for you comment. May God give you more strength and insight every day.
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