Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching to our church from Matthew 5 on the idea of being a PeaceMAKER. It’s a thought that’s so counter-cultural to our world today that it hurts to think about it. We are so in tune with an earthly/American system of justice that we don’t understand the grace shown to us in Christ. The really startling thing is that we are called to show that very same kind of grace, but we struggle to grasp it.
In Matthew 5, Jesus tells us to love our enemies, to give more than is forced of us when we are sued, to walk an extra mile when we are forced to walk one, and to let someone slap us on the other cheek when they slap us on one. It’s frankly crazy, at least to our earthly sensibilities.
But that’s the gospel. That’s why it’s good news. The fact that Jesus would love us when we were enemies. That He would give to the point of giving His life. It’s peaceMAKING on His part and good news for us.
And now we are called to be peaceMAKERS, surprising people with our grace, generosity, kindness, listening, caring, and praying. Each of these defuses chaos. It gives a little picture of the Kingdom of God in the midst of a bunch of kingdoms for us. We make peace, bridge the gap, go the extra mile, so people can know the Prince of Peace.
It’s hard. I get it. But here’s where Jesus tells us to start. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If you can’t start by loving your enemy, start by praying for them. I believe that when we pray for the person in our live that God loves but we can’t tolerate, God does a miraculous work on our heart. On Sunday, I challenged our church to pray daily for that person that the Spirit put on their heart. I pray that this serves as a reminder to each of us to continue that small action that God can use in a big way.
Remember, Jesus is calling you to think outside of the (earthly) box in a Kingdom way. See the world and the people in it through Kingdom eyes. Surprise them with your ability to suffer and be persecuted. It doesn’t mean that you stay in an abusive relationship (which is an important clarification to all this), but that you takes moments to surprise the people in your life that stand against you with what the gospel is all about. Don’t keep the peace by ignoring the situation, make peace by acting like Jesus. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll see Christ in you, the hope of glory.
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