Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
-Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount
Our society is falling apart. Our nation is more than divided there are many fractures. Smarter people than myself will write on this subject. I am sure there will be books and dissertations that will plumb the depths that I cannot in this short article.
It is clear if you read or watch the news, we as a nation are not united. I am sure there are many reasons for this but as a pastor I think about such things theologically. I believe that when individuals and groups value ideas and ideologies (and theologies) over people- there will be division. In today’s world the notion of being ‘right’ trumps any other value including community and the inherit peace that comes with living in community.
That is not to say that we should avoid conflict or pretend to not disagree all to portray a 1950’s “Father Knows Best” or “Leave It To Beaver” sort of existence. Today we can no longer disagree and leave it at that. We must demonize the other who does not see things our way. We must shout it from the rooftops that ‘they’ are the reason the world is falling apart. If we are ‘right’, then everyone else is wrong AND evil. Maybe you don’t do those things or believe that, but if you watch the news you can hear these things implied or said by many talking heads.
Peace is not the absence of war. Peace is something that must be waged or conducted. We should pursue peace and community over ideas if we ever want to see the end of extremism of any ideology political or religious (of any brand, including Christianity). Extreme points of view that value the idea of being ‘right’ over people often leads to hate and violence against those who don’t agree.
Jesus encountered the practice of ideology over relationship quite a bit. The Pharisees (the religious leaders of Jesus day) continually advocated for people doing things their way (according to the Mosaic Law) or there would be literal hell to pay if they did not conform. The Pharisees threatened and used scare tactics to get the people of Israel to do what they thought was the correct ways of living and believing. Most people were afraid of their authority because they wielded it like a sword versus using their power to bring people together. Jesus openly challenged that kind of leadership and fear mongering.
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. “Everything they do is done for others to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’ Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” Jesus from Matthew 21:1-7,13
Jesus tells us that peacemakers are blessed. To put this a different way, God favors those who bring people together.
God needs the church to be peacemakers and bring reconciliation to a broken world. If we mimic the world, we will only bring more division. It is not a contradiction to disagree with someone and still like them (or at least be civil). I believe spiritual maturity in this day and age might look like this: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (and others), that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
If you are reading this and thinking I am making a political statement, I am not. This is one aspect of my faith relationship with Jesus. However, my trust in God affects all aspects of my life including how I view world events and the news.
May God bless us all,
Pr. Ben