"Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."
Every year, someone goes before the world in Oslo, Norway, to be
honored with the Nobel Prize for Peace.
Heaven knows, the people who get the award deserve at least that.
Consider what they’ve done. Some have tried to stop wars in their
own country or sought fair treatment for a people. Our own Martin Luther King attempted to
bridge the massive, seemingly impossible, bridge of racial divide in America.
And then there are the people who don’t get awards. Every year,
they try to create a peace that lasts more than four minutes in the Middle East. They
wheedle, they push, they threaten, they plead and they pray. And sooner or later, it all
comes to pieces. And then, they try again.
Peacemaking doesn’t need to be on such an epic scale. We’ve
all had experience striving for peace, arbitrating between battling siblings or
on-the-outs friends.
Jesus knew that desire for peace. His homeland was occupied by Romans
who were ready to deal harshly with anyone who stepped out of line. Some opposed the
Romans with force of their own. And some even encouraged Jesus to lead the revolt against
Rome.
But Jesus saw that peace, not war, was the answer. In his Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus did not say "blessed are the warriors" or "blessed are the
rebellious." "Blessed are the peacemakers," he said, "for they shall
be called children of God." How appropriate. Jesus, the true Son of God, was the
greatest peacemaker of all, he was the Prince of Peace.
To get the Nobel Prize for Peace is wonderful, but to be called
"the sons of God," that’s the true award. It glimmers brighter than the
elegant Nobel medallion, and it lasts an eternity.
Prayer: Dear Lord, we daily ask you for peace in the world. Please help
us to be "sons of God" by giving us the wisdom and love to work for peace in the
world, in our neighborhoods, and in our lives. Amen.
