​Beatitude #7- the Peacemakers

“Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” – Matthew 5:9
This is one of those impossible Beatitudes we often nod at and totally ignore. The way I often
hear people interpret this sentence is more like, “Peacemakers are good, and we as Christians should
strive to do that.” The way I see it applied is more like, “If someone is kind to me, I will keep the peace. If
they don’t, surely Jesus doesn’t expect me to let them walk all over me.” Something definitely gets lost
in translation, and certainly Jesus set the bar quite high.
What does it mean to be a peacemaker? Well, it is someone who is actively making peace wherever they
go.
I have a couple of thoughts:
1) There is a huge difference in peacemaking and peace keeping when we are applying them to our lives.
Keeping peace assumes there is already peace. A peace keeper is simply someone who makes sure
nothing goes haywire. But a peacemaker is someone who finds areas where there is No peace and they
heal the situation.
2) As you see, when we put peacemaking into an applicable practice it becomes quite an intentional,
ACTIVE effort. A Peacemaker is not a passive person. They are not simply being nice to keep people from
getting upset with them. They are purposeful, looking for problems between people that need to be
healed (whether in their own life, or between others). The Peacemaker MUST initiate healing and
reconciliation- and this cannot be done by avoiding people. A peacemaker doesn’t avoid conflict… (did I
mention how difficult this Beatitude is??)
3) Peacemakers must seek True Justice. Truth is required in their life (and not just a little. They NEED
truth). You cannot create peace without love. Love is the essential element to creating peace. I find it to
be beautiful when I contemplate the Peace Jesus left with us. It was filled with Love. Is ours? Love
requires truth. Have you ever met a loving person who was also deceptive in all their dealings? No. Love
and Truth are so closely related they can’t be separated. So for you to make peace, you must be a
person who loves and knows truth. In order to heal relationships, loving them is required, and not just a
theory of love, but a real, tangible practical knowledge of love. In other words, the more you practice
loving, healing and reconciling relationships, and making peace, the more you experience God’s love in
your own life. It’s beautiful (and to be quite honest, it’s relieving) to know I don’t have to have Love and
Truth completely perfected in order to imitate God (yes, Peacemaking, loving people, speaking truth,
healing wounds, reconciling relationships… these are things God does that we are called to imitate). Isn’t
that a relief?
4) Peacemaking is essential for the Body of Christ. How can we be Children of God if we can’t get along?
How can we have problems inside our families left undealt with, and still think we are somehow walking
in righteousness? It’s preposterous to think that way. Reason being, We are a family in God. We are

connected to each other, and God has set up His Kingdom in such a way that we are to all work
together.
“12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many,
they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by [3] one Spirit into one body--
whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Now the body is
not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not
belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should
say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part
of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body
were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body,
every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!"
And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that
seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with
special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our
presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has
given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but
that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if
one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is
a part of it.” – 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
It’s pretty clear we are not supposed to be independent people, independent churches,
independent denominations, etc. We are all supposed to be working together, helping each other. In
this, we must rebuild our relationships with each other in order to walk in the righteousness of God.
Now, I know that each of us has been given His righteousness, and it comes from Grace through our
Faith in Jesus. I’m not talking about whether we are righteous in this post. We are. We are righteous.
Jesus made us His Righteousness (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). However, what I am talking about is whether
or not we are walking IN His righteousness or not. I don’t believe it is possible to walk in the
Righteousness of God and yet not be actively making peace with everyone in our lives. And this is very
difficult… impossible without God. But if He is calling us to this ministry of reconciliation and
peacemaking, we must be encouraged in knowing He equips those He calls.
So, remember Jesus’s words… “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you. I do not give as the
world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27. “If it is possible, as
far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” – Romans 12:18
God is with you. He is for you. He has blessed you. He has equipped you. He has given you His
peace. Now go and make peace. Bless you…