Lennon Wall in Prague

'Peace' in a World of Unrest

Over the last few weeks, if you are anything like me, you have been thinking about peace or more likely the lack of peace. With the ongoing war in Ukraine, the start of the war in Israel, genocide in Sudan, and the mounting tensions in America as another election year is just around the corner, it is easy to be anxious and desperate for peace. When the world feels as if it is about to go up in flames we, as mankind, long for peace. As Christians, we should be thinking about peace most of all.

We should be reminded of the promises found in Christmas as the Angels proclaimed the coming of Christ. They sang aloud, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”(Luke 2:14). Likewise, as Christ was ending His ministry on earth before His ascension, He promised "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."(John 14:27).

What is this peace that is promised and proclaimed? To begin the understand the biblical concept of peace, we need to understand how the original audience would have received the angels' proclamation. Peace or Shalom [שָׁלוֹם] for the the Hebrew people carried a sense of "completeness, soundness, or prosperity". This sense of peace ultimately was rooted in the people's relationship with God as a whole and was displayed in the promised blessings given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, primarily the promise of many descendants and a land. The Hebrew people saw their standing with God as being directly linked to the land which they received after the Exodus and the wandering in the wilderness. Upon entering the Promised Land, the land was divided out to the people by tribe and then by family. This connection between land and God's favor is shown throughout the Old Testament. When the people of God, or more precisely the Kings of Israel, are faithful, there is peace in the Land and the people find rest. Possession of the land is linked to having 'peace' from enemies and rest in the promises of God. This is particularly emphasized after the return from the Babylonian exile. Even the land itself was to receive rest from being worked every 7th year requiring the people to rest in God even more that year. The connection to the land was not simply for a resting place where the people of God could worship Him peacefully, nor was it to be free from war and turmoil but so that the people could be a blessing to the nations. This purpose found some fulfillment in the Old Testament. Examples of this can be seen in Jonah preaching to Nineveh and in Solomon where people from all around the world came to see the temple. The people of God were to seek the flourishing of those around them, even those who were not among the people of God, and to bring them into proper worship of their creator.

In the New Testament, we see a shift in the concept of peace from being tied to the land and to the faithfulness of the king to a link to Christ and His faithfulness. Through the incarnation of Christ, His life, death, and resurrection, we now see the promises of Abraham renewed and fulfilled. The peace brought by the Messiah is what the OT peace foreshadows, a renewed relationship with God, one marked by righteousness rather than sin, a peace with God bought by the blood of Christ in whom we are washed clean. It is this peace that is declared by the angels at the birth of Christ, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased”. God is well pleased in Christ and it is through Him and only Him that we are declared righteous through the propitiation of our sin. That is not the end though, we are not simply at peace with God in Christ, but through our union in Christ by faith we, like Christ, bring pleasure to God. We not only have our sins placed upon Christ who died for them, but we also have Christ's goodness imputed to us. We, though we have sinned, are a pleasing aroma and a good sacrifice to God as we live in Christ and as the Spirit of the Lord moves in us to worship Him.

So what? Why does this matter to us today? Because, as we wrestle with these principles and the idea that we are no longer enemies of the Lord, we begin to trust in His promises and rest in His sovereign hands as we behold Him making all things new. Only when we find rest in the fact that God is faithful to His people and the promises He makes, will we find peace amidst the turmoil of the world. This does not mean that we are immune to the conflicts of the world nor does it mean that life will be easy if we just have enough faith, nor does it mean we won't struggle to have faith at times. We know this can't be the case because there are more lament psalms than any other type of psalm. Christ also taught that His followers should expect conflict with the world around them. However, it does mean once we are at peace with God, we can walk confidently amidst the chaos, proclaiming, in word and deed, the peace of God that can not be grasped through human effort but is a free gift, given to those whom He calls.