When Jesus RulesSample

Bridge Builders

Peace refers to freedom from disturbance. It means tranquillity.

The Lord is saying to His disciples there is a blessing for those who are peacemakers.

“The verse which precedes it speaks of the blessedness of ‘the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’ It is well that we should understand this. We are to be ‘first pure, then peaceable.’ Our peaceableness is never to be a compact with sin or an alliance with that which is evil. We must set our faces like flints against everything which is contrary to God and his holiness. That being in our souls a settled matter, we can go on to peaceableness towards men.” (Spurgeon)

The reference here is not to those who live in peace, but to those who actually bring about peace, overcoming evil with good. A peacemaker is one who brings about peace, especially by reconciling adversaries. A mediator. Peacemakers do not imply people who are pacifiers, nor those who do not fight. Peacemakers actively bring conflicts to an end.

Peacemakers are those who choose to take action to restore peace, to unite parties that had once been at odds. “And he sometimes putteth himself between the two, when they are very angry, and taketh the blows from both sides, for he knows that so Jesus did, who took the blows from his Father and from us also, that so by suffering in our stead, peace might be made between God and man.” (Spurgeon).

Christ summarised all of Scripture in two commandments, love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34-40 ). As followers of Christ, it is only right that we emulate Christ, the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6 ), by working to reconcile people with God and with each other. A peacemaker builds bridges between unbelievers and God through the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18) 

There is a blessing for peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God. The reward of peacemakers is that they are recognized as true children of God. Peacemakers are blessed by God, even if they are ill-treated by man. Peacemakers are blessed to be among God’s children, adopted into His family.

Are you a peacemaker, bridge builder?

Lord enable me by your grace, to be a bridge-builder, I pray.