February 2, 2020
For full passage click: Matthew 5:7-12 … “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” vs. 9
Jesus tells us here that peacemakers get a special blessing in that they will be called children of God. We can infer from that designation that those who work for peace have a special connection to God and are a reflection of God’s being. It seems right then that there is an annual Nobel Peace Prize awarded to some individual or group that has done exemplary work in making this world a more peaceful place. Sadly, though, most of society’s accolades are reserved, not for peacemakers, but for warriors. Most countries spend an inordinate amount of time and energy in the development of more powerful weapons. Some actively promote acts of terror and military campaigns. Every year trillions of dollars are spent in waging war and building national defenses. That seems to be the major part of every national budget and it’s something that most political parties agree on. It would seem that peacemaking just hasn’t caught on in the way that Jesus had hoped. In fact, sometimes it’s his followers who are most excited about going to war and killing enemies. It seems a shame that we waste our time on such pointless pursuits. Some say that, in our world the only way to have peace is by having more bombs and guns, that “mutually assured destruction” is the only deterrent to reckless aggression. One wonders what Jesus would make of that!
Thought for the Day: Who are the peacemakers in our world?
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