Blessed are the Peacemakers

by Petey Crowder, Pastor of Adult Ministries

If we were to replace this with today’s language, I think Jesus could have said, “Blessed are those who strive for peace, for they are inviting people into God’s family.” I think it’s important that we see that peacemaking is not passive, but active. The concept of shalom, or “peace,” goes far beyond the absence of turmoil. It can be translated as “completeness” or “wholeness,” and it means that something is working in harmony, or doing exactly as intended. To strive for peace is to pursue the flourishing of all, inviting them to live as a part of God’s family on earth.

Being a peacemaker is not just the work of social justice warriors. It is the daily, small actions that each of us take to love our family members, neighbors, and
coworkers. Not just those who are easy to love, but also the talkative person ahead of us in line and the aggressive driver on the road. Making peace begins on the local scale—we strive for peace in small ways every day. After all, what good is preaching peace on a global scale if we bring disharmony, disunity, and brokenness by the way we treat others?

In the end, Jesus fulfills the Jewish concept of shalom, or peace, by embodying the idea of a flourishing human, living every moment as He was intended to live. May we live with such intentionality, and in doing so, invite more into God’s family.