In leading a bible discussion on “Blessed are the peacemakers” I had to think about what Jesus meant by this. “For they will be called children of God” tells me that such people take after God. Not only that people will acknowledge their deeds and praise God, but they are people who receive God’s affirmation, “You are my son, whom I love, and with whom I am well pleased.” God himself is a peacemaker.
The Beatitudes though speak of the inner person, the heart, that results in the actions. What is the heart of a peacemaker? And I thought, what better than to examine the heart of God in his ultimate act of peacemaking.
There are several I can dwell on: his refusal to compromise on being just and his self-sacrifice in order to move the stand-off between mercy and justice forward. That is certainly worth some reflection over as to whether this “third way” approach to peacemaking may be a viable route.
The quality that caught my attention as I reflected on God’s heart is that he chooses to build—to repair, to reconcile, to restore, to redeem—rather than to destroy. God’s heart is focused on creating, building, rather than destroying.
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
(Isaiah 30:18)
When I look at myself, I realise that it is easy for me to see wrong than to recognise right. It is easier to acknowledge the weakness or the wrong in another person than to praise the person for something good. When I see wrong, I want to correct it, to point out the wrong, to highlight it. But when I see right I don’t have the same urgency to praise, to affirm the person.
Jesus says, “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5).
Jesus sees my hypocrisy. The fact that I don’t have the heart to build another person is a huge log in my eye. Without it I cannot see clearly to want to correct the wrong in another and I need to correct the wrong in myself first.
My simple takeaway is that I should speak good as often as I can to another. In doing so, and in doing often enough, the opportunity may arise for me to help that person further, as the Lord leads.