Episode 269: Blessed are the Peacemakers

The Good News in Matthew

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)

At the start of this series, we reminded you that the good news according to Matthew is God sending Jesus to teach us how to live in relationship with God and with the people God sends to us. We also explored how the beatitudes describe the quality of life lived with God.

The Gospel of John describes life as being born anew or from above. For Matthew, the blessed life is to become “children of God.” So, like our beatitude for today, to be peacemakers is to live the life God intends for us to live.

What is peace?

It is God’s nature to make peace. God is called the God of peace. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. Paul says, “Jesus is our peace.” The desire of God seems to have been voiced by the angels at the birth of Jesus… “and on earth peace.”

God is a peacemaker. It makes sense to me that little peacemakers, bearing God’s image, “shall be called children of God.” It is the peacemaking that ultimately marks Jesus’ followers as God’s daughters and sons.

The basic understanding of the word peace comes from the Hebrew “shalom.” Shalom is a positive word. It is never used for the absence of trouble. It is understood to be everything that makes for a person’s well-being or highest good. It is to work for the good of others.

Peace is an attribute of God. As followers of Jesus, claimed by God, peace is what God does. The question is, how do you resemble God in your everyday living? There’s much more to this beatitude. Listen to explore the meaning of this beatitude from the Gospel of Matthew.