“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”
Those who work for peace. Those who make peace. They are blessed. That sounds pretty simple and straightforward, doesn’t it? When I checked it out in the lexicon, I loved how it was phrased: “A peacemaker is one who bravely declares God’s terms, which makes someone whole.” We were talking about this particular verse (9) the other day in the office and my friend, Scott, said something that got me thinking about this further. He said, “The difference between a peacekeeper and a peacemaker is that peacekeepers will compromise – their morals – even the truth – and avoid conflict in an effort to keep the peace. Peacemakers will never compromise or avoid conflict in order to make peace.” That is such a succinct way of putting it. The peacekeeper is a man-pleaser, not a boat-rocker. But the reality is that speaking and knowing the truth is what brings ultimate peace. Thus, a peacemaker is one who speaks truth. In doing so, they declare God’s terms (His written Word) and this is what makes us whole. The word peacemaker is also translated as pacific. Isn’t that interesting? This word means peaceful in character or intent. Thus the word, pacifist, or “one opposed to violence as a means of settling disputes.” But that is not really the focus of this verse. Scott also said, “It’s easy to cross the line when being a peacemaker. There’s a fine line between peacemaking and self-righteousness (also known as the religious spirit).” So in our speaking the truth to make peace and not walking in compromise, we need to be on our guard to not have a critical or self-righteous spirit. For God’s terms bring wholeness, not condemnation. And to those who pursue this making of peace, they shall be called God’s children. So, what I am getting is that in order to be called a child of God you MUST make peace, because it imitates the character of God. Bringing peace to the earth is the ultimate aim of Christ, after all. He states that men will no longer desire for war and He will turn weapons into agricultural implements. Whole. Pacific.
Verse 10 deals with those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for doing right. I often think back to reading the Foxe’s Book of Martyrs and those who were tortured horribly for their faith in Christ, their missionary work, their bold evangelism, or their writings. Persecute essentially means to “zealously pursue and hunt down.” I often wonder if I would have the strength of character to — while being pulled apart by wild animals, standing tied to a stake while being burned alive, or enduring any other of the awful methods of torture — sing praise to The Lord, or preach the gospel as so many of those persecuted for their faith did. Of course persecution doesn’t always mean torture. Persecution is those living in countries where they must meet in caves in the middle of the night so they won’t be caught worshipping Jesus or praying. Persecution is smuggling Bibles to places that won’t allow it. Persecution is being mocked, shunned, intimidated for your beliefs. Even in America, a country founded on the premise of freedom of religion, we are beginning to see many stirrings of persecution. Overt examples of Christians beginning to be labeled as right-wing extremists, lumped into the same pool as those who are truly radical and extreme (thereby misusing the Word of God and not exemplifying a life lived after Christ — ie. Westboro Church). Persecution. When you are persecuted for doing right in the eyes of God, blessing! And your reward is the Kingdom of heaven. The Lord is lavish in the next life isn’t He. Even though we may not ever see the fulfillment in this life, rest assured that in the next life, we will see the promise fulfilled! As Misty Edwards sings, “It’s gonna be worth it… it’s gonna be worth it!”