Hungering for Peace

Introduction (blank)

Our garage has been in a state of chaos since March. We emptied out a good chunk of the basement to do renovations and I’m still not done. I’m getting close though! For some reason when you buy a house it’s never perfect. It’s never quite like you would like it. It’s never quite like it ought to be. But this is a first world problem. Why is it that some people in the world are born into homes of total poverty and some are born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths? Why is it that way? It’s not fair. Every time we hear of a tragedy somewhere local or elsewhere in the world we all feel that it’s not right. That’s not the way it should be.

Where do we get this “ought to be” from? Why do we hunger for and work for things to be made right in this world?

The short answer is God. We were originally created in his image and intended to live in a place, Eden, that was perfect in every way. Lot’s of food, warm, a purpose in life—take care of the garden and perfect relationships with each other and with God. All the brokenness we experience now is a departure from this ideal world. Deep within us we know that we were made for more than this brokenness so we long for wholeness.

Eleven years ago I preached through a series in our church called The Peaceable Kingdom. In it I spent six Sundays talking about the Biblical understanding of peace. I remember being surprised at what the Bible said about peace. The Biblical understanding of peace is much bigger and more in depth than our basic understanding of peace. For most of us, the word peace means one of three things; the absence of conflict between nations, a state of harmony between people, and internal sense of tranquility within a person. The Biblical definition includes this but has much more. I’m going to quickly review the main things I discovered in 2011.

There are two main words used in the Bible that we translate peace. Shalom in the FT and Eirene in the NT. I’ll first look at shalom.

Shalom

Many of us have heard this word before. (blank) Salem is another spelling and Salaam is the Arabic version. It is also one of the root words of Jerusalem. Jeru-salem. It means “foundation of peace.”

One of the main meanings of shalom is physical well-being. This is quite different than our understanding of peace. When you have adequate food, clothing, housing etc. you have shalom, peace. (blank) So to work to provide for you family or other people is to work for peace. The work that our Community Ambassadors have been doing with providing support for the clients of Steinbach Community Outreach fits within the Shalom understanding of physical well-being. In Genesis 37:14 Jacob sends Joseph to find out how his brothers are doing. (read NIV) The literal translation would read like this, ‘Go, I pray you, see the peace of your brothers, and the peace of the flock, and bring me back word;’ Shalom here has to do with the brothers physical well-being. In 1 Sam. 17:18 David is sent by his father to check on his brothers. (read NIV) The literal translation is ‘check on the shalom of your brothers’.

The next main idea found within Shalom is shalom as moral or ethical rightness. A person of shalom is a person who has integrity. They are truthful and keep their word. They are blameless. This idea of integrity, while important is the least commonly used understanding of shalom in the OT so I won’t say anymore about it. (blank)

Shalom like the English word peace can refer to positive, good relations between people, groups of people and nations. In English you measure whether or not you have peace by whether or not there is conflict. If there is conflict, you do not have peace, if there is no conflict you have peace. While this is true in Hebrew, it is also true that you measure the presence of shalom by whether you have good relationships not just the absence of conflict. There is however one significant difference between this usage of shalom and the English word peace and that is that in Hebrew you also measure the presence of shalom by whether or not there is justice and righteousness. This is an important addition to our English understanding of peace. Isaiah 32:16, 17 – “Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.” In other words, shalom is the result of righteousness. If people are righteous, live the way they ought to in relation to God, then things will be the way they ought to be with people as well. This is completely logical and has been shown throughout history both positively and negatively. (blank)

To sum up the FT meaning of shalom. It is a state of everything being the way it should be. Enough food, enough shelter, good health, good relationships with the people around you, living morally the way you should, living righteously in an environment where justice is upheld and yes, no conflict.

Now let’s turn to the NT understanding of peace.

Eirene

The NT was written in Greek, and the word for peace in Greek is Eirene, from which we get the ladies name Irene. (blank) The way that Eirene is used in the NT has a lot of continuity with shalom. First there is a similarity of meaning in the Greek language and secondly almost all of the writers of the NT were Jewish believers. They would have payed attention to the Greek meaning behind the word but would also have imported the Shalom understandings into it. Material and physical well-being was part of it’s meaning. Good relationships were included. Eirene, like the English word peace meant the absence of conflict. Eirene had a moral component It is a Christian virtue – Galatians 5:22, “the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace” This idea of peace appearing in a list of virtues is different than the OT and seems to be closer to the English idea of “peaceable”.

There is one very different way that the NT writers used the word eirene than the way shalom was used in the FT. Eirene was used to talk about God. The idea of relational peace with God. (blank)

“The God of Peace” – Romans 15:33; 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Thess. 3:16

“The Peace of God”,” the peace of Christ” – John 14:27, Phil 4:7, Col. 3:15

“The Gospel of Peace” (good news of peace) – Eph. 6:15; 2:17, Acts 10:36

These phrases are never used in the FT. In the NT the word eirene was used to talk about God and the good news of God for people. This comes to its peak when it is used to talk about the results of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus is described as “having made peace” in two ways:

1. Justification Jesus brought peace between God and people. Things are made right between God and people and the result is peace. This death of Christ was an act of God’s love for helpless enemies.

2. Sanctification in terms of peace between people. It is through Christ’s death that old enemies, Jews and Gentiles, now become one. – Ephesians 2:14-22,– Christ’s death is a transforming power among people. And eventually this transformation will happen to all of God’s creation. Col. 1:20 (blank)

Jesus came so that things might be as they ought to be. All his hearings and exorcisms were part of making things right. His teaching and his loving actions were part of making things right. And he dealt with that initial cause of all the unrightness in this world. The unrightness in us. The unrightness between us and God. The separation between us that keeps us from experiencing the transforming power of God in our lives. Jesus died for us so that our sins could be washed away so we could be in right relationship with God. Once this happens, we can then live in right relationship with each other. Does it happen right away and instantly? No, it is a process of transformation. Hebrews 10:14 captures it well; “because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” This is the missing piece to the puzzle. Without peace with God, all other forms of peace are transitory. They don’t last. There is no eternal peace, having things the way they should be. It is the peace of God that can transform a society.

The Sawi Story

In 1962, Canadian missionaries Don and Carol Richardson went as missionaries to Irian Jaya north of Australia on the island of New Guinea. They went to the cannibalistic Sawi tribe. The Sawi tribe were a small tribe that lived in the coastal swamp lands. Don and Carol and their seven month old baby settled on the Kronkel river. Three villages joined them. As they set about to learn the language and customs they soon found that the Sawi were having a very hard time living together. Fights and all out war between villages was constantly a danger. There’s was a culture of violence. They began to explain the story of Jesus to them but soon encountered an enormous problem. The Sawi people liked Jesus and were amazed at the power he had. But when Don told them the story of the crucifixion, instead of being disgusted with Judas, they saw him as the hero of the story! You see, they had moved past mere murder. Their supreme ideal had become treachery. If you could succeed in befriending someone enough so that they trusted you and then betray them to your own tribes people, you were considered the hero. The unfortunate victim would then be killed and a cannibalistic celebration would then follow. Don and Carol didn't know what to do. How do you explain the gospel to people who view Judas as the hero? Finally Don Richardson realized that the only way he would be able to prevent the villages around him from becoming a bloodbath would be to move away so that they would again move apart. Once he informed the people, the villages were in turmoil. They didn’t want Don and Carol to leave, they were their access to the outside world and to things like steel axes, etc. The Sawi people in the embattled villages came together and decided that they would make peace with their hated enemies. Ceremonies commenced in which young children were exchanged between opposing villages. One man in particular, snatched his young child from his wife’s arms and ran toward his enemy's camp, his wife running after him screaming and sobbing until she fell down in the mud. The man gave his son to his hated foe and with tears streaming down his face ran back to his village. As long as those children lived, they could live in peace. Because of the glorification that treachery had in their society, the only way you could be absolutely sure that a man or village was serious about peace, was the peace child. And anyone who harmed that child, was the worst person possible. Observing this, Richardson wrote: "if a man would actually give his own son to his enemies, that man could be trusted!"

Don and Carol had their example, built into the culture. Jesus Christ is the Peace Child sent from God to those who hate him so that God could have peace with all those who trusted in him! (read Isaiah 9:6 )

When Don and Carol explained the good news of Jesus in this way, Judas went from being the hero to the worst villain possible and the gospel was accepted quickly. The transformation of their culture began. Don explained that once you accepted Jesus, the Peace Child, you become a follower of his and you follow his example of how to live. The constant killing and warfare stopped. The Sawi people are at peace with one another and with the neighbouring tribes. Their lives are much more the way they ought to be than before. It is Jesus that has made the difference.

Conclusion

To close I want to show a video of Don Richardson and his three sons returning to visit the Sawi people 50 years later. As you watch, think of the Shalom and Eirene that Jesus brings. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

https://vimeo.com/51281742

Pray

Benediction: 1 Timothy 1:17