The Price for Peace

INTRODUCTION:

In the late 1940’s of a post war America, Jim Elliot was at Wheaton College studying as a Bible major.

PICTURE: On October 28th, 1949 he penned the following in a journal entry.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

A few months later, a former missionary to Ecuador would tell Jim Elliot about the Waorani (or Huaorani) Indians (a small but fierce unreached people group in the Amazon Jungle). They were known for their violence and suspicion of outsiders.

Sensing the call of God, Jim and his friend Pete set sail for Ecuador and began their work. They spent six months in Quito learning the culture and the language, after which they relocated to Shandia, a mission station on the eastern edge of the Ecuadorian jungle.

The following year he would marry another missionary named Elizabeth Howard. She was stationed near Santo Domingo (where we do work today). They were married on October 8th, 1953. Their firstborn, Valerie, was born in February of 1955.

In was in the fall of 1955 that Jim made contact with the Huaorani Indians.

(Initially, they would drop gifts from the plane and receive gifts back in return.)

Their openness seemed promising so they opted for a face to face meeting.

They located a strip of land called “Palm Beach” and extended the invitation. They landed on January 3rd, 1956.

PICTURE: It was Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming and three other friends (Nate Saint, Ed McCully and Roger Youderian)

Armed and loaded, they landed but made a promise to each other never to shoot a native since they did not know the Lord. They would gladly give their lives to prevent the natives from a life in hell.

After landing they waited for days without any movement. Finally, a young couple showed up accompanied by an older woman.

The young girl had left their village without permission or explanation. The young boy was romantically interested so he followed in the way. The 30 year old woman was a self-appointed chaperone.

Upon arriving they exchanged gifts and showed off their plane. Nate even took the young boy up in the air to make a few laps.

It was on that trip that Nankiwi (the boy) saw his neighbors from the air and waved a greeting from the plane which got EVERYONE’s attention.

Seeing the boy, a larger group decided to make their way to the beach. On their way, they ran into the young couple but without the chaperone.

The girl’s brother became furious and so Nankiwi came up with a lie. He said the outsiders had attacked them and that’s why they left their chaperone.

Gikita - already suspicious of outsiders - responded in vengeance and developed a murderous plot.

The older chaperone returned and told them the truth but by then their fates were already sealed.

On January 8th the larger group arrived. The missionaries were excited but they had no idea what was coming. Three women were sent in first to divide the missionaries.

From there, they were attacked from behind. Jim took out his firearm to scare off the attackers. Hiding in the trees, he was speared by a warrior.

From there, the other four men were speared to death. With his dying death, Pete Fleming extended friendliness and mercy. He couldn’t understand the reason for the hostility.

The warriors threw the dead bodies into the river and stripped resources from the aircraft. They burned their village to the ground and fled deeper into the jungle.

The Price of Peace

The price of being peacemaker is higher than you may think.

Those who would make peace often pay a heavy price.

History is replete with examples of such a truth.

Every Athens kills its Socrates, every Jerusalem, its Jesus. Those who bring the light often have that light snuffed out.

The beatitudes of Jesus also show us this dynamic. It acts as an encap to Jesus’ vision for a flourishing life.

We’ve been looking at these beatitudes over the last few weeks. This week we’ll cover the third and final triad.

The beatitudes introduce the greatest sermon ever preached. A sermon wherein Jesus describes the pathway to human flourishing.

The beatitudes describe God’s “Kingdom Culture.” (the attitudes and actions of whose who possess the Kingdom)

Commentators call them “Makarisms.” given their literary structure. There are three sets of three each building upon each other.

The first three beatitudes require the death of self.

The next three beatitudes describes what takes it’s place.

That last three beatitudes describes what that will cause.

For the sake of review let’s read them all together. Our focus this morning will be on the last three.

Matthew 5:3–12 CSB

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Hardship & Flourishing

When reading the Beatitudes it’s important you read them rightly. These are NOT commands or conditions for God to bless you.

They’re not conditions to merit the Kingdom but descriptions of those who possess it.

If you read them as a kind of quid pro quo you’ll misread the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is saying through the beatitudes “This is what the “good life” looks like.

In that way, the beatitudes are also a portrait of Jesus. Kingdom Culture looks like the King upon the Throne.

Jesus was a king who lived a certain kind of way. His kingdom has a rule that works a certain way. Both were a challenge to the cultural assumptions of that time (Jerusalem and Rome).

The teaching of Jesus was unlike any other. The news of Jesus’ miracles had spread throughout the region. He had upset the apple cart had gained a massive following.

The target audience for Jesus were Galilean Jews (blue collar, lower class, spiritually undeveloped).

Their lives were marked by hardship but they knew that Jesus was special.

Imagine their surprise when Jesus preached this sermon and attached a life of flourishing to various kinds of hardship.

Most people of that culture assumed hardship was a curse. For Jews within that region it came from Roman oppression. They saw their personal circumstances as a curse from God in heaven.

But Jesus turns the table and says “hard times can be a blessing!”

Hardship and flourishing do not exclude each other.

BLESSED are the helpless, the heartbroken and humiliated. These don’t exclude true flourishing they may be what creates it. Those with Kingdom Culture also live this way.

The beatitudes are like a house with three constituent parts.

The first three are the slab and make up the foundation.

The next three are the roof and walls which give the house it’s character.

The last three show the purpose or what God’s house is FOR.

You might say these show what God’s Kingdom is built upon, built out of and built out for.

God’s kingdom house is built upon a foundation of grace.

God’s kingdom house is made up of righteousness and love.

God’s kingdom house was made for making peace within our world.

When righteous people saved by grace make peace within in our world, they’re met with persecution, hostility and resistance.

That’s what we’ll focus on in these final three beatitudes.

THE PEACEMAKER:

Matthew 5:9 CSB

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

For peacemaker I want you to imagine the word “healer.” Blessed are the healers for they’ll be called God’s Children.

The peacemaker is a healer because he provides for others what God has done for him.

The healers within God’s kingdom unleash the healing that they’ve received. In that way they’re penultimate to every other description.

This seventh blessing is the natural consequence of all that came before: a natural by product of what God’s kingdom does.

Only the poor in spirit can know the source of peace. It doesn’t come through human effort it’s a gift received by grace.

Only those who see their sin can see the source of conflict. The reason peace of broken was because of our transgression.

Only through humility does peace have any chance. Reconciliation requires a death to self.

Peacemakers crave righteousness more than anything.

Peacemaker show mercy because God’s mercy was first received.

Peacemakers are pure in heart and show no partiality. “Their side” is “God’s side” and God’s will is what they want.

Defining Peace

So what it peace? How is it made? These are basic questions.

According to the Scripture its less avoiding conflict and more establishing wholeness.

It’s less about what’s missing and more about what’s present.

Kingdom people promote relational harmony.

This idea of something positive is embedded in the word. He doesn’t say “peace seekers,” “peace lovers” or “peaceable.”

Blessed are the peaceMAKERS. It’s a compound of two Greek words: Eirene (Peace) and Poios (make/do).

It isn’t inner tranquility because of what is missing. It’s a broader sense of wholeness because of what is present. It takes effort and intentionality. You must reject fear-based avoidance.

The reason it takes such effort is because it ISN’T NATURAL. The natural way of things takes us away from peace. Peace is supernatural in that it comes from God.

That’s why The Peacemaker is called a “son of God.” The word “son of” means “possess the character of” meaning one’s “dominant characteristic.”

There are multiple examples of this euphemism in the Scripture.

While on mission the disciples were to “look for a son of peace.” (Luke 10:6)

Barnabas, partner with Paul, was called a “son of encouragement.” (Acts 4:36)

Disciples James and John were called the “sons of thunder.” (Mark 3:17)

You also have sons of light (Jn 12:36); sons of the devil (Mat 12:27) sons of “this age.” (Lk 16:8)

The idea is that you’re never more like God in heaven then when you’re making peace. This is what drives Kingdom People to share the peace of Jesus.

It’s not a sense of duty or spirit of superiority, it’s a natural outgrowth of being a child of God. You cannot help but look like your father in that way.

Elizabeth Elliot

Earlier I told the story of Jim Elliot and his missionary friends. He left behind his wife Elizabeth and their young daughter Valerie.

Most people would’ve left the country fighting resentment and despair. But two years later, Elizabeth, Valerie and Rachel Saint went to live among Waorani.

They had an opening through a person of peace to live among those people. They learned the language and even lived next to her husband’s killer. Imagine the courage and forgiveness that must take.

She wasn’t driven by revenge, anger or survivors guilt. She was driven by God’s mission to save people and establish peace. Over time, many Waorani people gave their lives to Jesus. They saw in those two women the very character of God.

What had once been a story of bloodshed became a story of grace and peace. Blessed are the peacemakers. Not the peace-lovers. Not the peace-talkers. Not the people who avoid conflict and keep everybody comfortable.

Blessed are those who move toward the wreckage of this world with the mercy, truth, and courage of heaven. Anybody can retaliate. Anybody can retreat. It takes a child of God to make peace where it is needed.

Application

Seek reconciliation even when it’s hard

Biblical examples of peacemaking is reconciling people with God. (2 Cor 5:18-21)

God is holy. We are sinful. There is not peace without forgiveness. Forgiveness cannot happen outside of Christ’s atonement. (Rom 5:1)

Peacemakers also try to reconcile personal relationships.

Jesus will address this first in his sermon on the mount. (Mat 5:23-24) If possible, as far as it depends on you, seek to live at peace with all men. (Rom 12:18)

Peacemakers lastly try to reconcile people with others.

You see this with the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:2-3. Divisions tend to spread and people will take a side. Once sides are taken inside the church then everybody loses. (Eph 4:26-27)

Where are you avoiding peace instead of seeking to make it?

(Husband owning sin? Wife weaponizing wounds? Phone call instead of rumor mill? Choosing NOT to flatter the boss, demonize the opponent, join the pile-on. It’s refusing cowardly silence or self-righteous promotion. It’s getting in the middle even if you get blamed by both sides. 

Sometimes making peace may result in conflict! (Cf Mat 10:34) Seeking after what God wants means resisting opposing interests. I’ve certainly experienced this in pastoral ministry.

In seeking to make peace things can get more hostile. But its a price you’re willing to pay in order to establish genuine harmony.

Blessed are the Harassed

That leads to the next beatitude which flows logically from the former. Sometimes making peace results in blows from waring tribes.

Even when that happens, Jesus says “you’re blessed.” Mat 5:10

Matthew 5:10 CSB

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Blessed are the harassed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

This beatitude forms an inclusio the first about poverty of spirit. Each one is marked by blessing and inherits the kingdom of heaven.

The Kingdom belongs to the helpless and those who are constantly harassed.

To “harass” means to subject someone to aggressive pressure or intimidation. It’s wearing someone out through vexation and trouble.

I didn’t choose this word because it started with an H. It actually perfectly captures nuance of the original Greek. The Greek word translated persecute means to hasten, run after or pursue. The French root for the English harass means literally the same thing. They’d shout “hare” to sic their hounds on a poor little rabbit.

Such is the lot for kingdom people who embody a kingdom culture. Especially kingdom people who seek to make peace where it isn’t.

For Righteousness

It’s important to note their persecution isn’t for being pretty. They’re persecuted for righteousness or “doing what God says.”

Kingdom righteousness is the key theme of the Sermon on the Mount. It spans from spiritual disciplines to the way you treat your enemies.

When you live your life according to God’s design you will likely suffer some persecution.

Kingdom people will provoke the world’s hostility.

People are quick to say we don’t have persecution like other places. That may be true in terms of physical violence or political pressure. But every godless culture inflicts some form of persecution.

Peter said that ALL who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will experience persecution. It’s not a maybe or possibility. It’s a biblical guarantee. (2 Tim 3:12)

So if you never experience opposition in your commitment to Kingdom Culture. It might be a result of neglecting righteousness.

This righteousness involves more than “a personal preference for what is right.” Peace-making also requires confronting sin in ourselves and others.

It’s the absence of THIS peacemaking that diminishes opposition. But it also diminishes the effectiveness of our witness.

Jesus addresses this dynamic in the Sermon on the Mount. Addressing sin in others begins with looking in the mirror.

If your eye causes you to sin pluck it out. If your hand, cut it off! (Mat 5:29-30) Remove the log from your own eye before the speck of dust in your brother’s eye. (Mat 7:3-5)

But once you can see clearly, you must address your brother. Jesus provides the framework in Matthew 18:15-17. First you go one-on-one. Then with two or three others. Then then entire community so as to save the other brother from sin.

Again this process assumes the full process of the beatitudes. It begins with the death of self and applies mercy throughout the process. Even at the end when church discipline takes place, the heart behind the discipline is always restoration.

Application

The word translated “persecuted” is a passive perfect participle. You could actually translate it, “allow themselves to be persecuted.”

What is shocking about these believers is that they are willing to accept hostility especially for the sake of Christ.

Accept resistance, even for being holy.

All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Every Athens kills its socrates, every Jersualem kills its Jesus.

When light shines in the darkness expect to get some hate. There are many who love the darkness and hate those who bring the light. (John 3:19-20)

As Jesus told his followers, “Don’t fear those who can kill the body. Rather fear the one who can destroy body and soul in HELL.”

On the other hand, don’t mistake being holy for the price of being a jerk. Sometimes persecution is deserved for how one acts.

Not all criticism is Christian persecution. Opposing righteousness is not the same as your personal interests. 

Blessed are the Hated 

This idea continues in the ninth and final beatitude. The structure stays the same but Jesus moves to “direct address.”

Jesus is moves from third person descriptions to second person exhortation. Matthew 5:11-12

Matthew 5:11–12 CSB

11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

There are so many words to capture this dynamic. At a basic level these people are hated but the expression is through their words.

Blessed are the hated because their reward is great in heaven.

The English word “harangue” conveys lengthy and aggressive speech. That’s the basic notion behind this persecution.

Jesus describes it at three levels: they insult you, the persecute you and false say every kind of evil against you.

The word translated persecute is the same one used in verse 10. It conveys harassment, being hounded or chased down. The two words on either side are the different forms it takes.

The word translated “insult” is more than finding fault. It’s expressing such faults in a harsh and demeaning manner. Other words like “mocking” or “reproach” convey the sense. The goal is personal shame and reputational damage. The image is grinding your teeth in front of another person.

The phrase translated “falsely say every kind of evil against you” is less about face to face insults and more about lies spread behind your back. We would use the word “slander” or “libel” in our modern context. The goal of such false statements is to ruin your reputation.

So the problem with this speech isn’t just because “its mean.” This speech is filled with slander and lies about your character.

If you’ve ever had this happen you know how bad it feels. Once these words take root they destroy your reputation.

It’s one thing for people to hate you when hate is rightly deserved. It’s another thing to be prosecuted for something that isn’t true.

Such is the natural consequence of being a Kingdom Citizen. When people can’t defeat your arguments they’ll assassinate your character.

The thing about God’s Kingdom is it cannot be defeated. Since they can’t argue with the Lord they’ll demonize the messenger.

The great thing about this blessing is that their efforts ultimately fail. Rejoice, be glad! We’ve seen this play before.

The Gates of Hell

Kingdom people will push through the gates of hell.

One of my favorite promises of Jesus talks about this truth. It comes after Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ.

Matthew 16:17–19 CSB

17 Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.”

From the very beginning hell has sought to silence the truth. But the thing about the truth is it can’t be overcome.

They crucified the Lord Jesus but he came back from the dead. So also will his church overcome the gates of hell.

Remember gates are defensive which means the church is playing offense. Instead of hiding from their insults you keep the light alive!

Through Kingdom honesty we overcome the lies.

Through Kingdom integrity we expose the dangerous frauds.

Through Kingdom sincerity we overcome the hypocrites.

Through Kingdom mercy we restore the brokenness.

Application

The shocking command of Jesus is not merely to survive persecution. It is to rejoice in it.

Not because pain is pleasant or enjoyable. It’s not! The slander is damaging. Rejoice because persecution reveals your citizenship.

When you are mistreated for righteousness, heaven is reminding you: “You don’t belong here. You belong to Me.”

Endure reproach. Heaven is your home.

The world may strip your reputation. But it cannot strip your reward. The world may shame your name. But it cannot erase your inheritance.

The world may push you out of its circles. But heaven is already preparing your welcome.

You are not alone. You stand in a long line of faithful witnesses. Jeremiah was mocked. Elijah was hunted. Isaiah was rejected. Jesus was crucified.

The path of righteousness has always been lined with reproach. But it always leads to glory. Kingdom people know this. That is why they keep pressing forward.

They make peace even when it costs them. They accept resistance even when it hurts them. They endure reproach because heaven holds their reward.

CONCLUSION

Is that not the example of our Lord? Jesus is not merely giving us a list of attitudes to adopt or virtues to admire. He is first revealing Himself.

He is showing us what His kingdom looks like because He is the King who embodies this life perfectly.

Jesus is the true Peacemaker. He did not remain at a safe distance from human conflict and brokenness. He entered directly into it.

He stepped into a world filled with hostility toward God, rebellion against truth, and violence toward one another, and He took upon Himself the full weight of that hostility in order to reconcile sinners to a holy Father.

On the cross He absorbed the insults, the slander, the injustice, and the suffering that ultimately belongs to us.

He made peace not by avoiding pain but by enduring it.

He secured righteousness not by lowering God’s standards but by satisfying them.

He opened the way to blessing not by demanding our perfection but by offering us His grace.

The Beatitudes are first an invitation to come to Christ before they are a command to imitate Christ.

You cannot live this life until you have received this life. You cannot become a peacemaker until you have first been reconciled to God.

So the most important question this text raises is not, “Am I doing these things?” but rather, “Have I trusted the One who has done these things for me?”

Some of you today need to begin right there. You need peace with God. You need forgiveness that you cannot earn and righteousness that you cannot produce.

Jesus Christ offers that freely to all who turn from their sin and place their faith in Him.

But for those who do belong to Christ, this passage also presses us toward honest reflection and practical obedience.

Application

If Jesus made peace for us at the cost of His own life, are we willing to sacrifice to make peace in his name?

Where is He calling you to move toward reconciliation instead of remaining distant?

Where is He calling you to pursue what is right even though it may bring misunderstanding or opposition?

Following Jesus will not always make your life easier. In many cases it will make your path more difficult.

Peacemaking requires humility. Righteousness requires courage. Faithfulness sometimes results in loss. Jesus is clear about that.

Yet He also assures us that the suffering we endure for His sake is not pointless or forgotten. We stand in a long line of truth tellers who were misunderstood in their own generation but honored in eternity.

Whatever the price for peace, the reward of faith is worth it.