The thought of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem provokes in us different images.
There are the lowly shepherds. The Gentile wise men. There is Joseph and
Mary and their angelic visitors. And there is, of course, Jesus in the
manger. And finally there are the angels as they sing their song of praise.
‘Peace on earth’ is something that even rank pagans have heard about even if
they don’t know where it comes from. Jesus has come as the Prince of Peace.
None of this is news. I came upon a website recently that referred to the
coming of Jesus as the Prince of Peace. But this website said that this was
contradicted by something else in the New Testament. I was informed by this
website that Jesus also said, ‘I have not come to bring peace but a sword.’
And whoever wrote this came to what was to him the obvious conclusion that
the Bible is false. Both statements can’t be true. Either Jesus is the
Prince of Peace born to bring peace on earth or He has come not to bring
peace but conflict. So much for Christianity. Our friendly webmaster has
much to learn about language and its uses. But his bit of foolishness did
pique my interest. So, we’re going to look at these two passages in
Scripture with this question, ‘Has Jesus come to bring peace?’
Let’s start with the angels’ doxology. If we are going to understand the
angels’ message we’ll need to see the big picture. There is a war on. I’m
not referring to what’s going on in Iraq. There is a more significant war
going on, and it’s a war between God and the world. The Scriptures are
fairly clear about this. Listen to a couple of places. ‘For the mind that is
set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law…’
[Romans 8:7] ‘You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with
the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the
world makes himself an enemy of God.’ [James 4:4] Hostility. Enmity. Strong
language but rather an accurate description of the attitude that the world
has toward the God who made it. And this war isn’t simply a one-sided
affair. The hostility doesn’t just go in one direction. ‘For you are not a
God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful
shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those
who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.’ [Psalm
5:4-6] ‘For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
’ [Romans 1:18] More strong language. This is the basic situation, and we
need to understand it as such. There is a war going on between rebellious
unbelief on the one side and the eternal Creator on the other.
It is into this situation that the angels sing about peace. Jesus has come
to bring peace. ‘Peace’ in Old Testament Hebrew is the word ‘shalom’. It is
a word that is very rich in content. To be sure, this peace is not just some
truce. ‘Truce’ is a negative term. It refers to what is not happening. There
is no active fighting. There’s no shooting. But you had better stay on your
side of the line, and I’ll stay on mine. Peace, on the other hand, is a very
positive term. It’s not just about what isn’t happening. It’s about what is
happening. When there is peace, it’s not just that your enemy has stopped
shooting. When there is peace, your enemy has become your good friend. Peace
on earth.
Before, God was enraged at you. He abhorred you. He was your sworn enemy.
And He pledged, on His honor as God, to destroy you. But now that has
changed. God has become a friend. In fact, it’s more than that He’s a
friend. He has become your doting Father. Peace on earth.
But just as war can’t be one-sided, neither can peace. It’s not only that
God’s attitude to you has changed. Your attitude to Him has also changed.
You were hostile to God, at enmity with Him. But now it’s different. You’ve
been changed. The hatred is gone. And in its place is a true love for your
Father. Peace on earth.
All of this is included in what Jesus came to do. We have peace by the blood
of His cross. The peace of Jesus. What a gift! That is what we celebrate as
we recount the angels’ song.
This is why Jesus’ other statement is so jarring. ‘I have not come to bring
peace but a sword.’ What is this all about? It sounds so stark, so harsh, so
uncompromising. It surely doesn’t seem to fit with the glorious song of the
angels. And yet, there it is, waiting for us to believe it as part of the
Gospel also. On the one hand, we need to believe more and more in the peace
that we have with God. We need to see how it speaks to the different parts
of our lives and enjoy its blessings. We need to believe the angels. We are
at peace with God because Jesus has come. Peace on earth. But on the other
hand, we need to understand that we are by no means at peace with the world.
We are at war with this world. And we are at war because Jesus has come.
I want to use an incident from the Old Testament to explain what I mean.
Moses had been up on Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. But what did
he find as he returned to the camp of the Israelites? He found a golden calf
and the people riotously out of control as they worshiped that vain idol.
So, what does he do? He calls out, ‘Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.’
The sons of Levi come. Then Moses tells them, ‘Thus says the Lord God of
Israel, "Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from
gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his
companion and his neighbor." ’ Do you see what is happening? Because of
their bond with the God of Israel, the Levites were in conflict with the
rebellious idolaters. Because they had peace with God they used the sword
against God’s enemies. That’s your situation today. You have peace with God.
There is a bond between you and Him. Because of that you are in conflict
with the idolaters of this world. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, brought a
sword.
This fits with other things that you know. Consider Jesus earthly ministry.
It was filled with a continual conflict. When He healed in the synagogue,
the Pharisees are there to plot against Him. When He taught the people, the
scribes were there to attack. It was true warfare. It resulted in the cross.
Consider the book of Revelation. It’s an overview of the history of the
Church between the first and second advents of Jesus. And what is the
prominent theme? Conflict. War. And while Jesus is portrayed in one place as
a Lamb, in another He is pictured as a warrior on His white stead ready to
make war. All of this is a reflection of that basic theme of the Bible: the
enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. And even
as Moses told the Levites to kill ‘brother, companion and neighbor’, Jesus
tells us, ‘For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter
against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a
person's enemies will be those of his own household.’ When Jesus came He
brought peace, but He also brought a sword.
And so, this helps us fill out our picture of the normal Christian life.
This is a life where you relish the kind of relationship that you have with
your God. Because of Jesus, there is peace where there was once hostility.
And the experience of that peace is something that grows and grows
throughout this life. God is our doting Father who bends heaven and earth
for our benefit. This is glorious! But at the same time, and because of this
peace we have with our God, there is conflict. We are no longer at war with
God. But we are at war with the world that is in idolatrous rebellion
against Him. It’s a package deal. Jesus came to bring peace and a sword.
So, what do you do with all of this? Let me offer some thoughts here. First,
please be aware that the conflict is subtle. This is more like guerrilla
warfare than like two armies facing off on an open field. Remember, ‘the
serpent was more subtle then any other beast of the field…’ So, don’t think
just in terms of some big obvious issues. The battle is often fought in
terms of the less obvious issues.
Now, how do you fight such a war? I think that one major key to successfully
fighting this conflict is growing in your experience of the peace that you
have with your God. God is your Father and He loves you deeply. The love of
even the best parent is only a dim reflection of His love. There is a bond
here that needs to become stronger and stronger. As your experience of this
peace grows, the issues become clearer. You can see the battle for what it
is. But even more important than that, you are more willing to pay the price
of fighting the war. What do you think those Levites were thinking as they
hacked away at their friends? Do you think that was easy? Is conflict with
dear family members something easily endured? But if the bond with your God
is strong and growing, you will be able to stand firm for the truth of God
even when confronted by people you love.
One last thought. What is it that every warrior thinks about as he fights?
He thinks about going home. He thinks about finally being done fighting this
war and being able to go where there is no war. He fights on with that hope
in mind. That hope helps to keep him going. One day Jesus will return. That’
s just a fact. And when He does the war will be over. And every saint that
has fought will find himself home. Keep that hope alive so that you might
fight faithfully under the banner of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
