Jesus was. Although these days the
facts are often confused or at the least Heavily watered down. Where I am from
the most accepted idea about Jesus is that He was a “good man” whose main cause
was peace, but who also taught us great lessons about loving
our neighbor and giving to the poor. While, yes, He brought us many valuable
moral standards and was the BEST man to ever live, this barely scratches the
surface. But in this blog I want to clear up one big misconception.
WAS JESUS A PEACEMAKER? No.
At least not by the world’s standards. Our concept of peace in
this day is defined as the absence of
conflict, and a sense of quiet harmony. We think of peaceful men as those who avoid clashes or disagreements. Peaceful men don’t emote in outbursts,
they are “laid back” and “go with the flow”. PEACEFULNESS has turned to
PASSIVNESS. In America, this peace is popular. Don’t ruffle any feathers,
anything goes, everything is
accepted and even protected in our constitution.
In Matthew 10:34 Jesus says “Do not suppose that I have come
to bring peace to earth. I did NOT come to bring peace, but a sword.” The sword is referring to the
Gospel-the truth of God- the good news of what Jesus came to do for mankind.
Jesus
knew that the reality of the Gospel would turn many people away from Him. But
He wasn’t interested in glossing over moral issues to keep everyone happy. In the book of Luke, Jesus tells us to
EXPECT division where the Gospel is preached. There will be conflict, even
among families He says (12:51-53) because Hearing the TRUTH demands a response! And a response goes one of two ways.
With God there is no middle ground, there is no fence. You either accept Him or
you do not.
Choosing to accept the Gospel can be hard for our human nature
to swallow. Conflict boils inside when people think of having to acknowledge
that there is ONE God and only ONE way to Him in Jesus. This involves taking ourselves off the throne and admitting
that we are not God and that we don’t
know everything. We are afraid of
living by standards that hold us accountable for our actions. Or we don’t want
to make a decision that ONE way is right, because that means all other gods are
not. In America we’ve been taught
to chase after “political correctness” rather than personal conviction as to
not upset anyone else. What the world really needs is someone to stand up for
GENUINE, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE without wavering. To be an advocate for the truth
of Healed lives, freedom from bondage and for a reality
of abundant LIFE that is only found in Jesus Christ. That is what Jesus did! He came and said “I am the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE, no one comes to the Father except
through me” (John 14:6). The pandemonium this caused got Him killed.
Unwavering
conviction is not popular today and it wasn’t popular then. Jesus was “despised
and rejected by men, a man of many sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like
one from whom men hide their faces He was despised and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah
53:3) But lucky for us LOVE kept him
on the cross, not acceptance.
WAS/IS JESUS A PEACE GIVER? Yes! Yes! Yes!
Though Jesus knew His words and his purpose would bring
division and discord He also knew many would believe and be saved, and be
Healed and SET FREE! He knew REAL peace would come through truth and that only He could provide it. Jesus is called the
“Prince of Peace”, and the Gospel, the
“Gospel of Peace” because Jesus’ sacrifice brought us into peace with God again (see my last blog “Breaking it Down”).
And when we consent to the truth of the Gospel and Jesus reigns in our lives it
produces a supernatural, inner
peace.
crucifixion and comforted them about his departure by offering his everlasting peace. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I
give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your Hearts
be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27). The peace that Jesus gives us
is the confident assurance of His
presence in any circumstance! With Him there is
no reason to fear the present or the future. The peace of God moves within us
to swallow the hostile forces of doubt, sin, fear, loneliness etc. and bring us
comfort instead of chaos. His peace transcends all understanding
