...through a glass, darkly...
...through a glass, darkly...
Recently, in response to an invitation to participate in a Leadership Development Workshop with the theme of "Leading to a World Without Genocide," a young man questioned the efficacy of seeking to build sustainable peace. He quoted Jesus as saying that He did not come to bring peace but a sword. Matt. 10:34-35. He concluded with: "World peace and unity are great, don't get me wrong, but the Bible is very clear that that will never happen until the end times. Sin has such a grip on the world that we are forever cursed into a world of disharmony, violence, war, natural disasters, disease, and famine until the final return of Jesus, and even then there will be much violence as He slays evil in a final war. The peace that Jesus speaks of is an inner-peace that believers share in the face of persecution, trials, and among each other. Instead of seeking after broken wells (world peace), why not seek to preach the gospel with boldness and let that truth be a devisive [sic] issue, for the glory of God?"
My young critic raises an important question and I will attempt at least a partial response. First, I must note that even my young critic recognizes that the peace that Jesus brings is not just an inner-peace in the face of persecution for he also referenced peace "among each other." And he is right about that.
In Ephesians 2 we find: 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Here Paul tells us that Jesus died not only to reconcile us to God but also to each other.
Let's also look at the OT, the Bible that Jesus knew, read and quoted:
Isaiah 59:8 The way of peace they do not know;
there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;
no one who walks in them will know peace…
14 So justice is driven back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The LORD looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm worked salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him
I have been told that this is the only place in the Bible where it says that God was appalled. I find it significant that it was because NO ONE in Israel was advocating for the oppressed and seeking to correct injustice.
And see Amos 5:7 You who turn justice into bitterness
and cast righteousness to the ground
8 (he who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns blackness into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the LORD is his name-
9 he flashes destruction on the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin),
10 you hate the one who reproves in court
and despise him who tells the truth.
11 You trample on the poor
and force him to give you grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.
You oppress the righteous and take bribes
and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
13 Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times,
for the times are evil.
14 Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil, love good;
maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph…
21 "I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
And Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
And then Jesus references the same passage when he jumps the Pharisees. See Matt. 23:23 -
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others."
In his book, Good News About Injustice, Gary Haugen begins his analysis with "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Would you not want someone to seek justice for you if you were the victim?
Jesus also said that we are the salt of the earth. I don't think his definition of saltiness is being very good at only preaching the truth about who Jesus is. Why do I say that? Read Matthew 25:31-46. What does Jesus say about the folks on his right hand who enter into the reward prepared for them? He does not say a word about preaching. He speaks of their meeting the physical and emotional needs of others.
Jesus kind of sums it up for me when he said "Blessed are the peacemakers, they will be called sons of God."
No question that we will not see ultimate peace until the new heaven and a new earth. We live in a fallen world and we will always be struggling against evil. And yet the paradox is that Jesus expects us to keep up the struggle - to do justice and mercy. By this time you should be asking yourself why I seemed to shift so easily from peace to justice and back again. What is sustainable peace? Could it occur where justice and mercy come together and prevail for at least a time?
Recently, in response to an invitation to participate in a Leadership Development Workshop with the theme of "Leading to a World Without Genocide," a young man questioned the efficacy of seeking to build sustainable peace. He quoted Jesus as saying that He did not come to bring peace but a sword. Matt. 10:34-35. He concluded with: "World peace and unity are great, don't get me wrong, but the Bible is very clear that that will never happen until the end times. Sin has such a grip on the world that we are forever cursed into a world of disharmony, violence, war, natural disasters, disease, and famine until the final return of Jesus, and even then there will be much violence as He slays evil in a final war. The peace that Jesus speaks of is an inner-peace that believers share in the face of persecution, trials, and among each other. Instead of seeking after broken wells (world peace), why not seek to preach the gospel with boldness and let that truth be a devisive [sic] issue, for the glory of God?"
My young critic raises an important question and I will attempt at least a partial response. First, I must note that even my young critic recognizes that the peace that Jesus brings is not just an inner-peace in the face of persecution for he also referenced peace "among each other." And he is right about that.
In Ephesians 2 we find: 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Here Paul tells us that Jesus died not only to reconcile us to God but also to each other.
Let's also look at the OT, the Bible that Jesus knew, read and quoted:
Isaiah 59:8 The way of peace they do not know;
there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;
no one who walks in them will know peace…
14 So justice is driven back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The LORD looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm worked salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him
I have been told that this is the only place in the Bible where it says that God was appalled. I find it significant that it was because NO ONE in Israel was advocating for the oppressed and seeking to correct injustice.
And see Amos 5:7 You who turn justice into bitterness
and cast righteousness to the ground
8 (he who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns blackness into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the LORD is his name-
9 he flashes destruction on the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin),
10 you hate the one who reproves in court
and despise him who tells the truth.
11 You trample on the poor
and force him to give you grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.
You oppress the righteous and take bribes
and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
13 Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times,
for the times are evil.
14 Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil, love good;
maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph…
21 "I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
And Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
And then Jesus references the same passage when he jumps the Pharisees. See Matt. 23:23 -
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others."
In his book, Good News About Injustice, Gary Haugen begins his analysis with "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Would you not want someone to seek justice for you if you were the victim?
Jesus also said that we are the salt of the earth. I don't think his definition of saltiness is being very good at only preaching the truth about who Jesus is. Why do I say that? Read Matthew 25:31-46. What does Jesus say about the folks on his right hand who enter into the reward prepared for them? He does not say a word about preaching. He speaks of their meeting the physical and emotional needs of others.
Jesus kind of sums it up for me when he said "Blessed are the peacemakers, they will be called sons of God."
No question that we will not see ultimate peace until the new heaven and a new earth. We live in a fallen world and we will always be struggling against evil. And yet the paradox is that Jesus expects us to keep up the struggle - to do justice and mercy. By this time you should be asking yourself why I seemed to shift so easily from peace to justice and back again. What is sustainable peace? Could it occur where justice and mercy come together and prevail for at least a time?
posted by Randall E. Butler at 7:59 PM
1 Comments:
First of all, I thank you for your rather gentle rebuttle. It's good to exchange arguments with someone whose responses don't sound as though they're trying to beat you up. I was intrigued by your use of the passage from Isaiah 59, but upon looking at it further, it seems to me that this text is concerning the situation of Israel - God's chosen people. There was neither justice nor peace among the chosen people of God, and this is what was appalling. Jesus calls us also to make peace with our brethren according to the faith like Israel was commanded to do in the O.T., but as Paul says in Romans 12:18, "IF POSSIBLE, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." (NASB) So for instance, I could try to be a peacemaker with an Islamic fundamentalist, but in the end he may never be at peace with me and what I stand for, thus he may choose to blow himself up in a restaurant where I'm eating. Now, I could have done everything in my power to make peace with this man, but what happened? If a person is both striving after world peace and standing up for truth, at some point, one of these endeavors has to give. In the case of our Islamic friend, my efforts to keep peace gave because truth is never worth sacrificing, even at the expense of one's life (or world peace). I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm all for world peace, but I understand that in order to make an effective effort toward it I would have to compromise some of the things I hold to be true, and the Bible calls Christians to participate in unity centered around Jesus Christ, not conformity to the passing things of this world.
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