Think about how blessed and unified our families, businesses, and churches would be if we all endeavored to be peacemakers. It takes a deep walk with God to do this, especially knowing when to speak and when not to speak. I can see how it is the one who is poor in spirit, who has mourned their sin, the meek, the hungry for righteousness, the merciful, and the pure in heart who are the ones with the spiritual depth and maturity to be peacemakers. I don't want to be a peace taker or troublemaker but a peacemaker, one who promotes unity and wholeness to every relationship I am a part of, whether individually or corporately.
What do peacemakers receive?
Jesus says the peacemakers are blessed,
makarios. Those who go about promoting peace and unity will have great joy and contentment. They will indeed be happy and prosperous, for they are ambassadors of peace. If you have ever been a peacemaker and helped bring someone to Christ, helped restore a broken relationship between individuals, or helped restore unity and peace within a corporate setting, whether that was a family, business, or church, then you know how fulfilling, joyous, and
makarios that truly is.
Note what Jesus said next:
"they shall be called sons of God." The Greek word translated "called" is
kaleo, which means to call in a loud voice and to bear a name or title (
BlueletterBible.org). When you are a peacemaker amid turmoil, others will take notice and call you out, bringing attention to the fact that you have done something very praiseworthy.
The Greek word translated "sons" is
huios, not
tekna.
Tekna means children and speaks of affection, but
huios refers to dignity, the dignity of being a son or daughter with honor, respectability, and standing (
MacArthur, p. 180). And to whom does this honorable and dignified standing belong? Those who are peacemakers, those who have moved out of the classroom of theory and gotten engaged in the tough arena of promoting and bringing about the valuable commodity of peace.
Earlier we noted how one of the characteristics of God is that He is a God of peace. He is at complete peace within His triune nature of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; there is no tension, competition, or unrest in any way within the Godhead. He is peace; He gives peace, and as His children, we both enjoy the peace of God and are busy promoting that peace as peacemakers. As God's children, we are "reflections, reproducers of the Prince of Peace, and truly children of 'the God of peace.'" (
Lloyd-Jones, p. 109)
Children take on the attributes of their fathers. This is true in the natural and supernatural realm. Children of God should always resemble their heavenly Father and take on His attributes and characteristics. As followers of Jesus, we should strive to be people at peace who make peace, because that is such a dominant trait of our Heavenly Father.
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