Matthew 5:9 Peacemaker

This is one of the most straight forward beatitudes. Peacemaker is someone who makes peace. Boom, nice and simple. But is it?

YHWH/God’s peace is wholeness, completeness, it is shalom/total or complete well being personally and communally. That isn’t something easy to achieve in one’s self, let alone trying to bring it to others.

As a peacemaker, when you see conflict within yourself between what YHWH/God desires and what your flesh desires, you die to your flesh. Being a peacemaker to oneself is dying to self, taking off the old and putting on the new.

As a peacemaker, when you see two people in conflict, you love them both, and you will insert yourself into that conflict and reconcile them together. Trying to bring righteousness. That isn’t always a simple task. And it most certainly isn’t a task without risk.

Where God Reigns/In the Kingdom of Heaven, reconciliation is one of the highest values. YHWH/God and Jesus made sacrifices in order to bring reconciliation. Jesus embodies everything a peacemaker should be. He died to himself, walked fully in the ways of YHWH/God and paid with his life in order to put an end to the conflict between man and YHWH/God.

And yet, this is the only time in the Biblical Cannon this complete phrase is used.

If we are a peacemaker, we are blessed/happy to be called Sons of God. In Hebrew, sons can include daughters, but daughters excludes sons.

Sons of God is a ranking term associated with the royal court. In the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament this term is only used in reference to spiritual beings where God is/in heaven. These Sons of God were second after YHWH/God, above the messengers/angels.

Because of how a peacemaker reflects the image of YHWH/God and the association with Jesus, -The Anointed One/Christ – the Son of God- the ultimate peacemaker – peacemakers will be called Sons of God.

Not so simple now, is it?

Jewish flashbacks: Isaiah 27:5; Isaiah 60:17