Peace on Earth?

Do not suppose that I have come to establish peace to the earth.  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to turn "a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law --- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household" (Micah 7:6) and (Matt. 10:34-36).

 

How are we to make sense of these words coming from The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ?  How are we to make sense of these words in light of the nearly-universal desire for peace for peace on earth?  in light of the efforts of the United Nations to be an instrument of peace on earth?  in light of those who really, really believe that peace on earth is a possibility if we all just try hard enough?

 

I believe the answer to this dilemma was given by the song of the angels at Christ's birth:  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of good will.  Peace is possible only among men of good will.  Whether a man is a Muslim, a Jew, a Buddhist, or a Christian, it is not his beliefs that divide the earth as much as the thoughts of his heart.  A murderer is a murderer no matter what religion or culture he adheres to -- and it is clear that no religion or culture is free of evil men, murderers, thieves, traders in human flesh, etc. 

 

Are we, in the name of peace, supposed to keep silent while a man beats his children without mercy?  Are we supposed to extend a hand of friendship and fellowship to the drug cartels in the name of peace?  Are we supposed to live peaceably alongside a man who has three women chained to the walls of his basement?  Are we to watch without interference the verbal abuse of a man to his wife, or a mother to her children?

 

Could there have been peace between Cain and Abel?  Should Adam and Eve allowed Cain to continue dwelling in their household after he murdered his brother?  Those who think peace is possible on earth without peace first in the hearts of men have not yet seen the face of evil.  Could peace be possible as long as Adolf Hitler was in charge of Germany's troops.  Can peace be possible as long as human torture, rape, and the selling of children into slavery exist on earth?  In India today, mothers who give birth to girl babies wail in pain and horror at the future of their babies.  In Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other Taliban-controlled countries, women are shackled, stoned, beaten, and refused an education as a matter of official policy. In North Korea, the next three generations are enslaved, beaten, and tortured for the rebellion of one man against the government.  Can we smile, shake hands, and wish peace to these countries?

 

Peace and morality are inseparable.  The famous saying is "If you want peace, work for justice."  Until I began to see the horrors that exist all around us, I did not fully appreciate that saying.  To paraphrase one of the New Testament scriptures:  Can there be fellowship between the children of light and the children of darkness (Belial).  Can there be peace between the angels of God and the demons of hell? 

 

As long as men nurture evil in their hearts and lust after human flesh, to consume it for their own pleasure and profit, we will not have peace on earth.  Jesus said, "The reason the Son of Man came into the earth was to destroy the works of the devil."  He took up the sword, though He was above all a man of peace.  The demons recognized this when they asked Him, "Have you come to destroy us?"

 

Many are those who fit the description uttered by Jesus:  You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.  He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44-45)....The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly (Jn. 10:10).

 

To wish for world peace without peace in the human heart is fantasy.  The only One who can establish peace on earth is Jesus Christ, who removes fear, hatred, jealously, anger, and all the evils that dwell in mankind.  Our weapons must be spiritual ones, for we are fighting not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers in the unseen world (Eph. 6).  But we are not men without hope in the face of evil, for Someone has already conquered the enemy and has set up His kingdom on earth in the hearts of men of good will.

__________________________________________This will be the last posting until July 3.