“Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).

A scene I remember from my school days was two classmates in a brawl, oftimes quite bloody, with cuts and bruises, the effect of punches and kicks. And then would arrive the ‘peacemaker,’ or maybe a bunch of them, who would hold both the warring members and make them reluctantly shake hands.

The two brawlers returned to class, with no fight left in them, but filled with anger and resentment.

In other words, the ‘peacemaker’ had stopped the fight but had not brought any peace into the issue.

What then is the job of a peacemaker?

Christ in the Beatitudes calls peacemakers, ‘the children of God’

What a wonderful title! And yet if there is no peace gained, what was the fault of the ‘fight stopper?’

An article by Rick Ezzel made interesting reading, ‘It is important to remember that peace in the Bible is always based on justice and righteousness. Where justice prevails and righteousness rules, there you will also have peace. But without those two virtues, lasting peace is not possible.’

He continues, by saying, ‘The word ‘make’ in the term “peacemakers” comes from the Greek verb that means “to do” or “to make.” It is a word bursting with energy. It mandates action and initiative. Someone has to drag the combatants to the table and give them a ‘reason’ to put down their arms. Notice Jesus did not say “Blessed are the peacewishers or the peacehopers or the peacedreamers or the peacelovers or the peacetalkers.” Peace must be made. Peace never happens by chance. A peacemaker is never passive. They always take the initiative. They are up and doing.

So, when these two words are taken together, “peace” and “maker,” it describes one who actively pursues peace. The peacemaker pursues more than the absence of conflict; they don’t avoid strife (in fact, sometimes, peace-making will create strife); they aren’t merely seeking to appease the warring parties; they aren’t trying to accommodate everyone. Instead, they are pursuing all the beauty and blessedness of God upon another. As William Barclay translates this verse, “They are people who produce right relationships in every sphere of life.”

We as a community need to realise all this, as we endeavour to be the ‘salt’ of this country. Our job is not to rub salt on wounds that are already there, as many of us do when we criticise one community or other. Our role is not to be ‘salt that has lost its flavour- which we do with our passivity. But to be salt that will add a peaceful flavour to our strife torn India: Which means seeing that justice and righteousness prevail in our country!

How wonderful it will be to be called ‘the Children of God!’ Isn’t it worth working towards?

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