Over the years, the ethnic relatives of Jesus have not been the only ones to ask, “If Yeshua was the Messiah, where is the peace he was supposed to bring? The prophet Isaiah clearly predicted that in the days of the promised King, ‘They will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war'” (Isaiah 2:4).
Yet, the results were quite different when,
Six hundred years later, the Gospel writer Luke tells us that, according to a group of shepherds, “Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:13).
So where is the peace?
Part of the answer seems to be a matter of translation. Without denying that the ultimate expression of Messianic peace will be global and political in scope, the promise of the angels allows for a peace that is a personal, partial, and urgent priority. Versions other than the KJV clarify that the peace the angels announced is to both men and women “with whom God is pleased”, or, “on whom God’s favor rests.”
The peace proclaimed by angels over the Shepherds’ Fields of Bethlehem turned out to be the kind of peace that is learned best in the middle of temporary conflict. It’s the kind of peace that is rooted not in circumstance but in the assurance of God’s forgiveness and favor.
We ourselves have seen how secure and fragile this peace is. As secure as we are in the grace and peace of Christ, we struggle to know how to express and extend that grace and peace to one another. We don’t even have to break into each others’ cars, computers, or houses to do harm. It doesn’t take much honesty, joy, or sorrow to unintentionally ignore or insult the pain of another brother or sister.
Yet, for now, I am quite sure that such imperfect conditions and misunderstandings are what it takes for us to grow in our understanding of the peace the angels were announcing. Only by having to face the failures, unfairness, and inequalities of this broken world can we discover what it means to experience and express a peace that is rooted in our God’s acceptance of us in Christ.
Even though we might wish it otherwise, it is probably true that only by unintentionally hurting and reacting to one another… by what we say and don’t say… can we discover that we cannot on our own make peace with one another, our God, or even ourselves. Only as the Spirit of Christ, himself, is present in the telling our own stories of brokenness, and need, and grace can we learn how to show together that he is our peace, our purpose, our happiness, our hope, and, for now, the ultimate bearer of fears and tears.
Only in the grace of the Son, who came to be our peace in conflict and our wealth in poverty, can we learn to extend to one another the peace, and patience, and good will that we are discovering in him.
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