Peace comes in many forms. We long for the day when peace between nations will end all wars. Our hearts ache for reconciliation with those we have become estranged. Nature earnestly awaits the day when her relationship with humanity becomes symbiotic rather than parasitic. Our hearts and minds seek a state of tranquility. Our bodies ache for freedom from deterioration and decay. Can such a peace that fulfills all these types of peace be found?
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Imagine you are in an orchestra. When the orchestra began to play, a horrendous sound went out. All the instruments were out of tune. You tried to fix it by tuning your own instrument to itself. The orchestra remained dissonant. You tuned to the person next to you. Though the two of you sounded good together, still the orchestra sounded like a million cat shrieks. In order for an orchestra to sound harmonious, you need a source tone, a note to which each instrument is tuned.
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The Hebrew word for “peace” surpasses most notions of peace today. Some think of peace as the absence of political or international conflict. Others of the absence of pain or presence of tranquility. Some think of relational harmony. The Hebrew concept of peace includes these things, but it goes further. It includes health, wealth, joy, and wholeness. But there is more. The peace that makes all other peace possible is God’s peace established between God and humans. Continue reading
The Apostle Paul said, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace (Colossians 3:15a).”
We often think of peace as the absence of conflict and the presence of harmony. This is true. However, how is such peace secured? For the first century Jew, peace would come through the end-time Messiah, who would usher in God’s kingdom on earth. Such peace was thought to come through a warrior king, who would defeat the enemies of the Jews. For the first century Roman, peace would come through imperial proclamation and military pacification. In a phrase, it would come through the “Pax Romana,” the Roman Peace. Continue reading