Did Jesus Come to Bring Peace on Earth?
By Tom Shanklin
Suddenly there was with the angel a company of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men.” (Luke 2:13-14 MEV).
Do you suppose that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. (Luke 12:51 MEV).
When we see the two seemingly contradictory verses above (in this case from same Gospel writer, Luke) we scratch our heads. How can this be? Did Jesus come to bring peace on earth … or not.
But what we have here are two verses about two different subjects. One deals with peace between God and man. The other is about a lack of peace between human beings.
When the company of angels was praising God with the words, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men,” they were announcing the peace plan between God and the people of the world. God was sending His Son to liberate us from our sin and reconcile us unto Himself.
God sent His angels with a message, not only to a group of shepherds in the Middle East, but to all humanity. He was announcing his great peace plan to reconcile the world to Himself. Oh, glory to God! What a joyous, liberating message that is!
It’s a message of peace to ALL who will receive it! God Almighty has offered total pardon and total forgiveness to ALL who surrender to Him, regardless of our past sins. We were ALL enemies of God because of our sins, but God allowed His Son to suffer the consequences of our sin on the cross so that we might be forgiven, cleansed, and given a totally new lease on life. The Scripture says, “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, how much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:10 MEV).
When we are reconciled, it’s just as if we had never sinned in the eyes of God. He totally forgives all we have done against Him. We are no longer His enemies. We are part of His family!
But what about the lack of peace which Jesus predicted?
Jesus knew that even though His message of peace with God was available to all people, not all would receive it. He knew that some would choose darkness, even though they were offered light. For some, His message of forgiveness through the cross and the call to surrender would be an offense. It would become something to fight against, rather than to accept. As a result, there would be division.
We see this division between light and darkness during the time of Jesus’ life on earth. He was slandered, rejected, and barbarically murdered. We see the same thing during the days of the early Church. God’s people were verbally abused, beaten, and martyred. The Apostle Paul even said that he and the other ministers were considered the filth of the earth and garbage to be thrown out. See 1 Corinthians 4:13.
This same division and lack of peace continues today, as there are more Christians being martyred today than in any time in the history of the world, and there is much animosity towards the followers of Christ.
So what are we to do? Take up arms? Join the battle of words? Attack those who attack us?
No, a thousand times no. We are called to join with Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to offer amnesty to the enemies of God. God’s offer of peace has been in force ever since Jesus died on the cross, and it will last until He returns. Our job is to keep busy with the peace negotiations, offering grace and forgiveness to a lost and dying world.
Thankfully, Jesus continues to extend his hand of grace towards those who resist him. Even Saul of Tarsus, who was later known as the Apostle Paul, vehemently opposed Jesus’ followers, persecuting them even unto death. But on the road to Damascus, he had a come-to-Jesus moment, and he surrendered his life to the Lord. He then became a passionate follower of Christ and proclaimer of the Gospel. Things can change. Almighty God is at work in the earth by the Holy Spirit. Don’t give up! Those who oppose you may become your best friends and laborers with you in the cause of Christ.
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, laid out some radical teachings for His followers. He did not call us to fight the war of words and take up arms. In fact, He called us to love our enemies and to do good to those who abuse us. And He called us to forgive and hold no animosity in our hearts towards those who hurt us. He called us to manifest the opposite spirit of those who hate us, in order to serve effectively as ambassadors of His Kingdom.
We can do this with the help of the Holy Spirit. Yes, when we are born again, we still have those human impulses and emotions like fear, anger, jealousy, and anxiety. We still have the temptation to live with anger in our hearts and to fight with words and weapons. But now we have a Helper living inside.
When Jesus died and rose again, He opened the door for something very supernatural to occur in our lives. He made a way for God the Holy Spirit to come and live in our hearts. God, who is love, resides within us, enabling to love those who hate us. We can forgive. We can return good for evil. We can manifest the spirit of the One who hung on the cross and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34 MEV)
David Wilkerson, as a young preacher, was called by God to reach gang members in New York City. One gang member, Nikki Cruz, threatened to cut him into pieces, saying, “You come near me, and I’ll kill you!” Wilkerson replied, “Yeah, you could do that. You could cut me up into a thousand pieces and lay them in the street, and every piece will still love you.” Cruz later came to Christ and became a powerful evangelist, reaching many for Christ. Love never fails!
The only way some people will ever see Jesus is if they see Him through you. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9 MEV).
As we allow love to dominate our lives, God’s peace plan will extend to reach others around us. God’s work of healing and redemption through His Son will continue, and truly there will be peace on earth, good will towards men!
Dear Father, thank you for Your wonderful work of reconciliation! Thanks for sending your only Son to die for me that I might have eternal life. Fill me to overflowing with your love that I might bring peace to a world that is at war with itself, in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
God bless you!
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