Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
-Mathew 5:9

Si vis bellum para pacem.

The phrase means “If you want peace, prepare for war.”

No, Trump didn’t invent “Peace through strength”. Not even close.

Reagan famously said it, and he was actually quoting Barry Goldwater. But the idea predates them. George Washington and even Napoléon echoed the same sentiment.

Heck, that idea can be traced all the way back to Plato.

This philosophy is employed by most of the superpowers these days. Remember “tough love”? It’s kind of like that. The idea that discipline creates peace—through consequences. Sometimes it works.

Phrases like “might makes right”, “peace at any price”, and “speak softly and carry a big stick” all come to mind these days. Ever since Cain tried to get right with God by killing Abel, as if that would ever work, this strange intermingling of war and peace has played out over and over again.

Is this what Jesus meant when he said, “Blessed are the peacemakers?”

I guess it depends on how you interpret the word “maker“. Is he referring to those who create peace, or those who force it to happen?

The Greek word clearly speaks to the former definition. Peacemakers find ways to create peace. But it is not some passive term for those with a gentle spirit. It is an active word, best understood as “peace doers”.

Personally, I don’t think military force counts as doing peace. But down through the ages, we can’t figure out how to shake this notion.

This is exactly what God was afraid of when the people wanted to appoint a king. Through Samuel, God says:

“This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.  Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, …and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. “
-1 Samuel 8:10-12

It’s as if God throws up God’s hands and says, “this is what you’re gonna get.” Apparently so. Sometimes our leaders are virtuous. Sometimes they are villainous. But it would seem that when humans are in charge, there is no such thing as a “perfect peace”.

Jesus used a different kind of strength when he told Peter to “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” Instead of combat, Jesus showed a very different kind of strength, climbing up onto a cross in compassion and sacrifice on behalf of all God’s children.

I would love to see a world like that. A world where nation no longer makes war with nation. A world where leaders are chosen for their compassion, rather than their cruelty.

A world where strength can mean more than violence.

Where the emphasis is more on the “love”…

than the “tough”.

Have a great week,

Mitch