The hope of brighter and peaceful millennium seems to be an elusive myth as we wake up to a world of aggression and violence. The word “violence” means an avert, physical act of destruction: someone is roughed up, pushed around hit, stabbed, shot, raped, and other physical abuses which can be seen or feel”. What can be ‘peace’ here?
Let’s examine the Old Testament understanding of Peace. The principal word used to express the idea of peace in Hebrew Bible is ‘Shalom’. The root of the word is found in Semitic languages. The Akkadian ‘salamu’ comes closest to the root, “to be hale, whole, and complete.” It is wholeness and well being in all areas of life. Shalom is a broad concept peace is not, then, simply a negative, the absence of aggression / violence. Peace is a positive notion, a notion with its own content. Peace in OT is basically a greeting, e.g. Hello (Dan.10:19), Good bye (1 Sam.25:35, 2 Sam.15:19).
Peace could also mean different things:
1. Material Prosperity (Ps.122:6). Physical safety (Ps.4:8).
2. Spiritual Well-being associated with righteousness and truth (Ps.85:10, Isa.57:19ff). It was seen as gift of God, so the messianic age would be one of peace.
3. Peace in a political sense on the international scene (1 Sam.7:14, 1 Kg. 4:24) on the national scene (2 Sam.3:21-23, 1 Kg.22:44, 2 Chron.14:1). Peace in political sense is not only the absence of war in purely negative sense but it includes the idea of friendly relationship between two peoples (Judg.4:17, Isa.7:14). Peace is also synonyms with victory (Judg.8:9, 2 Sam.19:25)
4. Peace in Human relationship among Israelites (Ps.34:14, 122:6-7) and in relationship in the home (Gen.44: 17, Pr. 17:1, 29:17)
5. Personal sense of peace in relationship with oneself (Ps.4:8, Pr.14:30) and in relationship with God (Num.6:26, Isa.26:3)
6. Peace is an economic freedom: peace and prosperity are paired (Mic.3:5. Zec.8:12, Mal.2:5)
7. Peace is synonymous with righteousness (Zech.16:19, Ps.85:10, Isa. 32:17)
8. Peace in the prophetic message: From Micah to Ezekiel engage in conflict with false prophet on the question of peace or no peace (1 Kg. 22, Mic.3:5-11, Jer.6:13, 14:13-18, 23:16f) they interpreted the political and social turmoil as the necessary judgment of God in the face of which to prophecy security is to pass over sin (Jer.29:11, Isa. 52:7, 55:12) peace is thus brought into relation with salvation.
Peace making in the sense of Biblical Shalom means first of all negation of whatever causes division and hostility. It begins at the point of offence in the situation of conflicts and confronts that offence rather than simply calling for greater toleration or balancing of one offence against another, this making of peace includes both a destructive and constructive action.
The Biblical theme of Peace now becomes extremely important as in such a peace lies the salvation of a world. The Messianic peace inaugurated by Jesus springs from Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Those who had previously been divided by an insurmountable hostility of religious, social, cultural and political dimensions now were reconciled and participated on an equal basis in the Messianic shalom.
The message of peace means that through no merit of our own, we are in Christ reconciled to our enemies and called to participate in the social realities of new community where old structures of personal, social and economic hostility are replaced by those of reconciliation. Through reconciliation in Christ, there is thus a whole new perspective. The whole new way of looking at the world rather than others being judged from the worldly perspective of status, nationality, culture, class, gender or race, they are now seen as befits their common participation “in Christ”.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peace makers” making peace requires greater courage that going to war. Peace making requires initiative co-coordinating, resisting encouraging dialogue, making permanent abiding resolutions, etc. The most urgent task of Christians is to play their part in making the church a place of healing for broken relationships and be an agent of peace and justice in situations of conflict, whether in the home or in the world place at the national / international level. May the Spirit of God inspire and move us Christians in searching of peace and justice in real sense to everyone in the world.
Author: Rev. Naveen Kumar is an ordained minister of CSI – Karnataka Central Diocese.
