The Peace that Passes All Understanding

It is the second week of Advent and we want to celebrate the peace that Jesus has brought.  There is no peace like the peace that Jesus brings.  Paul writes to the people of Ephesus that in Jesus’ death on the cross he has destroyed enmity and has brought peace.  He has essentially reconstituted our being into the Christian.  We are the church.

He said these things in regards to tensions that were between the gentiles and the jews.  Yes, there were racial, geopolitical, national, and cultural unrest during the time in which the bible was written.  Nothing has changed in 2000 years in this world it seems except through Jesus.  Because of what Jesus has done, we as individuals no longer stand on those identities but have one collective identity as the church of God which brings a peace that is unseen and unmatched in any other way.  Jesus unites.  

Peace though is not just the absence of fighting.  There is more wrapped up in this word when Paul (and others in the scripture) speak it.  The Hebrew word for peace is shalom.  This word has wrapped up in it, welfare and completeness.  This means when the scriptures speak of the peace we have with Jesus, it means it comes with blessings and wholeness.  

Jesus speaks these words to the disciples when he first sees them after the resurrection.  The disciples were afraid and in hiding.  Jesus appeared in the middle of their gathering and said they should not fear but have peace.  He was saying, because of his life, death, and resurrection, they could be assured that everything that was broken would be made whole again. All of the hatred, animosity, hurt, pains, drama, and struggles would soon be over because he had overcome the worst of it, death.  And if he could do that, he could do anything.  

That’s the kind of peace we can have in Jesus. We can be assured that all things will work together for our good and God’s glory because of Jesus’ victory over the evil one.  But we have to remember that the cross couldn’t happen without his birth.  This is why we celebrate the birth of the savior because we could never have peace without the birth of the Prince of Peace. So this week reflect on the peace of Jesus that can be had in belief in who he is. He left heaven and came to dwell with us some 2000 years ago because he loves us! Peace be with you in the name of Jesus.

For he himself is our peace…His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. Ephesians 2:14-16

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” John 20:19

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7