“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
Their yelling gives a clear indication that these first graders do not value the concept of inside voices nearly as much as their teachers. The argument could be about anything: “You took the last bookmark!” “You stole my turn to hold the door!” “You aren’t following the rules I just made up!” Whatever it might be this time, it’s got these two girls ready to drop their unicorn backpacks and defend themselves by any means necessary—those means most likely being a quick dash over to me in order to tattle with the hopes of getting teacher authority on their sides.
As a highschooler working in after-school care at my old elementary school, I often found myself desperate to resolve the conflicts of tired, bossy eight-year-olds before the issues escalated into something beyond my pay grade. While my job title was something like Kids’ Care Worker, I’d argue that “peacemaker” might be a fair description of how I spent most of my time. Or at least bringing peace was what I tried to do, but when one preschooler won’t let another take a turn holding the random stick she found, it can be quite the struggle to keep things civilized (true story… there were tears).
When thinking about the concept of peacemaking, these elementary conflicts seem, well, elementary. They seem simple and even unimportant compared to the horrific violations of peace that make up daily headlines around our world.
A human being was murdered by another for no reason other than hate.
And I’m calming down a first grader who was outvoted when deciding our next group game.
Violent crimes around our world are terrifying children and leaving families mourning.
And I’m convincing a kindergartner he wouldn’t like it nearly as much if someone stole his shovel so maybe taking his sister’s shovel wasn’t the right choice.
There are actual wars happening right now.
And I’m trying to be a mediator as two second graders seek to compromise on the ever-changing rules of their imaginary game.
The stark contrast between these realities makes me wonder: can I really claim to be working as Christ’s peacemaker? It seems like a big job—perhaps something reserved for diplomats or great leaders. So, let’s consider what the job really entails. While we won’t find the bullet-pointed list of job requirements and necessary skills that other jobs offer, the Bible does give us some clear instructions and, perhaps most importantly, an example of someone who fulfilled the job perfectly.
Jesus was the perfect peacemaker, and if we consider the four Gospels as his resume, we might notice that Jesus often brought peace in unexpected ways. The Jews expected him to bring peace by defeating the Romans; Jesus brought peace by defeating death through submission to the cross. The disciples expected that as a Rabbi he would seek to exert his authority; he played the servant role, even washing their feet. When engaging religious leaders who opposed him, the crowd must have expected to hear quick retorts or loud, angry proclamations; Jesus would respond with a question: “He asked them, ‘Whose image is this [on the coin]?’” (Mark 12:16) “Jesus replied, ‘I will also ask you one question … John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?’” (Matthew 21:24-25).
Of course, as the kindergartener who buried the top of her head in the sandbox can confirm, doing the unexpected is not always the best choice. Nonetheless, when aligned with God’s will, doing the unexpected can be powerful. Jesus’s surprising actions throughout the Gospels demonstrate that peacemaking can happen in countless ways and in countless situations.
Now, I would like to clarify that none of us are actually qualified for this job. In fact, as sinners we often find ourselves as conflict-makers more often than peace-makers. It’s easy to judge an elementary student who is content to break the rules himself but gets angry when a friend breaks the same rules, but scrolling through social media or listening to political discussions quickly makes it clear that no one perfected empathy upon completing 4th grade. If we want this job, it’s important to remember we can’t do it on our own.
So, back to my first question, does creating peace between five-year-olds count as working as Christ’s peacemaker? How do we earn the “Child of God” job title that Jesus mentions in Matthew 5:9 when discussing peacemakers? I think Jesus made it clear that being a peacemaker can mean many things. It can mean going against the expectations of the world to follow God. It can mean going against our own desires or plans in order to do what is right. Peacemaking is about working to restore peace wherever we find ourselves even if that’s a playground not a battlefield. This doesn’t mean God will never call us to fight for peace in big ways—God may have plans for you and I to be a light in the darkest places or a voice of peace in the most divisive conflicts. But we should also recognize that we can bring peace in millions of ways, in little ways, in ways that surprise others and make our world just a little less conflicted. I don’t know all the ways God might call me to bring peace, but I do know that I accepted the peacemaker job position when I accepted Jesus as my Savior. Now, it's time to show up to work.