Run After Peace
1 Peter 3.8-12
Run After Peace
Peter wrote, “Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation [or Do not repay evil for evil]. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
[Quote from Psalm 34]
‘Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you're worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he's asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.’” (1 Peter 3.8-12 Message Translation)
The epistle of Peter was written to a distressed and oppressed group of believers. A couple of weeks ago we observed that some of the believers whom Peter encouraged were slaves that were being mistreated and exploited. Peter admonished the Christian slaves to endure and follow in the steps of Jesus in their suffering (1 Peter 2.21).
In today’s passage, Peter continues his letter (or sermon) by instructing these early believers to seek and pursue after peace (vs.11).
Peter’s words prove to be a timely reminder for believers today; that is:
*How should believers live and act (or react) in a life and world filled with conflict, violence, and war?
The constant national headlines bring us continuing news of deaths and escalating violence everyday. From Iraq to Israel to Lebanon and even in our own land violence seemingly grows more and more daily. What would Peter tell us today if he could?
I imagine Peter sitting at the feet of Jesus on the mountainside when Jesus was teaching, “Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God . . . You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ but I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5.9; 38-39)
I imagine Peter having a hard time with all of Jesus’ peace talk. I picture Peter as being a bold burly fisherman with a quick temper. It took awhile for Jesus’ teaching of peace to settle within Peter’s heart. Even up to the arrest of Jesus, Peter took up his sword and struck the high priest’s servant, Malchus, severing his ear off (Jn 18.10-11). Jesus exclaimed to Peter, “Put your sword back in its place . . . for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26.52)
Peace is hard lesson for me as well. “Turning the other cheek,” has been the most personally difficult and challenging lesson throughout my life. It’s not that I don’t want peace; it’s that turning the other cheek and running after peace rub against my flesh. In my flesh I’m a fighter, and I don’t easily back down. I think Peter experienced this same tension between his flesh and Jesus’ teaching of being a peacemaker.
We must never forget that Jesus taught us to love and to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5.44). This is very contrary to what is natural to our flesh:
Our flesh wants to fight, defend and protect itself; Jesus says to entrust yourself to one who is able to protect your soul and spirit (Lk 12.4-5; 1 Peter 2.21).
Our flesh wants to avoid the cross and crucify our enemies; Jesus says to take up your cross and follow him (Mt 10.38).
Our flesh returns evil for evil. Jesus conquers evil, war, and death through love and sacrifice.
*Did you ever see the movie Starwars (the first one some 30 years ago (Episode IV)? There’s an epoch light-saber battle scene between Obiwan and Darthvader where Luke Skywalker is helplessly witnessing from afar. Obiwan does something amazing and unexpected, he looks toward the direction of the young Skywalker and then submits and surrenders himself to a deathblow by Darthvader’s red light-saber. Skywalker cried out in horror and disbelief, why would Obiwan do such a thing?
Obiwan understood something that the young Jedi apprentice had yet to learn. Obiwan knew that the Force was greater than his mortal death. Maybe Peter watching Jesus submit and surrender himself to the deathblow of crucifix was like the young Luke Skywalker seeing his teacher giving himself over to death.
Jesus teaches believers to pursue peace even at the cost of personal death.
Our flesh and intellect desperately wants to justify retaliation and war. Early on Christians struggled with the question of peace and war. Augustine was on of the first Christian thinkers to ponder the necessity of a just war. Augustine rationalized that a believer should not take up arms (as understood in his day and age, 4th century) to defend him or herself but that it would be an evil to not defend an innocent and vulnerable neighbor.
This is where much of my personal struggle exists: Is there ever a time when conflict, retaliation, self-defense, and war is ever just?
Jimmy Carter reached a conclusion and remarked, during an acceptance speech of the Nobel Peace Prize, that, “War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children.”
Jimmy Carter coauthored a book titled Just Peace with a remarkable young boy with Multiple Sclerosis named Mattie Stepanek whom passed away in 2004 at the age of 14. Stepanek appeared on an interview with Larry King close to the start of the latest war in Iraq; this is a part of the transcript:
KING: Are you worried about war?
STEPANEK: I am -- as a child, I am very scared that the decision will be to go to war with Iraq. War is wrong. I mean, it will destroy so many innocent lives.
And, you know, if we spent as much time generating as much energy as we do advocating war into advocating peace instead of war, the world would be such a better place. Because, I mean, people are just saying war, war, war. If we instead said, peace, peace, peace, you know, there would be peace.
And, you know -- and war has changed. We've gone from battlefields to backyards. And we've gone from arrows to anthrax. It is really, really sad the way the world is today, especially with so many people saying they want to go to war. Why? What does war justify? What does war answer?
KING: But what do you do about bad people?
STEPANEK: You pray and you talk to them. Wars should be fought with words, not bombs, not weapons. And calm words. I think that wars should be fought over a chessboard and a cup of something to drink.
I mean, I really think if we just sat there talking about why we should choose peace instead of why we should go to war, or why war would be good for our country, you know it would really work out.
KING: Do you fear terrorists and strikes? And, hey, we had it hit our own backyard.
STEPANEK: I am so scared of that. I mean, we had this night where we had the World Trade Center, we had even terrorist attacks in Washington, D.C. Where next? And why next? Why does there have to be a next?
KING: Do you got any answers for the why?
STEPANEK: There shouldn't be. You know, why next, why should there be a war next, there really is no answer to that. The answer is in our actions, our words, what we choose to do. If we choose to do the wrong thing and just say, we have a big bomb, let's drop it, that would do nothing. And it would hurt so many people. You know?
Stepanek read this poem on the air of that same Larry King interview:
-Seeds for Thought-
"The sword is heavy, and piercing sharp. Stronger than rock, it yields a mighty blow to the foe with each assault. The bow and arrow are light and swift. Silent war implement, it yields a surprise attack to front or back, from a distance. And yet, stronger than the sword, swifter than the arrow, are words, among the most powerful of all weapons. Words can tear and hurt and cause pain and strife. Words can heal and comfort and sow peace in life. Heed the wisdom, and use words with care." (Mattie Setpanek)
Peter says to be sympathetic [a compound Greek word- sun (with) and pascho (suffer)] which means to “suffer with” other believers in their distress. And Peter says not to retaliate or return evil for evil (vs.9), instead that believers should run after peace (vs.11).
It’s interesting to note that Peter quotes Psalm 34 by David who was not know for being a man of peace (1 Chronicle 22.9). David wrote Psalm 34 when he was weary and running for his life, he pretended to be insane in the court of Abimelech. I wonder if he was tired of endless bloodshed and hopeful for peace when he wrote this psalm.
I was struggling with this sermon thought all week long. I searched and wondered when, if ever, is war just. I wondered about defending the innocent by means of war. I wondered about protecting our freedom and national interests at the expense of innocent lives. I wondered about how God responds to war and the threat of death and harm to the innocent. I mean, how does God stand up for the innocent whom are viciously murdered and exploited?
An observation and scripture came to my mind. I’m sure you’ve noticed the migration of millions and millions of snout butterflies in our city. They’ve been on my mind (and windshield) a lot lately. I’ve watched them flutter and drift in the wind across fields, highways, and in the hackberry and crate myrtles. I’ve watched the grackles pluck them out of mid-flight. I’ve watched them fall to the ground, to fly no more.
I observed how much we have in common with the innocent snout butterfly. Sometimes humans are so helpless and innocent and easily fall to the ground.
I thought of the snout butterfly and the Sparrow and Jesus; Jesus taught, “ . . . not one of them [Sparrows] will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10.29-31)
We are like the snout butterfly and Sparrow, Jesus knows and loves us even when we fall to the ground in death. In our falling down to ground in death is how we will rise and live forevermore.
So, how should believers live and act (or react) in a life and world filled with conflict, violence, and war?
*“The heroes of the early church, were not crusaders, not warriors, not men of the sword but rather martyrs, men and women with courage to face lion, ax, cross, whip, and fire as testimony to their allegiance [to the peaceable Kingdom of God]. (The Secret Message of Jesus, By Brian D. McLaren)
We must run after peace no matter how elusive or evasive that peace be.
We must run after peace even to the point of our death.
We must run after Peace becasue "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."
posted by Pastor Christopher at 1:15 AM
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