'Shalom Aleichem': The Advent of Peace

Shalom aleichem, often shortened simply to 'Shalom', is the Hebrew word for peace. It's the term used to greet others in the same way that we say "hello." It actually means "well-being be upon you" or "may you be well" and it covers all areas of life -- health, prosperity, security, friendship and salvation. It"s the desire of every Jewish individual and every family of Israel as a nation. Yet sadly in the first century, Israel discovered too late that shalom was only available to them because of God's own presence and favor toward them. It was a hard lesson to learn! It had cost them everything they held dear. They were overthrown as a nation -- the Promised Land was no longer in their possession, and the tight bond of Jewish family life was decimated by death, destruction and distance. Once God withdrew His protection and provision, they found themselves slaughtered in battle, subjected to Roman Rule, and scattered across the face of the earth. Their hope for peace was all that remained. References to peace in the teachings of Jesus and the Gospel writers can only be fully understood in light of the Hebrew concept of Shalom -- the hope and expectations that the Messiah might bring a kingdom of peace into the violence of their first century life.

The English word 'Peace' comes from the Greek term eir*n*, from which we get our understanding of peace, which primarily means "absence of conflict or war." Yet when Jesus used this Greek word for "peace" in the New Testament, He carefully incorporated the broader meaning given to the Hebrew word shalom. We can see this in His healing of the woman with and issue of blood found in Mark 5:24-34. Jesus not only healed her physically, He exposed her secret faith and restored her to ceremonial cleanness. He publicly praised her and restored her to acceptance in society. Then He bid her "Go in peace" using the Greek term eir*n* after providing her with the health, prosperity, security, friendship and salvation of shalom. You see Jesus granted her the peace of the Father, something we neither know nor have access to apart from Him!

In Isaiah 9:6-7 the prophet Isaiah prophesied, "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace," and he said, "There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace." When the angels announced His birth to the shepherds in Luke 2:13-14, Luke records, "And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace (eir*n*) among men with whom He is pleased." And when Jesus addressed one of the disciples in John 14:27, He used the Greek term for peace, "Peace I leave with you; My eir*n* I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." Yet, in Matthew 10:34-36 He told His disciples, "Do not think that I came to bring peace (eir*n*) on the earth; I did not come to bring peace (eir*n*), but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household." And what is the dividing point? The belief in Jesus as the Christ (Messiah) creates the division.

So what we see in these passages is the fact that even though Jesus is called "The Prince of Peace" and just as the angels announced, He brought God's peace down to earth, there are three things we need to realize about the peace he brought:

* God's peace is not the same kind of peace that man knew before.

* God's peace is only available through Jesus as Messiah to those "with whom God is pleased."

* Even though He is called "The Prince of Peace", and by coming He established the possibility that all people could experience God's peace -- He did not come to bring peace on earth to all people -- God's peace (shalom) is only available through obedience to Him and that must begin with a relationship with His Son Jesus, as Messiah and Lord!

Let's consider Peace for a moment! Can you honestly say that you know God's Peace? If your life is under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, then you can honestly declare that you know God's Peace. But the bigger question to consider is this: Do you live in God's Peace? Does God's Peace permeate and define your life, your home, and your relationships? You see, even though many of us claim to know God's Peace, sadly, the majority of us do not live in God's Peace. We claim to be Christ-like-ones, yet in all honesty we act nothing like the Prince of Peace. It's a question that demands an answer! If we truly have the Prince of Peace living in us, then why is His peace not reigning over us?

Jesus' brother James wrote a letter to the churches scattered throughout the Roman Empire in which he asked, "What causes wars and fightings among you? Is it not your passions which are at war in your bodies? You desire and do not have; so you kill. You covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war." (James 4:1-2). In other words, the reason there's no peace among us is because of frustrated desire. We selfishly desire to have our way in everything all the time. When our desires are not fulfilled, we covet, we lash out in anger, we quarrel with one another, and there is no peace. So how do we overcome our selfishness and manage our desires correctly?

It's been said, "A person without desires won't make war, but he won't make love either - or write poetry, or throw parties, or build roads or hospitals." So the answer is not to quench desire! The answer is to redirect our desire towards God. When a person becomes frustrated, it's because he's not resting in the promise of God to work all things together for his good. (Romans 8:28). The reason there are so many hostile people in the world is because there aren't very many people who really believe that the living God is at work in every situation for the good of those who trust him. The Bible does not prescribe that we cease to desire, but that we direct our desires toward God and discover that Jesus purchased His peace for us on the cross and secured it for us by his resurrection. It's time that we discover that God's peace is satisfying beyond anything else our heart could ever desire. Therefore, if we expect to live in God's peace, our first item of business is to have confidence that God will work everything together for the good of those who love him. And then above all else, direct our desires towards loving God with all our heart instead of just making efforts to appease Him or gain His favor. Then and only then will our hearts be freed from fear and guilt and greed, and we can pray together with genuine love that the world will turn their desires toward the living God and find the peace which passes all understanding.

The Peace of God is available to those who set their desires on loving God and seeking the things above. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2) And he summed it up in (Colossians 3:1-6) "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come." If you're a believer, God's Peace dwells within you! That gives you a lot of peace making -- peace spreading potential! You are empowered by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of accomplishing God's desires and making peace on earth among men. If you're not a believer, Jesus is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, and I invite you to know and live in His peace, His shalom for the very first time.

Editor's Note: Mahlon Stucky is the pastor of Fort Scott's First Southern Baptist Church and a member of the Fort Scott Ministerial Alliance