Today, we are confronted by the violence of war, most directly in the Ukraine. A war that has been brought about purely and simply the result of greed and pride. Both of which have been misplaced to massage the ego of one person. Just like the majority of wars this one has been a grasping for power over the perennial understanding of how to advance in modern society. Indeed in the latest news bulletins it appears that even nature is being used as a lethal weapon towards those who do not bend to tyrannical power. These actions and those of various groups around the world are all founded on the concept of power and authority being based on the use of physical violence to topple those least able to fend for themselves. So, from where do we even begin to derive peace in such situations?
If we consider that war is apparently on top of the world's agenda then its opposite should also be on our lips that being peace. In saying this we need to really understand what it means to say that peace is the opposing force to the greed of war and along with that we need also to confront for ourselves what it means to be in a state of peace and to be part of the process that brings about this state. So what does peace mean to you and me or rather what does it mean for most people if we bandy around words like peace as opposed to war. I am of the opinion that most people associate peace with the absence of violence or war rather than anything else. Yes, I would probably tend to agree that there is a sense of peace that comes with the absence of violence and war and it is probably the most recognised understanding of what peace is. However, I believe that we are actually limiting our understanding of the concept by rigorously seeing it as an apposition to war, war's antonym so to speak.
Isaiah's passage at the beginning of chapter 11 when speaking about the coming Messiah (1-10) does not contain the word peace but is focussed upon a relational understanding that brings about justice. This aspect is rarely dwelt upon when talking about peace. Even when John speaks about preparing the way he refers to relational understandings (Matt. 3:3) and indeed there is a somewhat violent image of Christ's coming (Matt. 3:11-12). In this case peace is reflected in an attitude in which we approach our relationships to achieve God's peace. God requires us to interact in a manner that serves to enhance our relationships so that we can achieve justice and an ability to interact with each other in such a manner that we do not break our relationships. This is the foundational essence of what it means to have peace. War and violence is an extreme example of what it means to break those relationships. It is not the opposite of peace but rather a symptom of our inability to achieve a good relationship when dealing with the other who is unlike us.
In Romans, Paul tackles this subject and speaks about our attitudes in welcome and relationship (Rom. 15:7). He does not speak about war and violence but rather about how we interact with people to bring about the harmony that is inherent in our relationships when we are in true community with each other. This is the alternative that God offers us through the incarnation and the presence of the Christ in our lives. The secular world promotes our own selfish needs and thus in the end it promotes violence and violent opposition to the other who is not us. God's commandments and God's requirements of us as followers of Christ and who are deeply immersed in faith, is that we walk the way of truth and love. In doing so we will inevitably promote the needs of the other, irrespective of whom they might be, rather than pouring denigration and scorn that results in violent rejection and a continuation of all that is opposed to God's love. It is clear from the Romans passage that the ability to listen and to interpret a situation is a valuable way of moving forward. Speech can render people compliant but it can also rouse them to great effort. In caring for God's people we need to ensure that our words are words that create peace rather than the conditions for violence that we so often succumb to in everyday life. By holding to the precepts of God we bring justice and peace into the world as harbingers of peace in the advent of God's kingdom.
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