What Peace?

By Rev. Dr. Scott Seidler, Senior Pastor

For He Himself is our peace, who has mad the two one and has destroyed the dividing wall of hostility.--Ephesians 2:14

Peace takes many forms in Scripture.  Getting the piece of peace that is being emphasized is important.  And, knowing what piece of peace is not being highlighted is helpful, too.

In Ephesians 2 Paul is rejoicing that all the ethnic-religious boundaries that divide humanity come crashing down when Christ dies for the sins of the whole world.  No longer does one’s status as Jewish, Greekish, Barbarianish, freeish or slavish count for anything.  A person’s connection to Jesus Christ is all that counts from here on out.

The Son of God brings peace to all these disparate, separated people.  In Himself, in other words, there is no more hostility needed.

I imagine, however, another piece of peace here.  This is the peace that comes when the argument is over, the battle done, and the theatre of war silenced.  This peace is not the peace BETWEEN me and someone else, this is the peace INSIDE me—the rest that comes knowing I can stop fighting and simply (SIMPLY!) trust God has taken care of business.

I think this mixture of peace pieces is evident in the story of the mother in Mark 7:24-37.  An outsider so outsider-ish that Jesus could hardly speak to her.  But, because He cannot but be peace always and everywhere, Jesus knocks down the dividing wall between Him and her—by pure grace.  Then, this mom goes and finds her demoned daughter well again. 

I can only imagine the sleep this mom had that night knowing that Jesus is truly peace for us whose lives are falling to pieces.