Jesus Christ, The Prince of Peace
By Bishop Karl Pruter
Every Christian, whether a pacifist or not, looks to Jesus for guidance and direction on the question of peace and war. Christians differ in their views, some citing one Scripture passage and some another. How then do we arrive at the truth? What did Jesus really teach concerning peace?
There is one principal statement by Jesus concerning the subject of peace, and that is the Sermon on the Mount. If any of the preachers, priests, and clerics who expound on the question were to preach one sermon on peace, and one only, regardless of anything else they would say or do, the public would hold them to their words in that one principal sermon. Therefore, if we desire to know what Jesus taught and felt about peace, we must go to the Sermon on the Mount and from it alone, take our direction regarding war and peace. Fortunately for us what Jesus said in that sermon is clear and without equivocation.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” He goes on to show us just how far we need to go in order to be peacemakers. He does not promise us justice, or freedom from persecution, or freedom from violence. “Blessed are they who suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, falsely for my sake.” He does not even allow us to bemoan our fate, but goes on to say, “Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you.”
In His sermon He deals with the Old Testament attitude towards war and war-makers. He said, “You have heard that it hath been said: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you not to resist evil: but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other: And if a man will contend with thee in judgment, and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also to him. And whosoever will force thee one mile, go with him two miles.” And finally, and without reservation He said, “You have heard that it hath been said: Thou shalt love neighbor, and hate thy enemy. But I say to you: Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you: That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust. For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? Do not even the publicans do this? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? Do not also the heathens do this?” Jesus leaves us no out. So often when I tell people that I oppose all wars, I have been asked, even by Christians, “Then would you turn the other cheek?”
I can only answer, “I pray that I would.” For Jesus regarded what He had to say in the Beatitudes as being of primary importance. He likened our failure to accept the persecution that comes our way, to the absurd idea of salt losing its savor. Should such a thing happen He said, “It is good for nothing anymore but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men.” On the contrary He said, that if we were to live according to His sayings on the Mount, we would be “the light of the world.” He wants us to so live that our light will shine before men, that they may see our good works. Jesus was aware that these views differed from those generally held by most men and women. He assures them that as strange as it may seem. He has not come to destroy the law, or the prophets, but insists He has come to fulfill the law. The fulfillment of the law is love; the perfect love of God which brings that peace that passes all understanding.
Does all this mean that Jesus would leave us defenseless? What shall a Christian do to resist the invader, the murderer and the rapist? What did Jesus do? He did not resist, but telling Peter to put away his sword, He chose death upon the cross. Now nowhere did He say that we must all die, although, frequently, He said that we must all be willing to die. What Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount and elsewhere is that we must learn to look to God the Father for everything. He teaches us to pray. To many people this is absurd and they will ask, “Do you mean to say that to meet the threat of a Hitler, or the threat of Communism, all we can do is to pray?” To ask such a question reveals much about the asker. He or she does not think much of prayer. But Jesus obviously did and in the Sermon on the Mount He tells us how truly powerful prayer can be.
“Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened… What man is there among you if his son shall ask for bread, will he reach him a stone? Or if he shall ask him a fish, will he reach him a serpent? If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him?” These are not my words, but the words of Jesus Christ. If we say that we believe, we should trust in His words and meet evil with prayer. Thomas Merton tells us that if we really wanted peace, that peace which God wants for the word, and we prayed for it, God would give it to us. But by and large we either do not pray for peace, or else we do not pray for the kind of peace that God wants to give us. If it is the first, then let us pray, and if it is the second, let us ask God to reveal to us the nature of His peace, that we might pray for it.