Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
Sermon Matthew 5:1-12 “Happiness as Peacemakers”
January 26, 2020
This month we have been looking at the Beatitudes or what some have called Happy Attitudes which show us how to find our innermost and most permanent joy in life. We have seen that dependence on God, adaptability to God’s will, and imitating God by being merciful are pathways to happiness. Today we will see that as children of God we are to follow the Prince of Peace by being peacemakers and standing up against persecution and oppression. This too will make us happy. We will get to this, but first, let’s pray.
Holy Spirit, be in our hearts as we consider matters of war and peace. Help us to understand, as your children, how we are to do your will in this world where you have placed us. Help us to understand how you would have us guide our country through the upcoming elections in a way that will bring justice and peace to the world. We pray this empowered by you. Amen.
Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Jesus is telling us today that when we obey his rules to love God and love our neighbor as peacemakers we will find happiness. The Hebrew word for peace is “shalom”. A peacemaker is a maker of shalom, of completeness and soundness, of safety and security, of welfare and health, of quiet, tranquility and contentment, of friendship and peace. As shalom makers, we work against the prevailing winds of a fallen world. We work to end violence and hostility. We desire peace for everyone and work to bring that about. And we grieve when we see violence on the streets of our cities and the streets of troubled nations.
Shalom making is our responsibility as children of God. So think of ways of building shalom in your families, and with your friends. Make shalom in our community and nation. Dedicate your life to your calling as a peacemaker.
In today’s scripture, we, as children of God, are told that we will find our happiness as peacemakers. But what exactly does this mean? Are we called to be pacifists and always oppose war? Is war ever justified? Is war ever required as a means of ending injustice and persecution? Is war paradoxically ever the pathway to peace? These questions haunt us as they have haunted Christians throughout the centuries.
Many of the earliest Christians were pacifists. They saw our text today as requiring Christians to abstain from going to war. But at the time of Emperor Constantine, when Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire, Christians began to rethink Jesus’ teachings. And by the time of Bishop Augustine, in the fourth century, when invaders were threatening the very existence of the Roman Empire, Christian theologians were considering how our role as peacemakers worked in an often violent and fallen world.
Bishop Augustine developed what is now called the “Just War Theory”. Just war theory has impacted international law, training for the armed services, and the thinking of philosophers and politicians. It is an effort to reconcile our calling as peacemakers and our obligation to defend the defenseless, and free those who are being persecuted.
Just War Theory starts with the presumption against the use of violence as modeled by the life of Jesus and his teachings that we should love our neighbors. This presumption of nonviolence can only be overcome by the need to vindicate justice or protect the innocent against aggression. To overcome this presumption our reasons must be overwhelming. With the presumption of nonviolence in mind let us look at the eight rules we have in Just War Theory for overriding this presumption and entering into war.
The first rule of just war is that the cause must be just. We must only use violence if not using it is worse. So if we can prevent the massacre of a large number of people or stop a long-term denial of human rights the use of violence may be permissible. An example of this happened in Uganda when the dictator Idi Amin was massacring a large number of his own people. Tanzania invaded and brought the massacre to an end. Sadly no one stopped Rwanda when massacres occurred there until it was too late.
The second rule of Just War Theory is that the presumption of nonviolence can only be overcome if the decision is made by someone or a group with just authority. In our country, the authority to declare war is given by our Constitution to the Congress of the United States. In recent years the need to defend our nation has led to the President sometimes acting without congressional authority. But in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the President received approval from Congress in the form of a resolution. And therefore those wars were fought with just authority.
The third rule of just war is that it must be the last resort. All means must be taken to prevent war before one is launched. Negotiations, conflict resolution, and prevention must all be exhausted before the presumption of nonviolence can be overcome. If evil can be stopped in some other way short of violence then violence is not justified. War is only justified when all else has failed and there is no other way to stop the overwhelming injustice.
The fourth rule of Just War Theory is that our intention for using violence must be just. In other words, there must be a just cause. The only legitimate intention for war is to have a lasting peace. Revenge, conquest, and economic gain do not rise to the level of just cause. And our enemies must be treated justly because they will eventually join with us to make a lasting peace.
The fifth rule of Just War is that there must be a high probability of success. If the probability of losing is high then even the use of violence will not achieve the just cause. And if people die in a cause where our goals cannot be met they have died in vain. So we must have a high probability of success before we are justified in using violence to achieve our goals.
The sixth rule requires proportionality of the cost. This means that the total good that results from the use of violence must exceed the cost of that violence. The cure must not be harsher than the disease. Is the cost of waging a war appropriate for the goal we are trying to achieve? If the cost is too high, even a just cause is insufficient to justify a war.
The seventh rule of Just War is that the use of violence must be clearly announced before it starts. We must give our opponents the opportunity to avoid war by fulfilling certain conditions. A public announcement also allows for the proper weighing of the justice of the cause and the proportionality of the cost. This ensures that the people of a democracy are informed about what their government is doing and will support whatever action is taken.
The eighth rule of Just War deals with what happens after a war begins and requires that just means be used. We may have a just cause to fight for but that does not necessarily mean that the way we fight is itself just. The rule of proportional cost applies not only to the decision to go to war but to the way we fight the war as well. We must not target nonmilitary persons. We must not kill or torture prisoners. We must not terrorize civilians. Although some civilians casualties may occur these must be minimized.
By the logic of Just War Theory, any war that fails even one of these rules is unjust and does not overcome the presumption of nonviolence. We must set aside nationalism, the need for revenge, hatred of others, racism, greed, and ideology as a rationale for war.
Killing in war can only be justified by obeying the command to love our neighbor. We must always remember that whether we are in a war or not, Jesus is always our Lord. With Jesus in control, the presumption is that we work peacefully, and war is only justified if our love of God and love of neighbor demands it.
Each of us should prayerfully think about these issues and ask God for direction in leading the country through our votes. Remember always that our goal is not just war but to bring about a just peace. We find our happiness as peacemakers.
We must keep all the men and women serving in our Armed Forces around the world in our prayers. They need our prayers and support. The families of our servicemen and women also need our prayers. And our political and military leaders need prayers that God will lead them to be peacemakers motivated by God’s love for everyone.
Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, help us to follow you in the way of peace. When war is unavoidable help us to find the peaceful outcome you desire as quickly as possible with as little cost as possible of human blood. Teach us to be peacemakers in our families and communities and help us to reflect your way of peace in the coming election. We pray this is the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment