Christ is the prince of peace. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’” (Isa. 9:6 RSV). Those who would turn Jesus into a warrior-messiah, someone who will conquer the world by violence, misunderstand his messianic mission. They would have Jesus give into the temptation of the devil in the desert who offered him all earthly control if he would but take and use it, and in that fashion, bow down to the devil by following the devil’s ways. Jesus, to be sure, is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but he exercises his authority in and with love, and through that love, he establishes bonds of peace. That is, he establishes a peace which brings people together as one so that they can receive the Spirit of peace for themselves; then, the will be able to become adopted children of God: “And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 4:17-18 RSV).
We are called to be one. We are meant to experience the peace of Christ, not just individually, all by ourselves, but with everyone. We must not look at others as strangers to hate or fear, but as those whom Christ loves. We are to find a way to be with them, to treat them with love and respect, and if they are in need, to help them with their needs. This is the way of Christ, the way which we are to follow if we are to properly bear the name of Christ as Christians. This is how we are to represent and bring Christ’s presence into the world. We are to show the world the true peace of Christ, the peace which is not established by force but which comes from and is preserved by love. We, after all, were once estranged from God, and instead of coming to us with violence, seeking to dominate and control us with force, Christ came to us, doing what he could to give us his peace so that we can find ourselves within the household of God: “So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph. 4:19 RSV). We should, therefore, look to others with the way Christ looked to us, not as strangers to be hated and resisted, not as someone to dominate or control, but as those who need love and mercy.
Thus, in the incarnation, Jesus breaks down the barriers between the people instead of setting more of them up, or preserving intact those which already exist. His work heals the wounds of sin in the world. His victory, his peace, is eschatological, but it is anticipated in many ways, including in the ways he healed those who came to him with faith, such as we see happened when a woman came to him and touched him:
And a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years and could not be healed by any one, and had spent all her living upon physicians, came up behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; and immediately her flow of blood ceased. And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the multitudes surround you and press upon you!” But Jesus said, “Some one touched me; for I perceive that power has gone forth from me.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace” (Lk. 8:43-48 RSV).
The woman was healed by her faith. It made her well. Christ gave her a new peace within, a peace which was manifested externally by her bodily healing. Then she was sent back into the world so that she could become a bearer and representative of the peace which is to be had in the kingdom of God. Healing those with pain and sorrow, therefore, is important. We must recognize there are many ways someone might need to be healed, many kinds of sicknesses, some which are physical, some which are mental, and some which can be said to be spiritual. Christians who share Christ’s presence, Christ’s peace, to the world must follow the example set by Christ and seek to bring healing to those in need. Those who would withhold medical care for some, especially the poor and vulnerable, work against the peace of Christ. It should not be surprising, therefore, that those who would deny medical help to those in need will also make war in the world, seeking to dominate and control it, showing little to no sympathy to those they hurt. They do not love peace, no matter how many times they pretend otherwise.
Christ’s interests should be our interests. We should look into the world with Christ’s eyes, the eyes of love. We are to see those in need, and care for them, helping them the best we can. We are to show them love, treating them with the dignity and respect we would show Christ. This is one of the ways we are to build up God’s kingdom. We will be following the example of the prince of peace, Christ. “For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility” (Eph. 4:14 RSV). When we are confirmed (chrismated), we take on Christ’s name, we are anointing with his anointing; we are to embrace the Spirit of peace, sharing Christ’s true peace with the world. We are to bring healing to the world, not more pain and destruction. We are to overcome hostility with love, showing compassion to those in need. Why, then, do we often do otherwise?
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