In Luke 2:1–14 we read of the birth of Jesus and of how the angels appeared to the shepherds to bring them the good news of the Savior who had been born to them.
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. (Luke 2:1–7)
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, (Luke 2:8–13)
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14)
Peace With God
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14)
When we speak of the Nativity, we cannot fail to mention the peace that this greatest event in the history of the world brings to us. This is the true peace, because it comes from God. And God is the only one who can bring us true peace, for He is the God of peace. His name is Yahweh Shalom — the God of peace (Judges 6:23). He appeared to Gideon in a time of war, of slavery, of famine, and of oppression, and told him that He would deliver His people and bring them peace. God is the God of peace. In five places in the New Testament letters — Romans 15:33; Romans 16:20; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20 — God is called the “God of peace,” and in 2 Thessalonians 3:16 the “Lord of peace.” Because He is the God of peace, He is able to bring us peace. And He did. He brought us peace with God, peace among ourselves, and peace within our own hearts.
The good news of Jesus is a message of peace (Acts 10:36). Jesus came to bring us peace. What is more, He Himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). When He rose from the dead, Jesus began to appear to the apostles as witnesses chosen beforehand by God, and He always greeted them with one and the same greeting: “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19, 21, 26).
In Romans 5:1 the Apostle Paul says:
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:1)
Do you notice that here the apostle literally says that we “have peace with God”? The Apostle Paul explains the process of reconciliation and those who take part in it in 2 Corinthians 5:18–6:2.
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: (2 Corinthians 5:18)
Reconciliation is from God. He is the one who reconciles us to Himself. But this reconciliation has two stages. The first is the one accomplished by Jesus, and the second is the one carried out by the apostles. The role of Christ is to satisfy God’s righteous anger against sin by sacrificing Himself on our behalf. God laid our sins upon Him, so that they might not be counted against us.
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19)
The sacrifice of Christ, however, is only the first stage in God’s process of reconciliation. The second is the carrying of the message of Christ’s redeeming work to a perishing humanity, and the receiving and believing of that message on our part. The apostles are ambassadors of God and of Christ, who plead with us on God’s behalf to be reconciled to Him — to the One who has proven His love for us by sacrificing His Son for us.
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20–21)
What a wonderful and glorious message! But for it to work for you, you must receive it today and now!
1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:1–2)
Peace Among One Another
Through His blood Christ brought us not only peace with God, but also peace among one another. In Ephesians 2:11–22 the Apostle Paul writes:
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:11–22)
You see, in the temple in Jerusalem in the days of Jesus there was a “court of the Gentiles” and a “court of the Israelites.” Between them stood a wall that divided them, and the Gentiles had no right to enter the temple. It was for this very reason that the Apostle Paul was accused in Acts 21:28–29 — that he had brought the Ephesian Trophimus into the temple and had thereby “defiled” it. Before Christ there could be no peace between Gentiles and Jews. But He tore down that “dividing wall” that separated us, and in Him both the one and the other have access to God by one Spirit. And today I would say that Christ destroyed not only the religious, but also the ethnic and the social and the financial and every other barrier that sin raises up between us. In Him we are one.
In 2 Corinthians 13:11 the Apostle Paul tells us to “live in peace.” In Romans 14:19, to “make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” And in Romans 12:18, “if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Peace is like salt in our relationships. Without it we cannot manage. This is exactly why the Lord Jesus said in Mark 9:50:
50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50)
How are we to do all this? By clothing ourselves in love. In Colossians 3:14–15 the Apostle Paul says:
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:14–15)
Peace Within Ourselves
Through Jesus Christ, through His incarnation and resurrection, God gives us not only peace with Him, but also peace within ourselves. In this turbulent, stressful, and restless world, thanks be to God, we can have peace in our hearts.
Once a king offered a great reward to whoever could paint the best picture depicting perfect peace. Many artists took part in the contest. The king examined all the paintings, but only two remained that he truly liked, and he had to choose between the two.
The first painting portrayed a calm lake. Like a perfect mirror, it reflected the towering peaks of the mountains that surrounded it. Above them stretched a clear blue sky across which a few fluffy white clouds drifted. Everyone who saw this painting thought that this was the perfect picture of peace.
The other painting also had rocks in it, but they were bare and jagged. Above them the sky was overcast with storm clouds. Lightning and rain could be seen. A strong wind was blowing, bending the branches of the trees down to the ground. From the rocks a raging waterfall came pouring down, whose cold water one could almost feel. This did not look peaceful at all, but when the king looked closely at the painting, he saw in a crevice of the rock behind the waterfall a little bush on which a bird had built its nest. There, amid the roar of the storm and the falling waterfall, the mother bird sat brooding over her eggs in her nest — in perfect peace.
Which painting do you think won the prize? The king chose the second one. And do you know why? “Because,” the king explained, “to have peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, no trouble, or no hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all these things and yet to have calm in your heart. That is the true meaning of peace.”
In Isaiah 26:3 we have the promise of God’s peace:
3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. (Isaiah 26:3)
We can have peace, because the kingdom of God is a kingdom of peace (Romans 14:17). We can have peace also because we have the Spirit, and one of the fruits of the Spirit is “peace” (Galatians 5:22).
In Philippians 4:6–7 the Apostle Paul tells us that we can have peace because we pray and are assured that God hears our prayers and will not leave them unanswered.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7)
Not only can we have the peace of God in our hearts because of our faith and trust in God; we are also to pray for peace. In Psalm 122:6–9 the Holy Spirit tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. In the light of the New Testament these words apply both to the capital of Israel and to the church, which is the “heavenly Jerusalem” (Hebrews 12:22).
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. 7 May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” 8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity. (Psalm 122:6–9)
May God grant peace to His city. May He grant peace also to His church. But we are to pray as well for the peace of our own country, to pray for Bulgaria. And in 1 Timothy 2:1–2 the Apostle Paul tells us to do this “first of all.”
1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1–2)
It is important to have peace in our country, because in its peace we too will have peace. In Jeremiah 29:7 the prophet says to the Jews sent into captivity:
7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:7)
Here we see that the Israelites — even though all their possessions had been taken from them, even though they had been left homeless, even though they were doomed to misery in their captivity — are commanded to pray for the peace and welfare of their rulers. This is not a prayer like the one in which we are told to pray for those who persecute us, but a prayer for the rulers — that they may govern well so that their country may be kept in peace and security. For if there is peace and security for their masters, then there will be peace and security for the people themselves as well.
And finally I would like to close with the encouraging words of our Lord. In John 14:27 and 16:33 He says:
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)