In recent months, Clarke and I have returned to having a schedule that allows us to share in a daily devotion together, and we have chosen to revisit one of our favorites: Common Prayer: a Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, written by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro. Today, I thought I would share this reflection on the challenges of Peacemaking.
Peacemaking begins with what we can change—ourselves. But it does not end there. We are to be peacemakers in a world riddled with violence. That means interrupting violence with imagination, on our streets and in our world. This peace that is “not like any way the empire brings peace” is rooted in the nonviolence of the cross, where we see a Savior who loves his enemies so much He died for them. Peace is often not our instinct, which is why it must be cultivated and grown in us. Even Jesus’ key disciple, Peter, picks up his sword when the soldiers approach Jesus. Jesus’ response is brilliant: He scolds Peter, and then He heals the wounded persecutor, only to be dragged away and hung on a Roman cross. If ever there were a case for “just war” or justified violence to protect the innocent, Peter had it. Yet Jesus rebukes his logic of the sword.
The early Christians said, “When Jesus disarmed Peter, He disarmed every Christian.” For hundreds of years, Christians were never seen carrying swords, and they followed the way of the Prince of Peace even unto death, loving their enemies and blessing those who curse them. It does not look like a good strategy for running an empire, but it is the narrow way that leads to life. Undoubtedly, it does not always seem to “work.” As we look at history, and even as we read the Scriptures, there seems to be evidence that violence has worked at times and failed at times, just as nonviolence has worked at times and failed at times. In the end, the question is, Which looks most like Jesus? For we are called not just to be successful but to be faithful to the way of the Cross, even unto death. The way of the cross did not seem to work on Friday, but the promise is that Sunday is coming. In the end, Love wins.