The Baby in the Manger #23: Prince of Peace

Prince of Peace (heb: śar šālôm (Prince of Peace), grk: eirēnē (peace))




For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

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)

"Peace be with you" (Luke 24:36, John 20:19, John 20:21, John 20:26)

In a world where wars are raging as we speak, there is ever a need and a desire for peace.   Today we have another title for Jesus that conjures up Handel's Messiah - the last of the titles given in Isaiah 9:6: Prince of Peace.

But what sort of Peace does Jesus bring.  He even says at one point: Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. (Luke 12:51).  We have already seen how Jesus has come to do battle: battle for our hearts, and a final battle for justice.  And as we wait for that final battle to culminate in the victory of the Lamb, Jesus tells us that we should not be surprised to see anything but peace around us, saying:

You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth-pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. (Matthew 24:6-9)

Jesus doesn't promise us a life that will be easy or peaceful.  And he doesn't promise that the world will be full of peace during this era while we await his final return.  And, to put those two things together, he promises that we ourselves will be at odds with the world around us.  For some, down the centuries and now, this has meant persecution, torture and death.

And yet, three times when the risen Jesus meets with his disciples he says: Peace be with you.

But as he'd told his disciples before he went to the cross - I do not give to you as the world gives (John 14:7) - Jesus' peace is not like that we might seek in the world.  It is not a peace that depends on everything being 'right' with the world.  Neither is it a peace of compromise ("anything for a quiet life!").  It is not a peace we can only enjoy if we turn our backs on the suffering of others.

Strong's definition of eirēnē (the Greek word Jesus uses here) in the Christian sense is this: of the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.

This is deep peace.  It is peace with God - we are no longer his enemies.  It is peace with the future: there are many things I do not know or understand, but I know that in a way that will be perfect and satisfactory, justice and mercy will both be found in Jesus when he returns.  And it is peace with now - being able to rest in this assurance.   It is this deep peace that caused Horatio Spafford to write the following words after losing his four daughters at sea:

When peace like a river attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll

Whatever my lot thou has taught me to say

It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is this deep peace that Jesus leaves us with - not just for the future, but for now.