The Zone Gathering

Isaiah 9:6 – “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (NASB)

Have you ever noticed how many Christmas carols contain the word peace in connection with our Savior’s birthday? Even “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” exalts this aspect of Jesus’ character – “Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!” The angels in the Christmas story proclaim “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased!” (Luke 2:14).

In a world filled with turmoil and plagued by conflict, it can be difficult to grasp the notion of true peace. And yet, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed that the coming Messiah would be named the Prince of Peace. He was not alone in this prophesy – Micah also foretold that Jesus would be our peace.

Micah 5:2,5 – “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity….This One will be our peace.”

God, speaking through Micah, promised that the One who would be peace would come from Bethlehem. Does this ring a bell with anyone? Jesus fulfilled both prophesies – He was born in Bethlehem, and He is the Prince of Peace. But before we look at how Jesus exemplifies and personifies perfect peace, let’s look at the words for peace used throughout Scripture.

The Hebrew word for peace used in Isaiah 9:6 is salom or shalom. It is commonly used in the Old Testament (237 times), but its meaning is extraordinary. Too often we define peace as the “absence of conflict.” But this view of peace is too limiting and doesn’t do justice to our Prince of Peace. In fact, Jesus Himself made a distinction between true peace and elusive earthly peace – “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). In this passage (Matt.10), Jesus was sending out the twelve disciples and warning them of the opposition they would face because they were His followers. His righteousness and mission very much conflicted with the ways and thoughts of the world. Think only of His discourses with the scribes and the Pharisees, His driving the moneychangers from the temple, and His crucifixion. People always tried to draw Jesus into conflict!

So if Jesus “did not come to bring peace on earth,” why is He called the Prince of Peace? Where and when is His peace established? True peace (shalom, or its New Testament Greek equivalent, eirene) denotes “completeness, soundness, wholeness, well-being.” It is not merely defined as freedom from conflict – it is so much deeper, so much more purifying, and attainable.

Attainable? Peace? YES! The Prince of Peace secured your claim to peace through His death on the cross. “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our peace fell upon Him, and by His scourging [stripes] we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). Isaiah prophesied that peace would be ours through Christ’s sacrifice generations before His birth. Paul, writing after the death and resurrection of Jesus, draws the very same conclusion: “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Paul gives a greater discourse on this in Ephesians, showing how Gentiles are brought into the covenant of peace established through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:13-18 – “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups [Jews and Gentiles] into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”

The Prince of Peace established His peace through His death on the cross, and we have the promise of peace through that sacrifice. It is a perfect peace which completes us and makes us whole. Like so many of God’s gifts, however, peace can evade us when we are trapped by sin. Knowing and realizing this peace in our lives requires us to set our minds firmly on Christ. “For the mind set on flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6).

Peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) that can be cultivated only through an abiding commitment to Jesus Christ. Just as His thoughts and prayers for His disciples before He endured the cross were of peace (John 14:27; 16:33), so He longs to give us true and abiding peace today.

Isn’t it marvelous to be able to celebrate Jesus as the Prince of Peace this Christmas? Even with conflict in the world, we can find comfort in confessing and loving the One who is able to keep us in perfect peace

Philippians 4:6-9 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ rule in your hearts this blessed Christmas season, and may you find tremendous joy in knowing Him as your Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace throughout the coming year!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 21st, 2005 at 9:15 am and is filed under Bible Drills. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.