Conflictive Peace

Jesus says: “Whatever house you enter first say, ‘Peace to this house!’”

 

Elaine Heath (professor of Evangelism at SMU) says, in Feasting on the Word: “The gospel of peace will take the seventy into direct conflict with Satan, whose power falls before [it].” She goes on to say, “The peace the apostles are to offer is more than a greeting or demeanor. Peace is representative of the kingdom of God…Ironically, this peace is conflictive, because it arouses the hostility of demonic powers.”

 

David Tiede (emeritus president and emeritus professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary) says that this declaration of peace “is an official declaration of the presence of the kingdom, and it confronts the people of the house with God’s salvation and authority. It is a word of blessing. Luke could never conceive of a form of Christina evangelism which opened with a threat…this peace [carries the full effect] of God’s presence.”

 

Moreover (these are my thoughts – so you may want to “grain of salt” this…but I believe it is faithful), at the proclamation of “peace” evil powers begin to get nervous. Given no other mission but to heal, proclaim, peace and announce the presence of the kingdom (which is really a manifestation of healing and peace, after all), Satan falls! And we know this is true. It happens all the time (the Greek here, about the falling of Satan, has the sense of Satan’s falling and falling and falling over and over…someday to be finally fallen). Stand in the face of evil and speak peace, and watch the evil begin to shake in its proverbial boots.

 

Stand in the face of the evil of inequality and insist on equality and watch that evil get nervous and push back and try to shut you up!

 

Stand in the face of the evil of exploitative business practices and insist on fairness and watch that evil get nervous and throw all kinds of excuses and accusations your way.

 

Stand in the face of the evil of discriminatory practices (whether against our LGBT brothers and sisters, our un-employed or under-employed brothers and sisters, our chronically homeless brothers and sisters, our  mentally ill brothers and sisters, our improperly-documented brothers and sisters – name any marginalized group) and insist on justice and grace and mercy and kindness and love (in essence, point out the presence of the Kingdom of God) and watch as that evil gets nervous and begins to quake and get red in the face.

 

The proclamation of peace is no sappy or sweet proclamation. It is challenging and daring.

 

 

I went to Raleigh yesterday to attend the Moral Monday Rally. And I posted this picture with the notation that I was at the Rally (I hope it actually posts…I’ll be impressed with my own self if I can do it!). Over the weeks, Moral Monday has grown from a gathering of a couple dozen to a couple thousand. While the state legislature is in session, people (mostly people of faith) have been gathering on Mondays to “bear witness,” and to remind our elected officials (many, if not most, of whom espoused their faith in order to get elected, that Jesus’ first concern is for the least and lost and last. The picture is of a child holding a sign that is bigger than he or she is – can’t tell whether it is a boy or girl b/c the sign is covering up the child. It says, “Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring and integrity, they think of you.” BTW, I did get the parents’ permission to take the picture and post.).

 

The vast majority of the responses I have gotten – having to do with the sign and with my attending the rally – have been wonderfully supportive. One though – while supportive – made me so sad. A friend encouraged me, but said that I needed to be careful, because I may have to “pay” (my word, not his) for my involvement. I know his story, it has cost him a lot to be an open and active follower of Jesus (And he is a pastor!!! Crazy that it should be so hard, right!?!). But, I’m pretty sure that we, who claim to follow Jesus, don’t have any other choice but to bear the Kingdom into every setting and to insist on peace, even (perhaps especially) in the face of things that threaten the least and the lost and the last, and maybe even us.