Luke tells us that a great company of angels announced Jesus’ birth with the words: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests“ (Luke 2:14).
That seems to mean that Jesus’ coming would mean peace on earth. That sounds great. I could handle a lot more of that!
But when one looks around planet earth today, the promise of peace on earth seems like a promise unfulfilled. Wherever one looks – – whether Afghanistan, Syria, the US southern border, US political division, police violence, dreadful divisions in the Christian church, global Muslim-Christian conflict, the global pandemic, widespread persecution of Christians, escalating poverty – – the angels’ promise of peace rings hollow.
The angels’ song accurately reflected the ancient prophetic promise of a future Messiah who would bring peace. Isaiah spoke of a coming one who would bring righteousness, justice and peace: “The wolf will live with the lamb… And the lion will eat straw like the ox… They will neither harm nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the water covers the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9). Earlier, Isaiah had promised that all nations would stream to Jerusalem and submit to God’s ways. The result? “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for a war any more” (Isaiah 2:4; cf also, Micah 4:1- 3).
A wonderful vision! We long for such a time. But it did not happen in the century after Jesus’ birth – – and it still has not happened today. War, violence, blazing injustice continue to rampage across our little planet.
Was the angels’ promise that first Christmas day naïve, false, unfulfilled?
The birth of a very unusual man did happen that first Christmas. At about 30 years of age, Jesus, the Galilean carpenter, became a very popular religious teacher. As he cared for the poor and oppressed, healed the sick, and criticized the hypocrisy of religious leaders, huge crowds flocked to him.
Jesus even claimed to be the expected Messiah. Most Jews of Jesus’ day were expecting a military Messiah who would lead a violent battle to defeat the oppressive Roman imperialists. In Jesus’ day, there were a number of devout Jewish revolutionaries (often making messianic claims) who called on Jews to join in armed rebellion against Rome. Jesus unequivocally rejected their call to violent revolution.
But that does not mean that Jesus’ messianic vision ignored what Isaiah and Micah had promised. Jesus’ central message was the “the good news of the kingdom.” He taught that the kingdom of peace and justice was actually breaking into history in his life and ministry. He quoted Isaiah 61:1-2 to explain his mission: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
After reading that text (which many Jewish contemporaries considered to be a messianic text) in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus sat down and announced, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus meant that the long-awaited kingdom of peace and justice was actually breaking into history as he, the Messiah, forgave people’s sins, healed the sick, lifted up the poor and oppressed, and taught people how to live. In Jesus the Messiah and his circle of disciples, the messianic kingdom of peace and justice was actually happening on planet earth.
But without the expected violence! In fact, when Jesus read from Isaiah 61:1-2, he stopped in the middle of verse two. He said his mission was to “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” but Jesus did not include the next part of the verse: “and the day of vengeance of our God.”
Violence was not part of Jesus’ messianic understanding and mission. The Jewish revolutionaries urged Jews to attack Roman soldiers. Jesus told his disciples to carry the pack of Roman soldiers, not just the legally required one mile, but a second mile (Matthew 5:41). And he commanded his disciples to love even their enemies (Matthew 5:44). And when a centurion (a powerful symbol of Roman imperialistic oppression of the Jews), asked Jesus to heal his servant, Jesus agreed. And then Jesus said that the centurion had demonstrated more faith than anyone in Israel. Jesus even added (Matthew 8:10-11) that his new messianic kingdom was not just for Jews, but people from everywhere – –even hated Roman imperialists!
The early church continued Jesus’ rejection of violence. In the book I edited, THE EARLY CHURCH ON KILLING, I collected every extant statement on killing by Christian writers up until the time of Emperor Constantine in the early fourth century. There are many statements by Christian authors in the first three centuries about killing. And every single time they discuss killing – – whether in war, abortion, capital punishment or infanticide – – they say that Christians must not do that. 10 different authors in at least 28 different places cite or allude to Jesus’ teaching to love enemies. Several authors apply Isaiah’s prophecy about swords into plowshares to Christ and his teachings.
As we know, Christians in the fourth century gladly embraced Emperor Constantine as he embraced Christianity. Christians flooded into the Roman army. Over the next couple centuries, Just War doctrine emerged as the majority Christian position on war. (According to the Just War tradition, if certain criteria for a just war are met, it is legitimate for Christians to kill in war.) Often, in fact, Christians did not even apply the careful criteria of the Just War tradition. Often, they gladly embraced vicious crusades against Muslims and willingly joined up for any war their political leaders announced.
The angels’ promise of peace on earth has not been fulfilled. Many Christians, much of the time, have ignored Jesus’ call to love their enemies.
Does that mean that we should forget the angels’ promise as naïve or wrong? No, it means that this Christmas, and every Christmas, Jesus calls his disciples to live his way of peace.
For Christians who believe as I do that Jesus truly meant to say his disciples should never kill (see my book IF JESUS IS LORD: LOVING OUR ENEMIES IN AN AGE OF VIOLENCE), that means acting now on Jesus’ command. For those Christians who truly believe that, reluctantly in some circumstances, Christians must use lethal violence to preserve peace and justice, it at least means strictly applying their own Just War criteria and rigorously rejecting nationalistic crusades and unthinkingly joining every war that politicians announce.
Jesus taught that his messianic kingdom of justice and peace was actually breaking into history. If his disciples had dared to live what he had taught, human history would have been dramatically different. The angels’ promise would have taken visible shape here on earth in ways that we can hardly imagine.
But this Christmas, our focus should not be lamenting past failure but resolving new obedience. This Christmas, let’s beg our Lord to show us how to be Christ’s instruments of peace, justice and reconciliation – – in our broken families, terribly divided churches, dangerously polarized nation, and violently broken world. Please Lord, show us and empower us so that we now, this coming year, make the angels’ promise of peace a visible reality in our hurting world.
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Ron, I think it's short sighted to fail to read the verse in it's entirety. God has fulfilled His promise to those on whom his favor rests. For those who have believed and have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ, peace with God has been restored. They no longer are at enmity with God but are at peace positionally and not subject to His displeasure and wrath. Your encouragement to be instruments of peace by means of His love is spot on. Thank you.
Thank you, Ron. Had never noticed that Jesus "omitted " the phrase "and the day of vengeance of our God." Does give us pause.