Like the Hawaiian greeting "Aloha" or the Hebrew "Shalom," the greeting “Peace be with you” is a common way that Christians introduce themselves into an everyday situation as well as depart from it. I began to think of this phrase the other day when I left the hospital and out of habit, I said, “Peace be with you” to someone who was unconscious. Like many things we do, saying “Peace be with you” is something that I was taught to say, but never really gave a great deal of thought to until I decided to look it up in the Bible.
"Peace be with you" is a quintessential New Testament phrase with the only close relation in the Old Testament found in Job, which, loosely translated, says, "May you find peace in the fact that God is with you." This is not too far off from what the writers Luke and John point to in their use of "Peace be with you." In each occurrence, it is in the voice of Christ and is often linked to a deeper revelation of Christ. In John 20, in each of three appearances, the risen Lord greets the disciples with “Peace be with you.” I hope you realize the humorous nature of Christ’s appearances here, since in each one, they are behind closed doors, in the dark. Obviously, the disciples were not at peace, even though the revelation had come to fruition. Therefore, we can see the spark of irony or even humor that is found here. Most of the other places in the New Testament this phrase appears are in the midst of the Pauline epistles. In Greek, the word “peace” is εἰρήνη. The Friburg Lexicon defines it as: εἰρήνη, ης, ἡ peace; (1) literally, as a state of peace (LU 14.32), opposite πόλεμος (armed conflict, war); figuratively, as an agreement between persons (JA 3.18), in contrast to διαμερισμός(division, dissension); (2) as a greeting or farewell corresponding to the Hebrew word shalom: health, welfare, peace (to you) (1T 1.2); (3) as a religious disposition characterized by inner rest and harmony peace, freedom from anxiety (RO 15.13); (4) as a state of reconciliation with God (GA 5.22); (5) of an end-time condition, as the salvation of mankind brought about through Christ's reign (LU 2.14; AC 10.36). Peace can be difficult to achieve, especially when we place ourselves in the middle of controversy or distress. If there is anything that we learn from Job or the Gospel of John, it is that peace is a function that can only result from allowing God to work his peace in this world. Some might say, “But I do work for peace,” but here is the real kicker. In order for peace to grab hold, we need to let ourselves be given over to God, no strings attached. Granted, this is virtually impossible in the midst of our society. We operate—myself included—in the reality and complexity of our social structure, which causes us to give up peace in lieu of safety, security, and sometimes, personal comfort. In discussing grace, Bonhoeffer distinguishes between costly grace and cheap grace. He argues that the grace God offers is a costly one, because in its end, it calls us to give everything over to God, as opposed to a cheap grace which requires nothing. Here is where peace and grace become similar, in that true peace will come only when the whole of the earth accepts and welcomes that peace. Until then, we can only work for peace in our little corner of the world. Here in our community, putting God’s call for us to work for justice and equal voice among all its residents is one way to bring peace among us. Among many ways to bring peace to our part of the world is to reach out to others and reconcile estrangements. Opening our ears and eyes to see and hear how God is calling us is yet another, as well as changing to meet other people’s needs. So, when we turn to each other on Sunday morning and offer peace, I hope you remember this note. I hope that you realize when we say, “Peace be with you,” we are making a pledge to work together as a community. Furthermore, we are calling each other to step out of our “box” and let the spirit of God guide us in whichever way God chooses. In this, I say: Peace be with you!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorRev. Dr. Bryan James Franzen Archives
September 2018
Categories |