Grace and peace to you, beloved in Christ Jesus,
To the churches scattered across the nations, to the faithful who bear the name of our Lord, and to all who seek the kingdom of God—may the Holy Spirit enlighten your hearts as we meditate together on the words of our Savior: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). These words, spoken on the mountain, are not merely a call to tranquility but a divine summons to embody the reconciling love of God in a fractured world. As your servant in Christ, I write to exhort and encourage you to embrace this beatitude as a living witness to the gospel.
The Context of the Blessing
The Beatitudes, delivered by our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount, are the constitution of the kingdom—a radical unveiling of God’s heart for His people. They are not a list of ideals for the perfect but a portrait of the redeemed, those who, by grace, reflect the character of their heavenly Father. Among these blessed ones stand the peacemakers, whom Jesus declares “sons of God.” This is no small honor. To be called a son—or daughter—of God is to share in the family likeness of the One who is peace itself, the One who sent His only Son to reconcile us to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
In the days of Christ, peace was a scarce commodity. The Pax Romana, the so-called peace of Rome, was enforced by the sword, a fragile order masking oppression and unrest. Into this world, Jesus spoke of a different peace—not the absence of conflict but the presence of God’s shalom, a wholeness that restores what sin has broken. Today, we too live in a world of division: nations war against nations, families fracture, and even within the church, discord sometimes drowns out our unity in Christ. Yet the promise remains: blessed are those who make peace, for they bear the mark of God’s children.
Who Are the Peacemakers?
Peacemakers are not merely those who avoid conflict or seek compromise for comfort’s sake. True peacemaking is neither passive nor weak; it is an active, costly pursuit rooted in the cross of Christ. The peacemaker is one who, having been reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus (Colossians 1:20), becomes an ambassador of that reconciliation to others. This is not a work of human effort alone but a fruit of the Spirit, who produces peace in us (Galatians 5:22) that we might extend it to the world.
Consider the example of our Lord. He did not shrink from confrontation—overturning tables in the temple (John 2:15) and rebuking the Pharisees (Matthew 23)—yet His every word and deed aimed at restoring humanity to God. On the cross, He absorbed the violence of sin, crying, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34), and in His resurrection, He greeted His disciples with “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). This is the pattern of peacemaking: to stand against evil, to speak truth, and to offer mercy, all for the sake of God’s redemptive purpose.
Peacemakers, then, are those who bridge divides with love, who disarm hostility with humility, and who labor for justice that heals rather than wounds. They are parents who reconcile siblings, neighbors who mend fences, pastors who unite congregations, and believers who, in a culture of outrage, choose forgiveness over vengeance. They are you, dear brothers and sisters, when you allow Christ’s peace to rule in your hearts (Colossians 3:15) and overflow into your words and actions.
The Promise: Sons of God
Why does Jesus tie peacemaking to being called “sons of God”? In Scripture, sonship signifies intimacy, inheritance, and likeness. Adam was called a son of God (Luke 3:38), created in His image, yet that image was marred by sin. Israel, too, was named God’s son (Exodus 4:22), called to reflect His holiness among the nations, though they often failed. Now, in Christ, we are adopted as God’s children (Romans 8:15), restored to bear His likeness anew. Peacemaking is a mark of this sonship, for our Father is the “God of peace” (Romans 15:33), who delights to reconcile all things to Himself.
To be called sons of God is both a present privilege and a future hope. Even now, the world may recognize in us something of God’s character when we make peace—though often, like Christ, we will be misunderstood or rejected for it. Yet the fullness of this promise awaits Christ’s return, when every knee will bow, and we will be revealed as God’s children in glory (Romans 8:19-21). Until then, peacemaking is our witness, our worship, and our warfare against the powers of darkness.
A Call to the Church
Beloved, I urge you to take up this calling with urgency and joy. The world cries out for peace but seeks it in fleeting pleasures, hollow treaties, or the silencing of dissent. We, the church, bear a better word—the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15). Yet we must first be a people of peace ourselves. How can we proclaim reconciliation to the nations if our own houses—our homes, our congregations, our hearts—are battlegrounds of pride and strife?
Examine yourselves, as I examine myself. Where have we sown discord rather than peace? Where have we chosen anger over understanding, or victory over unity? Let us repent and return to the Prince of Peace, who taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Let us be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19), trusting that God’s justice, not ours, will prevail.
To the shepherds of the flock—pastors, elders, and leaders—I charge you: model peacemaking in your ministries. Teach your people to forgive as they have been forgiven (Ephesians 4:32). Confront sin with grace, and when disputes arise, seek the wisdom from above, which is “peaceable, gentle, open to reason” (James 3:17). To every believer, I say: let your life be a living epistle of peace, read by all (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). In your workplaces, your schools, your communities, be the one who listens, who prays, who builds rather than tears down.
The Cost and the Crown
Peacemaking is not without cost. It may require you to bear insults silently, to surrender your rights for another’s good, or to step into conflicts others flee. Jesus, our ultimate Peacemaker, paid with His life, and He warns us that the world will hate us as it hated Him (John 15:18-19). Yet the blessing outweighs the burden. To be called a son of God is to know the Father’s delight, to share in His mission, and to anticipate the day when He will wipe every tear and make all things new (Revelation 21:4-5).
So, dear church, let us press on as peacemakers. Let us proclaim the gospel that turns enemies into brothers, and let us live it out in our daily walk. May the God of peace equip you with every good thing to do His will (Hebrews 13:20-21), and may you shine as lights in this generation, blessed and called by the name of His Son.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Peace, amen.