Peace
generally means absnese of war
In Hebrew the word is Shalom (Greek: Eirene). Basic biblical meeting of
Shalom is "complete" or "whole". ie. a stone with no cracks, or stone wall with
nogaps or missing grips
References a complex situation with nothing missing
Shalom can refer to a person's well-being... Life is complex and when anything is out of alignment our Shalom breaks down and needs to be restored
To bring shalom is to make complete or restore
In Proverbs, to reconcile a broken relationship is to make shalom
Isaiah
Isaiah 9:6-7
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. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Jesus
Jesus restores the broken relationship between humans and our creator.
Scripture
Ephesians 2:14-15
Jesus himeself is our Eirene
Questions
1
The prophet Isaiah looked forward to the arrival of a future king who would make a covenant of shalom (peace, well-being) with his people. This king would set the world right and heal all that has been harmed. Read Isaiah 9:6-7 aloud together. What specific words or phrases stand out to you as you observe this passage and why?
Isaiah 9:6-7 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. 7There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Words that stick out: - child - given to us - government will rest - no end to the increase - zeal...will accomplish this
2
The prophet Isaiah looked forward to the arrival of the Prince of Peace, whose reign would lead to eternal shalom. Jesus’ arrival fulfilled Isaiah’s words. Read and reflect on Luke 2:9-15 as a group. Why do you think God announced the King’s arrival to no-name shepherds? What does this tell you about the nature of God and his Kingdom?
Luke 2:9-15
9And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
15When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”
At thsi point it seems obvious that the reason God came to the undesirable company of teh time was to illustrate that the Kingdom of Heaven was to be an upside down kingdom. Status and power are hinderences under Jesus' reign, so he builds his kingdom (from our perspective) from the ground up.
3
The biblical story shows how humanity often chooses a way of life apart from God and suffers as a result. According to Colossians 1:19-23 , what did God want to do to remedy this pain, and how did he accomplish his desire through Jesus?
Scripture
Colossians 1:19-23
19For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace (εἰρηνοποιέω) through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
21And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
God interacted with Creation as a created being himself, holding back something in the person of Jesus. On our turf, God showed up to revive our lifeless souls and call us to live as citizens in his kingdom.
4
Jesus offers his peace to all people as a gift. Read Ephesians 2:11-16 . How did Jesus make peace between two sharply divided people groups (Jews and Gentiles), and why did he do it (see Eph. 2:16)?
Ephesians 2:11-16
11Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15by 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,
16and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
Jesus broke down the dividing wall of Circumcision by fulfilling Torah. No longer do the people of God need to be circumcized into the covenant (we have baptism), and no longer are God's people separate from the world via outward appearances but instead by living lives loyal to a different God - to Yahweh
Jesus "put to death the enmity" by removing all spiritually/covenantally relevant barriers that separated Jews from Gentiles
5
Now, let’s carefully read Ephesians 4:1-3 How can humility, gentleness, patience, and love help maintain the unity Jesus calls his followers to? What happens to unity when one of these virtues is missing?
Ephesians 4:1-3
1Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
These things don't just help maintain unity - they are the postures of life Jesus builds his Kingdom around (second to himself I suppose). Jesus levels the playing field for all people, and no one has anymore right to anything than anyone else. Things like humility (right view of oneself), gentleness, patience, love, etc. are necessary for Jesus' kingdom to look how he wants it to look