Real Peace

“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.” (Luke 11:44)

Jesus had a lot to say about them.  He called them “blind guides and fools” (Matthew 23:16-17).  He labeled them “serpents” (Matthew 23:33).  But the best label he gave the Pharisees was “hypocrites.”  Now why did the term hypocrites fit them so well?  It was because they paraded themselves about in their luxurious coats and cloaks, pretending to be religious and pious.  But then they heaped upon the people laws, rules and regulations that loaded them down with legalism they could not possibly live up to.  They legislated the people to death with six hundred and thirteen laws to be exact.  Three hundred and sixty-five negative laws, and two hundred and forty-eight positive laws.  That was their definition of a covenant with God.

Jesus had a much better definition of a covenant with God.  Following his resurrection, we are told, “On the evening of the first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked, for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”  In Hebrew he said, “Shalom aleichem.”   It means “shalom (peace) to you.”  But here is the important thing about that greeting.  Shalom doesn’t just mean peace.  It means a fullness of well-being, wholeness, perfection, blessing, prosperity, and healing.  Things we all desire in our lives.  You see, the Pharisees convinced the people that they had to try and work to receive what they wanted from God.  They taught people to live under legalism. 

But Jesus Christ’s New Covenant is based on total Shalom.  Meaning, being accepted by God is found in the person of Christ.  No rules and regulations.  No striving and working.  The New Covenant in Christ tells us that everything is finished and complete.  In him we have arrived.  In Christ we can rest, we can be well, we can be whole, we can be healed, we can be blessed, we can be fulfilled. 

If there is one thing this world needs.  If there is one thing we desire – it is peace.  We hunger for it.  Peace in our lives.  Peace in our minds.  Peace in our hearts.  And what Christ’s New Covenant is telling us is that peace is here because he brought it to us.  It is a gift.  He secured it on the cross.  And when we place our faith in him, he gives that peace to us.  There are no rules and regulations we need to follow.  We only need to follow him.

We talk a lot about peace this Christmas season.  Is peace merely a word to us, or is it an actual experience?  If you want it to be an experience, realize you already have it in Christ.  You already have all the perfection, wholeness, fullness, and blessing that come with it.  Jesus has placed it in your heart.  He has imbedded it in your mind.  He has filled you with his blessings and prosperity.  Forget striving for peace.  Enjoy the great Shalom aleichem our Savior has brought us.

                                                  Darlene