Prince of Peace
Matthew 12:9-21, Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 42:1-4
SCRIPTURE READING: Isaiah 42:1-4
INTRODUCTION:
Just before Christmas Paul Harvey told the story of a father whose son had gone off to fight for the Union Army during the American Civil War. After months of camp fever, his son finally saw battle, and was seriously wounded. News of his son’s wound came to the father on Christmas Eve, and --- being a poet --- he sat down and expressed his anguish in a song. The father’s name was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He wrote these words on that bleak Christmas morning:
And in despair I bowed my head
"There is no peace on earth,” I said,
”For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of Peace on earth Goodwill to Men."
At the birth of Christ, the angels proclaimed Peace on earth, goodwill to men. But, when it comes to Peace, the world sends mixed messages. We only need to turn on the T.V. or look at a Newspaper to see vividly that there is very little “Peace on Earth.”
· In fact, statisticians say that since the beginning of recorded history, the entire world has been at peace less than 8% of the time!
· A study in 1988 showed that out of 3530 years of recorded history, only 286 years saw peace.
· Moreover, in excess of 8000 peace treaties were made--and broken.
Moody Bible Institute, Today In The Word, June 1988, p.33.
In this war-torn world, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed: 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Two thousand years ago, Jesus came to earth as the Prince of Peace. But this same Prince of Peace said these words in Matthew 10:34: "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
So how do we reconcile this? Maybe it would help to begin with a definition of Peace. We usually associate Peace with the absence of conflict. Back in the 1970’s Peaceniks protested the war in Viet Nam. Today Pacifists demonstrate to end the conflict in Iraq. It is almost as if we define Peace by what it is not --- war. If there is no war there is peace.
However, the word translated Peace in the Old Testament is so much more than that. Shalom is indeed used to describe the cessation of hostilities, but the word also pictures health and wholeness. It denotes harmony and completeness. To have Shalom is much more than a quiet life without conflict. Biblical Peace requires Justice. There is an unbreakable connection in scripture between PEACE and JUSTICE. As the Prince of Peace, Jesus personifies this connection. What we see in Jesus is the perfect example of a PEACEFUL WARRIOR.
1. Peaceful Warrior
Look at how Isaiah describes Jesus in chapter 42: 1 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 2 He will not quarrel or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. Isaiah 42:1-2
Do you see the tension here? It says “he will proclaim justice” in one breath, and in the very next breath, “he will not quarrel or cry out.” Amazingly, Jesus was able to boldly proclaim the message, but at the same time he was not itching for a fight. Trouble came --- because many people opposed his message --- but Jesus was not looking for trouble.
Matthew quoted this prophecy from Isaiah right after Jesus performed a miracle that stirred up plenty of trouble. In Matthew chapter 12, we read that Jesus was in the synagogue on the Sabbath when a man with a withered hand approached him. The Pharisees tried to draw Jesus into a fight by asking (I can just hear their sniveling tone): “Is it right to heal someone on the Sabbath?”
Now Jesus could easily have blasted them. (I think I would have.) He could have said, “You people want me to leave this man in his misery, don’t you? --- because that’s just the kind of dirty, rotten scoundrels you are.”
But instead, Jesus reasoned with them, “Look, I’m only doing what is right. I’m sure any one of you would pull a sheep out of the well on the Sabbath wouldn’t you? And isn’t a person more important than a sheep?”
Unfortunately, they still got mad when he healed the man. But it wasn’t because Jesus had provoked them intentionally. On the other hand, Jesus would never compromise just to keep the peace. Matthew Henry is quoted as saying: Peace is such a precious jewel, that I would give up anything for it … but truth. As the Peaceful Warrior, Jesus boldly proclaimed the truth, but he always spoke the truth with love.
So what does that say to us? Like Jesus we should be bold in declaring God’s truth. We should not be naïve about the fact that we live in a world of Spiritual Warfare. But we need to keep in mind that the goal of Spiritual Warfare is Peace.
Some Christians seem to think they have a mandate from God to ram the truth down people’s throats. Some even wear their offensiveness as a badge of honor. If they don’t make people mad, they figure they aren’t being a Christian Witness. We know that Jesus never tried to alienate precious souls for whom he died. He gave us the model of the Peaceful Warrior.
When I tried to think of a modern example of a Peaceful Warrior I realized that I haven’t faced many Warriors in my life. What does come to my mind is a Highway Patrolman handing out a ticket. (Believe me, I HAVE faced that … many times!) Police officers have been trained to stay calm and business-like when they pull drivers over. Rarely, do they get emotional --- even if the driver gets aggressive. Keeping that in mind, when I get pulled over I try to appear calm and respectful as well. … After all, there is a slim chance I might only get a warning instead of a ticket … well, I can dream, can’t I? At least I have the sense to know I will only make things worse by getting angry. If the officer can keep his cool, I figure that’s the best option for me as well.
Isaiah said of Jesus: He will not quarrel or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. This is a Warrior who brings Peace. Jesus never backed down from a battle, but he never stirred up trouble where it could be avoided.
2. Gentle Conqueror
Look at the description of the GENTLE CONQUEROR in Isaiah 42:3-4
3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the nations will put their hope."
Here is the picture of a Gentle Conqueror who will not mistreat even a bruised reed. People in Isaiah’s day knew exactly what he was talking about, but this requires a bit of explanation for us. Reeds were used for various purposes … including making flutes … but they weren’t useful if they were damaged in any way. Typically, a bruised reed would be broken in pieces and cast aside. But the prophecy says the Messiah is so gentle, he would not break even the seemingly useless reed.
The prophecy also says, a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. When a lamp ran low on oil, the wick would start smoldering. The easiest way to deal with that was to simply snuff it out. Then you could add some oil and relight it. But the prophecy lets us know that the coming Messiah would be so gentle that he would not snuff out the flickering wick. Instead, he would take the extra care to slowly add the oil. All the while he would continue to protect the weak flame until it burned brightly again.
These word pictures of the bruised reed and the smoldering wick both show an amazingly Gentle Conqueror who gives care to those who are weak and wounded. The model of the Gentle Conqueror is greatly needed in our world today. When we think of American War Heroes, this is the ideal we look for. In fact, it is the goal of the American Military to liberate rather than to dominate. Now, I’m not claiming that we always live up to this ideal. But this is the goal --- and the amazing achievement --- of many of our brave soldiers.
I received an e-mail that is circulating from an Army Medic named Ray Reynolds. The letter says, As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened … Just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in Iraq that is noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you. This is the list of things that has happened in Iraq recently:
· Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
· School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
· Over 3,300 schools have been renovated or built so education can occur. Weapons are no longer stored in the schools, and girls are allowed to attend.
· Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
· Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
· 170 newspapers are currently publishing
· Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever.
· 100% of the hospitals are open and staffed, compared to 35% before the war.
He concludes the letter this way: Many people in Iraq say that they will never see the freedoms we talk about --- but they hope their children will.
It is Christian values that inspire a Nation to liberate rather than dominate. This is the noble goal of many in our military. A true Hero is a Gentle Conqueror who shows both power and compassion. And the ONE who perfectly meets that standard is Jesus Christ: He is the Peaceful Warrior, the Gentle Conqueror: the Prince of Peace.
Isaiah’s prophecy concludes, He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. What we see here is an Unwavering commander, a Mighty warrior, an Invincible conqueror. (In fact, the Biblical portrait of the Conquering Christ would make Arnold Schwarzenegger look like a wimp.) As the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ has all the power of the Universe – and more.
And yet, this Gentle Conqueror takes time to care for the wounded and the broken --- for those whose flame is barely flickering. Jesus is the Gentle Savior, humble and caring. But make no mistake about it: He is also the Invincible Conqueror. He will never compromise with evil, but He will conquer evil with good.
CONCLUSION:
This was the hope of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow when he wrote these words of faith and hope:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men.”
In John 16:33 Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that you in my you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Make no mistake: Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. And He will prevail.
Is He YOUR Prince of Peace today?
Some ideas taken from Sermon Central Prince of Peace by Stephen Todd Prince of Peace Seeks Peace by Guy Caley
