1. INTRODUCTION:
As Christmas is coming a sense of relief is being made in our hearts. It is bringing a sense of Peace in our hearts because soon we will be celebrating Christmas the coming of the Prince of Peace from Heaven to Earth.
In the read text (Luke2:8-15), we see that a multitude of the heavenly hosts said,”…On earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”
What this peace is all about? Can we buy peace? Can we earn peace? Can we privatize peace? Can we grow peace? Can we discover peace? No. None of the human efforts can gain it. It is the Prince of Peace that gives the perfect peace.
From 1901 till 2022, 110 individuals and 27 organizations have won Nobel Peace Prize. All of them have done amazing efforts in establishing peace. But you will agree with me, none of them can match the Peace brought by the Prince of peace.
Stephen William Hawking is considered the most brilliant theoretical physicist of all time. He revolutionized the field of physics through his work on the origin of the universe and the black hole explosion theory. But you will agree with me that, the Peace that Jesus gives was beyond his understanding.
Someone writes that the very English word ‘Peace’ cannot describe the actual meaning of the original word for ‘Peace’ mentioned in the Bible. ‘Sheh-lem’ is the original Hebrew word and ‘Eirene’ is the original Greek word for ‘peace’. Hebrew and Greek languages were nearly 4000 years old whereas the word ‘Peace’ came to be used in English only during the 11th century. That means the word that we use may have no capacity to describe the greatness of the ‘Peace’ Jesus gives us.
May the Lord be gracious to us so that we have at least an introduction to the word ‘Peace’ that was spoken by the multitude of hosts! May the Lord with His utmost mercy grant us that Precious Peace as a gift this Christmas!
2. SURPRISINGLY, PEACE IS FOR YOU:
The Gospel of Luke indicates, it was a group of shepherds that were the first to know about the birth of a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. They were the first to receive a sign about the Baby Jesus. They were the first to visit baby Jesus that night. Apart from Mary and Joseph, they were the first to see the babe lying in a manger. They were the first to tell others about what they had heard and seen.
Who were these shepherds? The shepherds of Israel were among the low caste category. They were just better than the leprous. Leprous people were not allowed to enter villages and towns because in those days it was an incurable disease. Only thing was that the Shepherds had permission to enter the villages. But they were considered so low in society that their witness was not considered legal evidence in their court of law.
Randy Alcorn says, "In general, they were considered second-class and untrustworthy." Jeremiah, the prophet documented that shepherds were deprived of all civil rights. They could not fulfill judicial offices or be admitted in court as witnesses.
The Mishnah are documents that recorded Jewish oral traditions--like laws, they governed the Israelites during the time of the Pharisees. One of its regulations states, "it forbids the keeping of flocks throughout the land of Israel except in the wilderness, ... only flocks otherwise kept would be those for temple services."
So, the shepherds we read about (in Luke 2), were fulfilling temple duties. They served in the fields on the outskirts of Bethlehem at a place called Bethlehem Ephrathah (Micah 5:2).
To such a group of meek, lowly, and deprived people God chose to be the first to witness baby Jesus. The owner of the inn was not fortunate. The travelers staying next room at that inn of Bethlehem might have been disturbed by the cry of the baby and gone away towards their destination the next day. People in the neighborhood might have missed the chance. But it was the countable number of shepherds that could have a vision of the Savior.
That night heaven must have become empty for a moment for the first time because a multitude of hosts came down to tell the very one message, “glory in the highest and on earth peace.” The message of peace and the message of the Prince of Peace were heard for the first time by the shepherds.
After careful reading of 280 bible verses about angels, some estimate that there are 100 million angels in heaven.
What was the need of let’s say 1 million of the angels coming down to speak to a group of 20 to 25 shepherds about the reason for glory in the highest and on earth peace? The message was really important to God and the group of those shepherds too was really important to God.
What is the strong message for us today? We may not be the richest person to buy anything in our country. We may not have any power to conquer another country. We may not be a vlogger/Youtuber with millions of followers. We may be very ordinary people with so many struggles. We may be young men with so many weaknesses and failures. We may be a person struggling hard to meet the family’s needs. We may be nobody.
However, surprisingly, the Peace that Jesus brings is meant for you my brother, and you, my sister. We may be illiterate, worthless, sick and old, poor and left out, backbencher and lonely, but the Peace that the angels proclaimed is for us.
3. PRINCE OF PEACE CAN ONLY GIVE THE PEACE YOU NEED:
When children have holidays, parents are not happy. Parents say these children have made the house a place of circus and a marketplace. So, if you want peace at home, then send your children to school.
When adults get too much busy between home and work, home and work, they say Oh! We need a little bit of peace. So, one needs to go out from the busy life and go out for a picnic or outing, or dinner in a restaurant.
When some people see that they are surrounded by so many problems, all of a sudden, they become very spiritual. They start coming to the church more frequently. And ask the pastor to pray for them. Some of them go to even to other sources of religions known to them.
There are so many ways people around us or we follow to give our soul some Peace. But those are temporary and earthly.
On the other side, many people, and religious and secular organizations are trying for World Peace.
Since 1945, many international organizations are making every attempt to resolve conflicts without war or declarations of war. Despite that, many nations have faced war and its consequences.
In the last 5600 years, 14,351 wars have been fought and 3.64 billion people have been killed. And during that period only 292 years have been peaceful.
The world cannot give us peace. Human efforts cannot give us peace. It is the Prince of Peace who can give us peace. His coming into the earth brought peace. The shepherds were told, listen, dear Shepherds here is a great news of great joy. The coming of Jesus Christ is bringing peace on earth.
He told his troubled disciple, “My peace I give you, not as the world gives”. He told the frightened disciples who were in a closed room, “Peace be to you” (Jn. 20:19). He told an old lady who had received healing from 12 years of sickness, “Go in peace”. He sent his disciples out and instructed them saying, whatever house you enter first say, “Peace be to this house” (Lk.10:5).
When I was thinking about what type of peace Jesus gives, I found an excellent picture of peace in Mark 4:35-41. The disciples were going to the other side of Tiberias Lake. It was already evening so it had begun to dark. A great storm of wind arose. And the waves beat into the boat, so the boat was already filling. The disciples were seeing that the boat would capsize and they might die. However, a question arises as to what Jesus was doing at that time. Surprisingly, Jesus was sleeping. Can somebody sleep when there is a storm and waves? No. But Jesus was sleeping. v38 says Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.
That is exactly the peace Jesus gives to us. There may be hundreds of struggles and problems around us, but the Peace of Jesus that surpasses all understanding keeps us quiet and calm within. Further He Himself is the Peace who has the power and authority to calm down the raising storm only by the command that is released from His mouth.
This reminds me of a woman named Delia who said, “Of course, my husband died recently due to sickness. But I know that he has completed his task on earth and he is now with the Father. I will not cry.” -- What made her say so? It was the peace within her.
Dear friends, where are we searching for peace? In TV, outdoors, through mindfulness, places of entertainment, or from powerful nations? Real Peace is in Prince of Peace. We can have peace as a gift from Him. We can have it when we believe in Him when we surrender our lives and our circumstances unto Him.
4. PEACE OF JESUS IS A BALM FOR ALL YOUR ACHES:
Let’s try to picturize actually what might have happened in the wilderness on the outskirt of Bethlehem. There were a few shepherds keeping watch of the sheep entrusted to them. They were awake when the villagers were sleeping. They were in the open field and exposed to night cold when the villagers were inside their safe houses within the village.
There was darkness all around. There were risks of attack by wild animals, snakes, and scorpions. But all of a sudden, their situation changed. An angel appeared before them, which was not expected by them. He gave the good news of great joy, which they never thought of.
Then the glory of the Lord shone around them. The darkness of the night turned completely into a bright place. The Glory of the Lord which represents the presence of the Lord was with them. As the Glory of God filled the tabernacle and later the New Jerusalem temple built by Solomon was present at the place where the shepherds were.
Their fear changed all of a sudden into joy. Their risk of life in the wilderness turned into the best lifetime opportunity. That must have been the greatest experience of their life. As if a slice of heaven had come down to them and for them. The series of events taking place one after the other within seconds must have gone beyond their comprehension. But everything was heavenly and divinely planned to happen around them. What an experience of the Peace and the Prince of Peace.
All of a sudden, they had made records, the first to see Jesus. They had turned out to be the first evangelists of the birth of Jesus. Earlier they were not heard with care. The court did not consider them eligible witnesses of any case, but they became witnesses of a heavenly event. They told everyone about Jesus and people listened to them with amazement.
A small moment of divine encounter changed every aspect of their lives.
So, Can the Prince of Peace do anything in my and your life?
Is our heart in trouble and trembling with fear? Peace is the best medicine for it (Jn. 14:27).
Do we want to see God? Pursue of Peace is the best method to see God (Hb 12:14).
Do we want blessings in our lives and upon our families? Peace is one of the best blessings that the Lord and his people give us (2 Thes. 2:16).
Do we want Peace with God? Believing Jesus is the only way. (Rom 5:1).
Do we have the chance to be harmed by our enemies, harmful beasts, and sword? Peace is the best protection (Lev. 26:6).
Let us strongly wait for a time when, God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).
5. CONCLUSION:
Recently I read a small paragraph written by a daughter about the last few days of the death of her father. Her father was a theological teacher and a man of God. He became old and sick. The doctor told him that only a few days of life is left for him. However, this man showed no sign of fear, there was clear happiness on his face. He said I am ready to die. I wait for that moment when I will see my Lord face to face. In the last moments, he smiled, said bye to his children, and then died. What an example of a man having peace of God, even death could not frighten him.
Dear friends, we may be somebody or nobody, but let’s believe that the Prince of Peace gives us His Peace that surpasses all understanding.
Dear friends, the Prince of Peace has the exact peace that we need. No peace the world gives can match it.
Dear friends, the Peace Jesus gives us is the answer to every problem we encounter in our lives on earth.
May God bless you!
