My daily reading today was about Peace.
And I was reading about Peace to the backdrop of the non stop coverage of the death of Nelson Madela and all the words which have been spoken about the part he played in bringing an end to apartheid , being a man without bitterness or resentment, and even being ' saintly'
( Desmond Tutu)
It made me wonder what the word actually means. What does it mean when God says it? Because if He proclaimed to the shepherds that the birth of Jesus would herald a new era of ' Peace on earth'...... well something seems to have gone wrong there doesnt it? Over the past 2000 years there have been wars upon wars, bloodshed and violence, greed and hatred, pogroms and apartheid and slavery and 'the final solution'. There most definitely has not been peace on earth.
So I went to investigate what exactly it is that those words spoken by angels to shepherds in the fields actually meant. ( I didnt have to go too far courtesy of Mr Wikipedia :) )
The Greek text accepted by most modern scholars today[5][6] uses the words epi gēs eirēnē en anthrōpois eudokias (ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας),[7] literally "on earth peace to men of good will," with the last word being in the genitive case[6] (apparently reflecting a Semitic idiom that reads strangely in Greek[6]). Most ancient manuscripts of the Greek New Testament have this reading. The original version of the ancient Codex Sinaiticus (denoted ℵ* by scholars[7][8]) has this reading,[5] but it has been altered by erasure of the last letter[4][9] to epi gēs eirēnē en anthrōpois eudokia (ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία), literally "on earth (first subject: peace) to men (second subject: good will)," with two subjects in the nominative case.[6] Expressed in correct English, this gives the familiar "Peace on earth, good will to men" of many ancient Christmas carols.Even though some other ancient Greek manuscripts (and many medieval ones) agree with the edited Codex Sinaiticus, most modern scholars and Bible translators accept the reading of the majority of ancient manuscripts,[5] translating as "on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests"[2] (NIV) or "on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased"[10] (ESV).
Ah ha! So this makes sense. God was not promising the absence of conflict ( in fact Jesus makes it clear that towards the end of the age there will be wars and rumours of wars in increasing measure). He was promising peace to individuals ' on whom His favour rests'.
The peace of God passes understanding ( Phil 4:7) It isnt something we can think ourselves into or work out for ourselves or win through behaving in a certain way. It is a gift, one of the may gifts offered to us when we offer ourselves to God. We can know it in the middle of stress and distress. We can know it when words fail us and nothing can help. A friend of mine has cancer. She knows peace. Another friend of mine is 89 and very frail - can no longer really manage to do anything for herself and finds the smallest task hugely difficult. She knows peace. Parents who lost their daughter last year - in pain and yet also , strangely, at peace. Yet another friend has been very very ill for a long time and is in permanent and excruciating pain for much of it. He has peace. And it is amazing to see. Truly.
Lord Jesus, thank you that when You came to a stable as a homeless refugee 2000 years ago you heralded in an era of peace. The complete and total assurance to everyone who puts their trust in You that You are present, in control and good. In this age of stress and depression and economic crisis I pray for all those who really need to know peace this Christmas. As we ponder the fact of your coming, may we all hear You speaking to us saying
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