I’ve been reading The
Power of the Powerless, a collection
of sermons written by German theologian Jurgen Moltmann, as a part of my daily
devotions. The sixth sermon, The Blessedness of the Peacemakers, is
taken from Matthew 5:9 and hit me square in the face. I’ve copied a rather lengthy quote from the
sermon, which I believe, stands well on its own. It’ll be worth your time to read. I won’t make any comment except for one
thing: I believe Moltmann’s words sum up rather nicely what I believe about
what our call is as Christians in a world filled with hate and violence. He says it far better than I ever could.
”‘You are the children of your father in heaven.’ This reminder calls us out of the
conflict. Anyone who allows himself to
be drawn into conflict, or carries on a conflict, is subject to the law of
retaliation. There is no other way of
preserving an equilibrium in the struggle: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth –arm, rearm –rearm, arm. But
anyone who becomes involved in the law of retaliation towards his enemy is
drawn into a vicious circle from which he can never escape. He will become his enemy’s enemy, and a
terror to the one who terrifies him. He
threatens what threatens him, and hates what hates him. He increasingly takes his coloring from his enemy. If evil is requited by evil, then the one
evil takes its bearing from the other, and that is fatal. We are only liberated from vicious circles
like this if we cease to take or bearings from our enemy, and when another
person is more important to us.
