What Makes for Peace? - Jesus' warning on the first Palm Sunday and what it means for us today

John White

What Makes for Peace? - Jesus' warning on the first Palm Sunday and what it means for us today

On the Saturday morning before Palm Sunday (April 8, 2023), I read chapter 19 in the Gospel of Luke that includes the description of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem that we now celebrate as Palm Sunday. The following verses struck me as I read them (the italic emphases are mine):

“And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’”[1]

           This prediction of Jesus came to pass less than forty years later in 70 A.D., when the Roman military commander Titus led his legions to conquer and destroy the city of Jerusalem. The temple and city were reduced to ruins, and it is estimated that over one million Jews were killed, leaving the city desolate. The death toll was so high because Titus’ siege of the city began during the Passover celebration when there were an estimated 600,000 visitors in the city.

We should be very careful to not view this warning of Jesus as something that only applies to an event that took place nearly 2,000 years ago. We are told throughout the Bible that the scriptures are written for future generations to learn from. Long before more contemporary scholars told us to learn from history to avoid the mistakes of the past, writers of the Bible were warning us to heed their lessons or suffer the consequences.

           Paul told the Roman Christians, “For whatever was written in the former days was written for our instruction, . . .”[2] He also warned the Corinthians, “We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they are written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”[3]

           The people whom Paul talked about to the Corinthians were the Hebrews, led to edge of the promised land by Moses, who himself warned the people of Israel, “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children —.”[4] Moses later reminded them, “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.”[5]

           This last reminder was given just days before his death. On the same day he made that statement, God spoke to Moses and told him how and when and where he should go to die. Moses was full of vigor and fully cognizant to the day he died.

In my book, Building My Faith, I tell the story of a fellow church member and Sunday school classmate, Vi Chamberlin, who was being prepared to be released from the hospital. Fully coherent and alert and at peace, she told the nurse that Jesus had visited her hours before to tell her she would be passing away that day. She died just hours later. I have heard similar stories from others. The prescience of God imparted upon individuals is a real phenomenon, and when we see confirmation of that which has been foretold, we should take note of the lesson or warnings that accompany it.

           In the same but considerably more comprehensive and profound way, Jesus knew the details of what would come to pass regarding his death and resurrection. He told his disciples on several occasions. As those details in his final days began to play out, in the midst of a great celebratory entrance into Jerusalem, Jesus stopped to give them, and us, a grave warning. Although over one million people died at the hands of the Romans, according to early church leaders Eusebius and Epiphanius, the Christians of Jerusalem, warned by a prophetic revelation from Christ, survived by fleeing the city before the assault by Titus.

So . . ., perhaps we should seriously consider Jesus’ words.

           A few days before reading the scripture in Luke 19, I read an article that described how we as a nation are being hemmed in from every direction. Factions and enemies within and without our borders are at work weakening and dismantling the institutions, infrastructures, systems, and morals that give our nation its strength. Many people of certain factions act with a sincere belief that they are doing what is best for the country, when in reality, they unwittingly do the opposite.

           The people Jesus spoke of, the religious and political leaders of the time, sincerely thought they were righteous in their actions. Their failure to perceive Jesus’ message, and who and what Jesus represents, would lead to Jerusalem being hemmed in on all sides and utterly destroyed. What was it that they failed to perceive? Jesus told them, the things that make for peace! This then begs the question, what are the things that make for peace?

           Jesus spent his earthly ministry teaching his followers the attitudes and behaviors that God desires. What really matters to God is not which religious rites you perform, but what rules your heart, and how that is reflected in your thoughts, words, and actions. I think many western Christians today think that the dispensing of the Mosaic law made life easier. Perhaps this is true in a worldly view that reduces faith to a set of religious practices to perform, but Jesus does not reduce expectations, he radically expands them in ways that challenge his followers. He said as much in part of his sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:17-20.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”[6]

           Jesus then goes on to explain what he meant. While the sixth commandment in the law says do not murder, Jesus says merely getting angry and spouting insulting names at someone makes you liable to judgement and “the hell of fire.” Regarding the commandment, “You shall not commit adultery,” he said even someone who looks at another with lustful intent has already committed adultery in their heart. He also references the adage, “An eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth,” and then tells people don’t resist evil, but instead “turn the other cheek.” Then in an ultimate challenge to our worldly sensibilities, Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, . . .”[7]

            An honest consideration of Jesus’ words discussed above leads me to the conclusion that they are things that make for peace, yet his radical elevation of expectations for those who follow him does not end there. Continuing with his sermon, in his segment on how to pray, he teaches us the necessity of forgiveness, “forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. . . . For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”[8]

           We must also consider that Jesus began his ministry with the message, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[9] Repentance and forgiveness go hand in hand. When one repents, he or she seeks forgiveness from those who have been wronged. When we confess our sins, God is prepared to forgive us if we truly have repented in our hearts. A repentant heart is then also required to forgive others in the same manner that God forgives us.

           This leads us to Jesus’ ultimate lesson in Matthew 7:12, also known as the Golden Rule. In my book, To Concerned Americans, I discuss this commandment of Jesus as a precept that my father taught me as a young boy.[10] It is the ultimate maxim that makes for peace. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Notice this is not a passive statement, but a commandment to act. To treat others and do for others the way we would want to be treated and cared for. It is seeing a need and filling it, serving faithfully the ungrateful, loving the unlovable, forgiving the unforgivable. If all humans could follow this one rule, the need for laws, courts, police, and armies would be eliminated.

           When Jesus was asked by a lawyer, “What is the greatest commandment?”, he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. . . . And . . . you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This conversation is recorded in Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34, and Luke10:25-28. What follows that statement varies in each of the Gospels. Luke records a follow-up question from the lawyer who asks, “and who is my neighbor?” Jesus answers with a parable of the good Samaritan that teaches us that our neighbor could be just about anyone, including someone we perceive as our political, religious, or ethnic enemy.

There it is again, love our enemy. And not just any kind of love, but love them as you would want to be loved. Do unto others . . .

           I am finishing this article on a Sunday evening a few weeks after Easter. This morning in church, one of the songs we sang was They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love. The first verse ends with a line that prays for unity to be restored. In the Gospel of John, we read that Jesus ended the last supper with a prayer for those who would become his followers. He particularly prayed that they would be as one. In his letters, Paul admonished those who would cause discord within the church, urging unity in the Spirit of Christ.

           In the church I attend, there is considerable diversity. We have a spectrum spanning array of political viewpoints, ethnicities, educations, occupations, and religious backgrounds. We have been growing in Spiritual strength as well as numbers. Our strength comes not from the diversity, but in our unity in purpose in the Spirit to share God’s Gospel, grace, and love with those within and outside our church family. Sunday worship and Bible study classes become experiences of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and generosity.

           I have taken many words and much time to establish the background needed for readers to understand my point. In my book, To Concerned Americans, I raise a concern regarding the great political divide that is tearing our nation down. The only way to heal our nation is through the things that make for peace that Jesus taught us nearly 2,000 years ago.

We must do as Paul instructed the Romans, “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”[11] Let us begin now, unified in prayer for peace in our nation. Share with others what God wants and desires from and for His people – peace.

I offer this humble prayer as a start.

Lord God, Father in heaven,

forgive our failures, sins, and blindness to your will.

Lead us to fully understand the things that make for peace.

Teach us that which will bring unity to our fractured nation.

Send your Holy Spirit to minister to our hearts,

so that the radical love you desire prevails throughout the land.

Open our minds to the great possibilities that can only be brought

through a restorative relationship with you, O God.

Prepare our eyes to see and recognize your power and glory,

when you restore this nation in a way that only you can bring about.

Bless our nation with unity, love, grace, and peace.

I pray this Jesus in your name to our Father, creator of heaven and earth.

Amen.


[1] The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Goodnews Publishers; The ESV Study Bible, Personal Size, Copyright ©2008 by Crossway, ESV Text Edition: 2016, page 1999 (Luke 19:41-44).

[2]Ibid, page 2182 (Romans 15:4a)

[3]Ibid, page 2205 (1 Corinthians 10:8-11)

[4]Ibid, page 337 (Deuteronomy 4:9)

[5]Ibid, page 377 (Deuteronomy 32:7)

[6]Ibid, pages 1828-1829 (Matthew 5:17-20).

[7]I briefly summarized the verses from Matthew 5:21-48. To fully appreciate Jesus’ intent, I recommend reading those verses for yourself in your Bible. And once you are there, continue through the next two chapters as well.

[8] ESV, page 1832 (Matthew 6:12-15).

[9]Ibid, page 1826 (Matthew 4:17).

[10]White, John, 2022, To Concerned Americans, Albuquerque: Cross Stone Publishing, page 9.

[11]ESV, page 2181 (Romans 14:19).