Justice and Peace: The Kiss

"Shalom" in Hebrew

During my first day at Calvin College (Grand Rapids, Michigan), I remember stopping in a restroom, meeting a young guy who said, “Hello,” and when he found out I was new to the campus, welcomed me.  I found out later that this young man was Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff, a professor of philosophy at the college – not a student, as I supposed since he looked so young.  Wolterstorff taught for years at Calvin College and later moved to a former Christian college, Yale University, but I continue to learn from him through his books and lectures.  He has been an important mentor and some of what you read in this Shalom blog are based on insights I gained from him.

Of his many books, Until Peace and Justice Embrace has been one I have read through repeatedly and upon which I built my own “Shalom lectures” while teaching at the American Studies Program on Capitol Hill and the Russian-American Institute in Moscow.  In a short chapter, “For Justice in Shalom,” Wolterstorff writes about the need for a comprehensive vision that will guide our lives and keep us from losing our way.

With this brief introduction, he offers “the vision of shalom – peace – first articulated in the Old Testament poetic and prophetic literature but then coming to expression in the New Testament as well.”  He then goes on to explain that shalom is intertwined with justice and that there is no shalom without justice, but shalom goes beyond justice.

It was Wolterstorff who first introduced me to the four dimensions of shalom when he wrote, “Shalom is the human being dwelling at peace in all his or her relationships: with God, with self, with fellows, with nature.”  He emphasized that shalom is not merely the absence of hostility, but “at its highest is the enjoyment in one’s relationships.”

The title of Wolterstorff’s book is taken from Psalm 85:10: “.  .  . justice and peace have kissed (or embraced)” – what a magnificent depiction of the close link between  justice and peace!  While I am not a bumper sticker guy, I do like the bumper stickers that read “No Justice, No Peace; Know Justice, Know Peace.”

In the conclusion of this chapter, Wolterstorff presents a challenge that profoundly impacted my life: “Can the conclusion be avoided that not only is shalom God’s cause in the world but that all who believe in Jesus will, along with him, engage the works of shalom?  Shalom is both God’s cause in the world and our human calling.”

So What?

• Who have been mentors in your life?  Have you thanked them?

• What have you learned about shalom from this blog that has helped you to see it as a part of your “human calling”?

• Can you see how Biblical shalom involves enjoying relationships and flourishing in your work and in your community?  Living a life of shalom results in being more fully human, according to God’s design.  It’s a good reason for sharing this truth with others.

Bright Lights

For the Apostle Paul, to be a follower of Jesus means “living in the light.”  This theme is powerfully articulated in these verses from Ephesians:

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  .  .  .  For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord” (Ephesians 5:1-2 and 8-10, NIV).

In the verses that surround this passage in Ephesians, Paul gives many practical instructions about how to live out the gospel of peace.  Here’s a quick list of these practical guidelines:

• Tell the truth
• Control your anger
• Remain sexually pure
• Don’t steal
• Work hard
• Avoid disruptive behavior
• Build others up
• Be compassionate

The call to be a peacemaker and a reconciler is a theme woven throughout the whole fabric of Scripture.  The words of the wise man recorded in Proverbs to “walk the path of peace,” the counsel of the Psalmist to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and to pursue peace, the advice of the prophets Jeremiah and Habakkuk to “seek the peace of the city” and rejoice despite the circumstances – all of these serve as helpful guidelines for living a life of faith.

These Old Testament injunctions are reiterated by Jesus and his disciples, as well as by the Apostle Paul.  The Good News from the Prince of Peace is that those who believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior are “born again.”  They are redeemed and recreated into “children of light.”  They are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be agents of the Kingdom of God, agents of peace and reconciliation.  

No citizen of the Kingdom of God will ever be unemployed.  Everyone has been given a job to do – showing both the love of God and our love for God.

So What?

• I really love this word picture of followers of Jesus living as “children of light.”  I have been in some dark places in my life and it has been reassuring to me to know that my little “light” can make a real difference when it is all dark where I am standing.  Have you ever experienced that?  Even a little light can make an impression and that’s all we are called to be – lights or reflectors of God’s light.

• The book of Ephesians is such great reading because it weaves together theological insights with practical guidelines for living as Jesus calls us to live.  Do other passages in the Bible come to mind that offer similar insights?

• Do you ever feel “unemployed” or “underemployed” as a follower of Jesus?  Do you ever struggle with your current situation in life and wonder if this is “all there is”?  This passage from Ephesians is telling all of that if we just live as “children of the light” we are making a difference in our world!