“And he will be called…Prince of Peace.”

Back when the first President Bush lived in the White House the Soviet Union’s empire collapsed, marking the end of what was called the Cold War.  Geopolitical strategy changed overnight.  Instantly politicians and the media began noisily demanding what was to be made of the “peace dividend.”  In other words, what would become of the money spent on the military?  “We’re not going to need all those military contracts now,” the saying went.  After all, to quote former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, we were going to have “peace in our time,” right?

Hardly!  We just don’t get it, do we?  Peace?  You’ve got to be kidding.  We’ve had nothing close to peace since time began, let alone since 1991.  Back when the US was waging war in Vietnam, the Communist definition of peace was when the whole world was under the reign of communism.  It is quite similar in contemporary Islamic thought.  But what does the Bible say about peace?  And the Prince of Peace?

In a text marking the end of war and fighting, the end is brought about by the birth of a child whose “government will be on his shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6).  This is none other than Jesus, the “Prince of Peace.”  The word government is instructive here.  The next verse says that “the increase (or extent) of his government and peace will [have] no end.”  In other words, it will be a global rule “with justice and righteousness…forever.”  Only this can bring peace—shalom in the Hebrew.  Shalom contains the idea of completion, perfection, fullness, of things being as they should be.  Only then can you have peace.  Christ’s kingdom and rule will bring establish that peace universally.  Anytime before that kingdom is established will only see continual wars, fighting, conflict, animosity, hatred, etc.  Therefore, any attempt to create global peace without Christ’s rule is not only doomed to failure, but also a poor counterfeit manufactured by people who have no peace in or among themselves.  All religious and secular peace efforts are short-lived at best and deceitful at worst.

It is fascinating to consider that a perfectly righteous and holy God—so foreign to us in this regard—would want to establish peace with his fallen, sinful and self-centered creatures.  But God clearly identifies himself as “the God of peace” many times in the New Testament.  Christ is thus the Prince of peace.  Shalom is frequently linked with the Greek word for salvation, meaning that salvation brings harmony, wholeness, healing, and thus peace, to broken relationships.

In God’s original design he made a perfect world, full of order, harmony, beauty and peace—things as they should be.  But then Adam and Eve foolishly chose to act as if they were really in charge, following the lead of the devil-inspired serpent.  Thus began the cataclysmic fall into things as they should not be: anger, bickering, fighting beginning first with Adam and Eve. God’s approach to Cain (Genesis 4:6-7) was to encourage him to seek the way of “peace with God” (Romans 5:1).  But Cain ignored God’s warning and killed his little brother.  Much later God instituted the peace offerings as a sign of things to come.  Then when Jesus first appeared to his disciples in the upper words, his first words were, “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36).  The Lord is the God of peace.  Ever since the dawn of history he encouraged Israel first and the nations second “if it is possible” to “live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).  This requires God’s help, God’s strength, God’s grace.  All people, marriages, families and nations are in desperate need of peace.  And despite the fact that global peace must await the Lord’s return, he offers us not only peace with God, but the “peace of God” to “guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7) as a foretaste of when things will be as they should be.

Frequently the Prince of Peace description is central to Christmas, and rightly so.  It was there in Bethlehem where the real “peace dividend” began to take effect.  And our commission as believers is not only to offer peace to those without it, but also to model it for them.  Are things the way they should be in your life?  Does the Prince of peace rule your heart and mind with the peace of God today?