We live in an age of outrage, where anger is celebrated and division is profitable. But Jesus calls His followers to be peacemakers.
We live in an age of outrage.
Turn on the news or scroll through your social media feed, and you can feel it. Americans are angry, suspicious, quick to judge, and quick to condemn. It doesn’t matter which side of the political or religious aisle you look at… outrage has (sadly) become our shared language.
But Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) As beautiful as that promise is, such a blessing feels almost impossible to imagine right now. After all, who wants to make peace when outrage offers such a quicker payoff? Who wants to patiently listen to those on the “other” side when shouting down our enemies gets more attention?
The problem with outrage is that it too often disguises itself as righteousness. We convince ourselves that because we are angry about the latest outrage, we must be right. But James correctly admonishes us that “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:20). While outrage certainly feels better to our flesh in the moment, it cannot heal the wounds caused by the flesh. Indeed, it can only divide.
As I’ve said so many times before, the way of Jesus is a way of peace that cuts against the spirit of our age. Jesus invites us to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies, and to pray for those who curse us. None of this fits easily into our modern age of hot takes and viral clips. But the Kingdom of God is not built on who can shout the loudest or express the greatest outrage. Instead, it is built on forgiveness, mercy, nonviolence, and truth spoken in love.
I am not saying that to be a peacemaker means that we must avoid hard truths or conversations. Quite the contrary! Rather, it is to confront those hard conversations without resorting to hateful or violent rhetoric. It is to hold the line of truth without reaching for the weapons of the world. And, perhaps most importantly, it is to believe that reconciliation among all people is possible, even when the world claims it is impossible.
I believe this is what makes peacemakers the children of God. That is, they seek to model the actions of the One who forgave His executioners, who prayed for His enemies, and laid down His own life rather than demanding the lives of others.
Put simply, peacemakers are those who live as if the Sermon on the Mount really matters in a culture that perpetually ignores it.
Now more than ever, America needs witnesses who reflect the nonviolent love of Jesus. Outrage wrapped in piety will not heal us. Only disciples who resemble Jesus in their love, mercy, and peacemaking can shine the true light of Christ into the growing darkness of our age.
Outrage is easy and spreads quickly. Peacemaking is hard and takes time.
As such, the path of outrage is crowded, but the way of peace is narrow.
But only one of them leads to life.
The one we choose will reveal whose children we really are.
Grace and peace,
Related Resources
- (Article) The Gospel According To… Smith & Wesson?
- (Podcast) Who Would Jesus Shoot?
