For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV)
On Christmas night, the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). That idea of “peace” is probably the most popular theme of Christmas. There are so many songs and poems and commercials all about “peace.” Especially now as it seems like there are more and more divisions and bitterness and sides drawn all over the place. Jesus is the “Prince of Peace.” That sure sounds good! “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” We love to hear about peace at Christmas.
So we should pay attention to what Jesus says about peace. We just heard what the angels said on Christmas night. Do you know what Jesus said about peace? He said, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three” (Luke 12:51-52). How often do you hear that? Jesus says, “If you’re thinking about peace, then you need to know this: I did not come to bring peace. In fact, the more you believe in me, the less peace you will have with other people. Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.”
What’s the deal? Is Jesus the “Prince of Peace” or not? If we want to know what the Bible means when it calls Jesus the “Prince of Peace,” where do we need to look? The Bible! There’s a verse I think every Christian should memorize. It’s John 16:33. There, Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Notice how Jesus puts it: “I have come to bring you peace. There is real peace! In this world, however, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus is the Prince of Peace! But, in this sinful, broken world, we should expect trouble.
So what peace did Jesus bring? Jesus came to bring a peace bigger than not arguing with your kids or your spouse. Jesus came to bring a peace bigger than having people get along. Jesus came to bring a peace bigger than stopping all the wars around the world. He came to bring us peace with God. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, there has been a war between human beings and God. Maybe you don’t see bombs exploding, but you can feel it in your heart. The guilt that gnaws at you. Those regrets that weigh down your soul. That fear of death—or of God—that hides beneath the surface. Since Adam and Eve, we sinful people have been at war with God.
Until the Prince of Peace came. For there to be peace, the cause of the war needs to be removed. What was the cause of our war with God? Sin. So what needed to be removed? Our sin. When Jesus died on the cross, he took our sins away. The Bible says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:15). That’s what the angels meant. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Through faith in Jesus, you have peace with God.
That doesn’t mean you’ll always have peace with other people. Just think of Jesus’ own life. When he was still a baby, he and his parents had to flee for their lives. Why? King Herod murdered all the baby boys of Bethlehem. When Jesus grew up, he got nailed to a cross. He tells you to expect the same division. If you believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, that separates you from everyone who refuses to trust in Jesus. Both the angels and Jesus are telling the truth—of course! “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.”
Have you heard the Christmas song, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”? It’s not one I knew well growing up, but I’ve been hearing it a lot lately. It starts like this: “I heard the bells on Christmas day, their old familiar carols play, and wild and sweet the words repeat, of peace on earth, goodwill to men.” Christmas bells proclaiming peace. Just what we want to hear!
But then the song goes on: “But in despair I bowed my head: ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said. ‘For hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on earth, goodwill to men.” This not your average Christmas carol! The bells are ringing, “Peace, peace, peace,” but that’s not what we see in the world. Hate is strong. In fact, hate mocks the song: “Peace on earth? What a joke!” Isn’t that the truth? Bells ringing out peace. Life mocking, “There’s no peace, for hate is strong.”
I wondered when the song was written. Do you know? It was a poem written on Christmas Day 1863 by the famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Do you know what was happening in America in 1863? The Civil War. In November 1863, Longfellow’s own son had been severely wounded in battle. Can you imagine celebrating Christmas during the Civil War? Bells ringing peace, “but in despair I bowed my head: ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said.”
But that’s not how the song ends. “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: ‘God is not dead, nor does he sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men.” There was hope! Even in the middle of the carnage of the Civil War, there was hope! What was the hope? “God is not dead, nor does he sleep.” The peace of Christmas, the peace that the Prince of Peace brings, isn’t that everything is going well in your life, it’s that God is in your life. It’s that the greatest war is over. You are loved and forgiven and saved. And every other war in life pales in comparison to what Jesus has already done for you. That’s why he’s the Prince of Peace!
This is the peace that Jesus brings. True peace is not the absence of trouble. True peace is the ability to be at peace even in the middle of the struggle. Because even if life calls on you to fight in a war, the biggest war is already over. You have peace with God. Even if your relationships are filled with conflict, your greatest relationship is perfect. The sins that separated you from God have been forgiven by Jesus’ death on the cross. And so your identity—your peace— doesn’t rest on what others think or on what you do. The Prince of Peace can give your heart peace in every circumstance. Because you have the one thing that you can’t live without: Jesus!
The story is told of two rival painters who decided to have a contest: Who could draw a better picture of peace? The first man painted a beautiful mountain scene with a perfectly calm lake in the middle. Can you picture it? He didn’t win. The second man painted drew a steep cliff with a violent waterfall. The sky was dark and ominous. The wind blew across the canvass. Next to the waterfall stood a dead tree. A branch from the dead tree reached out in front of the thundering waterfall. And there on that branch of that dead tree sat a little bird perfectly at peace in its little nest. In the manger, in the middle of a crazy world, there is peace. “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Take heart! Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
Comments