It’s almost Christmas, and Christians are reminded that Jesus is, “The Prince of Peace”.
In our mixed-up and fallen world, we crave peace. We look at the unrest on our planet: the war in Ukraine, mass shootings in the United States, and threats to democracy. We daydream of world peace while various cultures, religions, philosophies, and organizations battle for power. Jolted back into reality, we wonder where on the globe we can find security in such a hostile environment.
The Birth of Christ
When Jesus first arrived on the scene, it was much the same in His world as it is in ours today. The Jewish nation was ruled by soldiers from another country. In fact, the Roman Empire mandated that Mary, the 9-month pregnant mother of Jesus, travel to Bethlehem to be counted for taxes. While in the city, Mary gave birth in a smelly stable because there were no rooms available at any of the local inns. Then, not long after the birth of Jesus, the young parents had to take the child and flee to Egypt because a crazy and jealous king, Herod, sent soldiers to kill every baby under the age of two.
Jesus was born into a world of chaos. Mary and Joseph faced taxation, homelessness, and infanticide. Yet when the angels announced His birth to shepherds watching their flocks outside of town, they praised God saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
And so you may ask yourself, “How can this be?” If Jesus appeared on the scene to bring peace, why is the planet still in turmoil?”
I don’t mean to confuse you, but I think we sometimes misunderstand the magnificent importance of the birth of Jesus. It is not based on the concept of “world peace” where all people on the planet get along. Instead, the Messiah, the Savior, came to earth so that we can have peace with God.
A Need for Peace
In order to understand, we need to start at the very beginning. When God created the heavens and the earth, it was perfect. God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden created for them and all was tranquil. However, we know the story. A serpent convinced Eve to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. Adam also shared in the experience. Immediately their perfect world was destroyed. Genesis 3:7 says, “At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame…” (NLT).
Sin entered the world and serenity shattered. Adam and Eve created a rift between humanity and deity because they were no longer right with God. In addition, peace in their hearts was replaced by fear; they hid from God. At that moment, creation itself changed. Death entered the world and became a fiber in the fabric of every individual. This was the moment when humanity became in need of a savior.
Prince of Peace
Fast Forward through the ages and we can see that God had the plan to remedy a situation that mankind could never fix. He loved us so much that He designed a way to restore peace between God and man. The plan included making us right again in the eyes of God, and the key to that plan was Jesus.
Here in lies the miracle of the Christmas story. Jesus left his heavenly home and dawned skin and bones becoming God in human form (Phil 2:6-8). Matthew 1:23 says, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means, ‘God is with us.'”
Once Jesus came to earth, He lived a perfect life. Eventually, He took upon himself all the sins of the world and received God’s punishment by dying on the cross in our place. Three days later, He rose from the dead. Through these actions, Jesus made peace between God and man, thus earning the title of “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Romans 5:6-11 explains it this way, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God (NLT)”.
Celebrate
And so we come full circle. It began in the Garden with God’s good will. Then the plan of the coming messiah was prophesied. When the right time arrived, Jesus was born, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose again. When we believe this about Jesus, God grants us access to heaven. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus.” Jesus creates peace between God and man.
But Wait, There’s More!
Once we believe in Jesus, we are sent the Wonderful Counselor in the personage of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 9:6). In turn, the Holy Spirit gives us the confidence to know that we are children of God (Romans 8:15-16). So not only did Jesus bring peace between God and man, we can have peace in our hearts as well.
Even when the world looks out of control, we can trust God because He has proved Himself. God made a plan. Prophecy predicted the birth of a savior. Then after Jesus went back to heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us. Our safe place is not in the world but in God.
Joy to the World
Each Christmas, we celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus who through his incarnation made a way of salvation for us. It is wondrous that when we believe in him, we are granted his righteousness which makes peace with God. To seal the deal, we are given the Holy Spirit who develops inner peace in our hearts. This overrules the feelings of turmoil in our lives, replacing them with peace and joy. Yes, Jesus really is the “Prince of Peace”.
