BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS

BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” It sounds good but peacemaking is costly work. A story from Japan illustrates the point.

Most westerners are unaware of it but Asian cultures suffer as much from racism as any conflict between blacks and whites or Jews and Arabs. For fifty years the Japanese and the Koreans hated each other. Japanese atrocities during World War II are still vivid in the Korean conscience. And the Japanese had nothing but disdain for Koreans.

On January 26, 2001 a plasterer working in a Tokyo subway station, fell into the path of an oncoming train. A Korean College student leaped down on the tracks to save him. But he was too late. The train killed both him and the craftsman.

The emotional response to the student’s sacrifice was unprecedented in Japan. The Prime Minister openly confessed his regret for racial bigotry against Koreans. The late radio commentator Paul Harvey said, “In seven seconds that one act of sacrificial love broke down more barriers than 50 years of negotiations.”

Which brings us to the real difficulty in peacemaking: Words are rarely enough, deeds make the difference. It is acts of kindness and love that take time, effort and sacrifice that are the most powerful peacemakers.

Are there some old barriers between you and people of another race that need to come down? Or what about you and members of your own Church? It won’t cost you your life. But it may cost you your pride. That’s a small price to pay. For “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”