Peace on Earth
“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:14
God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. [1] Homer’s Iliad recounts the events of the Trojan War, where the Greeks unsuccessfully tried to break through the impregnable walls of the city of Troy. In a last-ditch effort, the Greeks devised an ingenious plan to win the war by masquerading a horse as a gift. The unsuspecting Trojans pulled the horse inside the city walls, and the rest is history. That night, Greek soldiers tiptoed out of the wooden “peace gift”, opened the gates, and burned Troy to the ground. No one really knows what part of this story is fact or fiction, but one thing is sure: Troy did not fall because the city walls were weak; it fell because they accepted the wrong gift. The people accepted what appeared to be peace, but the gift did not bring peace at all.
When the angels announced, “Peace on earth,” they were proclaiming real and lasting peace between God and humanity. This peace goes beyond a day with no war, no violence, or death. It extends beyond a calm mind or the ability to remain composed when life feels overwhelming. All these kinds of peace are possible, yet only partial without Jesus. The peace that angels sing about is an absolute peace. So how can we get that kind of peace?
Sometimes we do not have peace, not because the enemy is stronger than us (1 John 4:4), but like the Trojans, we accepted a false peace masquerading as a gift. Let’s not be too quick to accept just any gift, which may be veiled as absolute peace. Success cannot provide such peace. No relationship can assure it, and no accomplishment can sustain it. Jesus came to earth so that you can have absolute peace, and the only way to have that kind of peace is to be reconciled to Him.
Every area in life where we may not be experiencing peace could be the very place where we are warring with God, but thanks be to God that through Jesus, He has given us the gift of reconciliation, which leads to real peace. The great Christmas hymn “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” has a line that highlights how to experience such peace: “God and sinners reconciled.” This Christmas, be mindful of what you invite into the gates of your heart. Not everything that looks like peace will protect you. Instead, seek the gift of peace found in Jesus, because it is only there that you will find it.
REFLECTION
When you hear the phrase “peace on earth,” what do you usually think it means?
What are some “peace gifts” you have been tempted to invite through the gates of your heart—things you hoped would bring peace but ultimately didn’t?
What would it look like for you to seek absolute peace in Jesus rather than settling for partial peace this Christmas?
[1] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan, 1952), 54.
