In the Bible the word peace can refer to the absence of conflict, but it also points to the presence of something better in its place.
In old Testament the Hebrew word for peace is "shalom". In the New Testament the Greek is "eirene". The most basic meaning of shalom is "complete" or "whole". The word can refer to a stone that has a perfect, whole shape with no cracks. It can also refer to a completed stone wall that has no gaps and no missing bricks.
Shalom refers to something that is complex with lots of piece that is in a state of completeness. Wholeness, it is like Job who says his tents are in a state of shalom because he counted his flocks and no animals are missing. This is why shalom can refer to a person's well-being, like when David visited his brother on the battlefield he asked about their shalom. The core idea is that life is complex, full of moving parts and relationship and situations. When any of these is out of alignment or missing, your shalom breaks down. Life is no longer whole.
It needs to be restored. In fact, that is the basic meaning of shalom when you use it as a verb. To bring shalom literally means "to make complete" or "restore". So Solomon bring shalom to the unfinished temple when he completes it. Or, if you children accidentally damages your neighbor's field, you shalom them by giving them a complete repayment for their loss. You take what is missing and restore it to wholeness.
In the book of Proverbs, to reconcile and heal a broken relationship is to bring shalom. When rival kingdoms make shalom in the bible, it doesn't just mean they stop fighting, it also means they start working together for each other's benefit. This state of shalom is what Israel's kings were supposed to cultivate and it rarely happened.
So the prophet Isaiah looked forward to a future king, a "Prince of Shalom". His reign would bring shalom with a no end; a time when God would make a covenant of shalom with his people, and make right all wrongs and heal all that has been broken. This is why Jesus' birth in the New testament was announced as the arrival of "eirene".
Remember, that is the Greek word for peace. Jesus came to offer his peace to others. Like when he said to his followers, "My peace I give to you all".The apostles was claimed that Jesus made peace between messed up humans and God when he died and rose from the dead. The idea is that he restored to wholeness the broken relationship between humans and their creator. This is why the apostle Paul can say Jesus himself is our "eirene".
He was the whole, complete human that I am made to be, but have failed to be. Now he gives me his life as a gift. This mean that Jesus" followers are now called to create peace. Paul instructed local churches to keep their unity through the bond of pains which requires humility and patience and bearing with others in love. Becoming people of peace means participating in the life of Jesus who reconciled all things in heaven and earth, restoring peace through his death and resurrection.
So peace takes lot of work because it is not just the absence of conflict. True peace requires taking what is broken and restoring it to wholeness, whether it is in our lives, our relationship or in our world. That is the rich biblical concept of peace.
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