“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him,
“for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”
Matthew 26:52
Once again we find ourselves looking at the story of Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed
and we remember how the crowd came for Him armed with swords and clubs. The spectre of
violence was never far from Jesus and is never far from us living as we do in the twenty first
century. How do we respond to violence? At the time of writing, there are not only wars currently
being fought but there are also rumours of war and fears of localised skirmishes turning into allout
war. Many nations are all too quick to draw the sword. Never mind international issues, we
live in a world under the threat of terrorism which can happen anywhere and any time with no
particular place seemingly immune. Added to this, in many places violent crime is on the
increase; in fact not just violent crime but meaningless acts of violence seem to be on the
increase. At the time of writing, on the national news last night was not one but two stories of acts
of violence in local schools, in one instance leading to the death of a schoolboy and in the other to
the hospitalisation of a boy preparing to write matric exams. Acts of domestic violence don't
even make it into the news any more unless they are particularly gruesome. Surely it is time to
“put the sword back in its place.”
Resorting to violence, drawing the sword, whether the sword be physical, emotional, or verbal, is
not an option for born-again Christians. Killing innocent civilians in your country because you
have killed innocent civilians in my country is not an option. Lashing out at you because you
have lashed out at me is not an option. There is already too much anger in the world without
born-again Christians adding to it.
We are called to be peacemakers. Notice we are not called to be peace-lovers or peace-keepers as
much as we are called to be peacemakers. Peacemaking is hard work and it can be dangerous
work. It might sometimes appear that the peacemaker is taking sides and this can cause him or
her to end up being in the firing line. The truth is that peacemakers are really only taking the side
of God and the Prince of Peace.
Is God calling you to “put away the sword” today, or is God calling you to be the peacemaker in
your home, your school, your workplace or anywhere in the world around you?
Make peace.
Oh Lord, help me this day and always to choose the way of peace.
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John Wesley (1703 - 1791)
Was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to Whitefield's Calvinism, Wesley embraced the Arminian doctrines that were dominant in the 18th-century Church of England. Methodism in both forms became a highly successful evangelical movement in Britain, which encouraged people to experience Jesus Christ personally.Wesley helped to organise and form societies of Christians throughout Great Britain, North America and Ireland as small groups that developed intensive, personal accountability, discipleship and religious instruction among members. His great contribution was to appoint itinerant, unordained preachers who travelled widely to evangelise and care for people in the societies. Under Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social issues of the day, including the prison reform and abolitionism movements.
John Wesley was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, with founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to George Whitefield's Calvinism (which later led to the forming of the Calvinistic Methodists), Wesley embraced Arminianism. Methodism in both forms was a highly successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom, which encouraged people to experience Christ personally.
Wesley believed that this doctrine should be constantly preached, especially among the people called Methodists. In fact, he contended that the purpose of the Methodist movement was to "spread scriptural holiness across England."
Throughout his life, Wesley remained within the Church of England and insisted that his movement was well within the bounds of the Anglican tradition. His maverick use of church policy put him at odds with many within the Church of England, though toward the end of his life he was widely respected.
John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist movement which grew from the 'Holy Club' of his Oxford friends into a great religious revival. An indefatigable traveller, preacher and writer, Wesley averaged 8,000 miles a year on horseback and gave 15 sermons a week. The reluctance of the Anglican clergy to lend him their pulpits led him to give some of his sermons in the open air, a decision which enabled him to reach those among the poorer sections of society who were not accustomed to going to church.