“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.”

• Matthew 5:9 (MSG)

You may be more familiar with the passage above as “Blessed are the peacemakers.” This verse is part of the sermon that Jesus delivers from a hillside to a large crowd of followers, known as the Sermon on the Mount. In it, He teaches us how to live in a way that is good. He teaches us in different ways that we are blessed, among which includes being one who makes peace. But what exactly does this mean? Let’s break it down.

What does it mean to be blessed?

The Bible is full of verses referring to being blessed or giving a blessing, but it may be challenging to understand what this means. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word we often translate as “bless” is barak, which means to praise, congratulate or salute.

In the New Testament, the words translated as “blessed” include makarios and eulogeo. The former refers to happiness, and the latter refers to good words or a good report of someone. 

Makarios is the word that is used in the verse from Matthew about the peacemakers. With this in mind, one way we can understand what it means to be blessed for being a peacemaker is that it is joyful to find purpose and fulfillment in God’s directions to strive to make peace.

What does it mean to be a peacemaker?

So if being a peacemaker is supposed to be joyful or refer to something good, how do we do it? Well, being a peacemaker is more than being someone who avoids conflict. Avoiding petty conflicts certainly is becoming of a peacemaker, but it also involves action to create peace.

Do you know people who are struggling against one another? Perhaps there is division building up in your church community? In these types of scenarios, making peace involves stepping into the ugliness of the conflict and working to find resolution. Merely avoiding the conflict in many cases simply doesn’t help.

Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journey

At Centerpoint, our community believes in purpose and passion, and we would love to walk with you on your journey in finding yours. We are currently going through a new sermon series titled “To Hell With Normal.” It’s all about redefining what we consider normal in life as we seek to make our lives more like the way Jesus would have them to be. 

Do you want to grow in your faith, or are you simply curious about who this Jesus guy is? You’re not alone. We encourage you to listen to our series online and welcome you to come to one of our Sunday morning services in Valrico, Florida.