Jesus Our Perfect Peace (Luke 23:1-56)

Jesus Our Perfect Peace

 

Luke 23:1-56

 

Today’s text is a record of the historical event that Jesus died on the cross and was buried in the tomb. Based on this word, I would like to think about “peace.” And I would like to explain why Jesus is “our perfect peace.” All of us want and seek peace. In most of his epistles, St. Paul prays for the peace of the saints by saying, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!” Our earnest desire for peace is counterevidence that it is that much hard to attain true peace. How do people attain peace? There are psychological terms “accommodation” and “assimilation,” which are contrary to each other. These terms are about how people respond to new information or experiences. “Accommodation” is the process of modifying existing mental structures to incorporate new information or experiences that don't fit into those existing structures. For example, when an idol worshipper hears about the Christian faith, he may stop idol worshipping and “accommodate” Jesus as his only Lord and Christ. “Assimilation” is the process of integrating new information and experiences into existing mental frameworks or schemas. For example, when an idol worshipper hears about the Christian faith, he may “assimilate” Jesus with the idols he has been worshipping and make him just one of his idols. Although accommodation and assimilation are contrary to each other in their meaning, they are similar in that both describe people’s efforts to “make peace” with new information or experiences.

 

About 150 years ago when Korea was opening the ports to foreign countries, many American missionaries came to Korea. It was a big challenge for them to settle in the unknown Asian country and live with the unknown people. For this, some missionaries adopted “accommodation,” and some “assimilation.” That is, some missionaries received Korean lifestyles actively, learning the Korean language, eating Korean food, wearing Korean dress, and even changing their name to a Korean-style one. By modifying their lifestyle this way, they tried to approach Koreans and make peace with them. On the contrary, some missionaries maintained their American-style life. Not only for food and clothes, they also built western-style houses for their residence. In addition, they founded western-style schools and hospitals, taught English, and provided western-style education to Korean people. In this way, by assimilating Koreans into their American culture and lifestyle, they sought peace with them. This is a good example, but Korea also suffered a bad example of “accommodation” and “assimilation.” The country was annexed by Japan in 1910. This aroused nationwide resistance from Koreans. In order to appease the resistance, Japan promoted “assimilation” policies. It was actually Japanizing Koreans. For this, the Japanese government forced Koreans to adopt Japanese-style names, to worship the Japanese emperor, and to speak the Japanese language only. They said that these policies were for unity and peace between the two peoples. In fact, however, the assimilation was a means of enslavement and exploitation. Although most of Koreans hated and resisted, some of them “accommodated” these changes and won special favors from the Japanese government, enjoying a peace during the most painful time in Korean history. These days, President Trump’s tariff on imported goods is a hot issue. Trump imposed excessively high tariffs on many countries. They called Trump and tried negotiation. They wanted to avoid high-rate tariffs and to continue trade with the U.S. by “accommodating” Trump’s demands as much as possible. In a sense, they chose “peace.” However, some countries confronted Trump with even higher tariffs. If they have no intention to “accommodate” and no power to “assimilate” the rival, they may have to continue fighting with no hope of peace.

 

In order to reach peace and keep it, the nations and people in the world should employ “accommodation” and “assimilation” every day. Why does this world require these efforts? It is because this world is moved by power and money, people’s selfish desires for more power and money, and their deceitful schemes. People’s desires for power and money collide, conflict, and contest with one another, and facing a new unwanted situation, they tried to resolve the problem through “accommodation” or “assimilation” and find a way to peace and co-existence with others. We can observe these phenomena in today’s text as well. In this story, we see different powers. First of all, Roman emperor Caesar is a political power. Though not powerful as Caesar, Pilate and Herod are also notable rulers. Jewish leaders have religious power. They rule people with “God’s divine authority.” And when people gather and combine their strength, they wield “people’s power,” and this power sometimes prevails over their ruler’s power. The Jews came to Pilate and accused Jesus, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king” (2). Their accusation contains all the factors inciting conflicts. Caesar is the Roman emperor with unrivaled power. People should prove their loyalty by paying taxes. But according to their accusation, Jesus raised himself by claiming that he was a king, and he opposed payment of taxes to Caesar. They accused Jesus out of their selfish greed and jealousy. But they hid their wickedness and behaved as if they were Caesar’s loyal subjects. In order to kill Jesus, they “accommodated” Caesar as their king. Pilate examined Jesus but he didn’t find any fault in Jesus. So he said to the accusers, “I find no basis for a charge against this man” (4). Still the crowd demanded loudly that Jesus be crucified. In fear of an uprising (Matthew 27:24), Pilate “accommodated” their demand and surrendered Jesus to be crucified. By compromising with deceitful injustice, Pilate attained peace. We can find another scene of “peace” in today’s story. Verse 12 says, “That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.” In dealing with the case of Jesus, the two approved each other’s authority and exchanged their opinions on the case. Moreover, while sending and returning the poor king of the Jews as they wanted, and mocking Jesus, they might feel proud of their own mighty power, and wink at each other as a sign of admiration for their good fortune. The crowd also won Pilate through their persistent demand, and they mocked Jesus dying on the cross. “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One” (35). As they saw Jesus arrested and crucified on the cross, as they “assimilated” Jesus with their ferocious greed and jealousy, they calmed their anger, and found peace in their heart.

 

On the day when Jesus was crucified, the people around him found peace in their own ways. This peace was attained through the collision, conflict, and compromise of unjust desires, powers, lies. Therefore, this peace was extremely fragile and temporary. The Jews would never accept Caesar as their king, and they would never be happy to pay taxes to him. Pilate knew that the Jews were accusing Jesus falsely out of their jealousy. He would hate the Jews who humiliated him and wait for a day to pay it back. The very next day, Pilate and Herod would resume their fight with each other over power and money. And the people would return to their daily life, laboring from early morning to late night to buy bread and pay taxes. They know well where their short-lived peace comes from. This peace is a brief pause after long fierce struggle among selfish and greedy people. And this is not peace at all. When they go to bed, they are still anxious, expecting another round of tough struggle tomorrow. This is the fate of all human beings living in this cramped world with limited resource. What is worse, we are full of greed, and without love. So, the most powerful wants more power, and the richest wants more money. This fight will never end, and there will not be true peace in this world even with the best practice of “accommodation” and “assimilation.”

 

How is Jesus’ peace different from peace in the world? Jesus’ peace is perfect and eternal. How is it so? Jesus’ peace is founded on “the truth.” Worldly peace is capricious and changeable like Trump’s mind. But peace in Jesus is rooted in the truth. The truth is “what lasts forever and never changes.” And the truth is that Jesus is “the Son of God.” In verse 47, a centurion, seeing what had happened, said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” According to the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, the centurion said, “Surely he is the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39). Worldly rulers wield their authority recklessly in order to exhibit and prove their power. However, their power is like an empty dream. But Jesus’ being the Son of God is eternal, and his power and glory never stop. Jesus never used his power in order to show that he is the King. He never threatened people to receive him as the Son of God. Jesus is always there as the Son of God and our king of peace. As much as his sovereignty is solid, our peace is also firm.

 

Jesus’ peace is founded on “love.” And this love is the love that embraces all sinners in the world. Jesus on the cross prayed to the Father, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (34). Peace in the world is conditional and transient.  There are many complicated conditions to be satisfied in order to maintain peace, and the peace is easily given up for “more important issues.” But Jesus’ love is unconditional. Jesus loves the sinners. He loves even his enemies who hate and crucify him with no reason. He loves even his enemies who are mocking him without knowing what they are doing. Jesus’ love is unconditional. Therefore, peace coming from Jesus’ love is steady and never changes in whatever situation. As I know, Jesus never scolded his disciples for any fault. He scolded them only for their little faith. Jesus’ love was always overflowing, enough to cover all their faults. Jesus rebuked them only when they hesitated to believe this love. There is nothing we should change ourselves in order to enter into peace with Jesus and stay in the peace. What we need is faith in his love. Then, just as we are, we have peace with him.

 

Jesus’ peace is founded on “power.” This is “almighty power” and “saving power.” When Jesus was crucified, two criminals were crucified together with him. Then, one of them begged Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (42-43). This conversation is quite weird. First of all, Jesus himself was dying on the cross with unbearable pains. Furthermore, it was too late for this robber to have any hope of salvation. Still, Jesus’ answer to the robber’s prayer is so glorious. “Today you will be with me in paradise!” There was no problem for Jesus to save this poor sinner and lead him to paradise. Pilate was the highest ruler in Judea, but he was so useless in protecting sinless Jesus from false accusations. Rulers in the world may be powerful in arresting, prosecuting, and condemning sinners, but they are totally incompetent to save sinners. They are good only at frightening people. But Jesus uses his power only to save sinners, and the power is mighty, even saving a condemned criminal who is seeing his death a breath away.

 

People in the world seek peace through “accommodation” and “assimilation.” But even with the best skill of “accommodation” and “assimilation,” we have no peace. What we think is peace is an illusion. With Jesus, however, we have true and perfect peace. In fact, Jesus himself is “our perfect peace.” It is because he is the everlasting Son of God, and his love is with no condition, and his saving power is unlimited. The peace is already there. We don’t need “accommodation” or “assimilation,” to change ourselves or to change the Lord in order to enjoy the peace. He came to us as our perfect peace. And not like worldly rulers, he became our peace not for enslaving and exploiting us, but in order to give himself to us, to make us also the children of God like him, and to lead us into paradise in heaven. Enjoying Jesus as our perfect peace is our faith. May the Lord give us this faith now and forever so that our souls are always found in this peace of Jesus Christ!!!