The One of Peace

Read: Micah 5: 2-5a

What does peace look like to you? In a world that is seemingly overrun by unrest, competition, and strife, what does peace look like? As I write this, the picture of peace for me is my cat. In the last few moments, he has gone from chasing a wad of paper around the room to settling in on my lap for nap; he is purring and hasn't a care in the world. There are times when I find myself envious of that cat. Maybe there are times when you find yourself envious of your image of peace--wanting to escape to THAT reality instead of the current reality we find ourselves in.

Micah's prophecy is important in showing Jesus as the fulfillment of God's promise of a Messiah. The most quoted and known part is Micah's foretelling of the Messiah's birth in Bethlehem. It was this prophecy that led to the Magi being sent to Bethlehem to find the One whose star they had seen (Mat. 2: 1-11). However, the prophecy about Bethlehem is not the only important part of this passage. Verse 5 holds an important statement and prophecy concerning Jesus:  "he will be their peace". Micah's prophecy is that Jesus will be the peace that Israel, and all the world, craves. This promise is not, though, a peace in the sense of an end to wars and political strife. It is a promise of spiritual peace, a peace with God that is unparalleled on this earth.

Against the backdrop of all that is going on in Israel during the time of Micah and the other prophets--invasion, conquest, captivity, and exile at the hands of neighboring empires--is the reality that Israel's sin had broken the covenant with God and that Israel had turned away from God. All that was going on was a result of Israel's desertion of God; it was God's punishment upon Israel. This kind of relationship pained God, so God had to do something about it. That "something" was the offering of God's Son, Jesus, to be the peace between God and Creation. In Christ, we no longer need to fear to the judgment and wrath of God. In Christ, we need not be torn by internal and external conflict. In Christ, we need not be subject to guilt and shame. Christ indeed is the Prince of Peace. The prophecy of Micah is a reminder that God's desire for us is that overwhelmine peace that allows us to be secure, not matter what is raging all around us. My prayer this Christmas is that we might all experience, either again or for the first time, the peace that God offers to us in Christ Jesus.