​Person of Peace

"Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house."
Luke 10:3-7
 
Have you ever embarked on a journey or started in on a project you knew wasn’t going to be easy but knew it would be worth it? That’s right where these 72 disciples were. They were about to go on a great adventure to tell people about God’s Kingdom and heal all kinds of people but it wasn’t going to be easy. As Jesus said, they were lambs being sent out into the wilderness were there were going to be wolves. Intimidating and scary, but so worth it. 

It is often easier for us to focus on the scary – but for just a minute focus on the rest of what Jesus told them. Yes, there would be wolves, but there would also be these people that Jesus referred to as “men of peace.” These were people the disciples would want to hang out with, people they could find safety with, and people that would show them hospitality. So, who are these people and how do we find them?

This is the only place were they are mentioned specifically. Based on what we know about them here Matthew Henry (a great commentator on the Bible) describes them as people who’s hearts have been made soft as wax and are ready to receive the impressions of God’s grace. They are ready for God to do a work in them and then to carry that work on to others.

We see a couple instances of these people in Scripture. One was an adulterous woman who gave Jesus some water and the other was a demon possessed man who told every about the healing power of Christ. These are people that come from all walks of life and who have allowed God to fill them with His grace which always brings about transformation.

Today, we can focus on the wolves or we can focus on peace and the people that are living in it. I don’t know about you, but people of peace sound better than wolves. Take a minute today to allow the grace of God to do a work of transformation in you. Maybe you can become a person of peace today.

Pastor Matt