• Peace
    Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2

    • When Christ Jesus was on earth, neither the natural Jews nor the non-Jews were at peace with Jehovah God. Having transgressed God’s law, the Jews had come under the curse of the Law. (Ga 3:12, 13) As for the non-Jews outside God’s covenant, they “had no hope and were without God in the world.” (Eph 2:12) However, by means of Christ Jesus both peoples were given the opportunity to come into a peaceful relationship with God. Pointing forward to this was the angelic announcement made to shepherds at Jesus’ birth: “Upon earth peace among men of goodwill.”​—Lu 2:14.

      The peaceful message proclaimed by Jesus and his followers appealed to ‘friends of peace,’ that is, to persons desiring to be reconciled to God. (Mt 10:13; Lu 10:5, 6; Ac 10:36) At the same time this message caused divisions in households, as some accepted it while others rejected it. (Mt 10:34; Lu 12:51) The majority of the Jews rejected the message and thus failed to discern “the things having to do with peace,” evidently including repentance and acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah. (Compare Lu 1:79; 3:3-6; Joh 1:29-34.) Their failure resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70 C.E.​—Lu 19:42-44.

      However, even the Jews who did accept “the good news of peace” were sinners and needed to have their transgressions atoned for so as to enjoy peace with Jehovah God. Jesus’ death as a ransom sacrifice cared for this need. As had been foretold: “The chastisement meant for our peace was upon him, and because of his wounds there has been a healing for us.” (Isa 53:5) Jesus’ sacrificial death on the torture stake also provided the basis for canceling the Mosaic Law, which divided the Jews from the non-Jews. Therefore, upon becoming Christians, both peoples could be at peace with God and with one another. The apostle Paul wrote: “[Jesus] is our peace, he who made the two parties one and destroyed the wall in between that fenced them off. By means of his flesh he abolished the enmity, the Law of commandments consisting in decrees, that he might create the two peoples in union with himself into one new man and make peace; and that he might fully reconcile both peoples in one body to God through the torture stake, because he had killed off the enmity by means of himself. And he came and declared the good news of peace to you, the ones far off, and peace to those near, because through him we, both peoples, have the approach to the Father by one spirit.”​—Eph 2:14-18; compare Ro 2:10, 11; Col 1:20-23.