Christ’s legacy

LUKE 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

One Christmas season I was listening to the song “This is Christmas” by the Christian rock band Kutless, and one of the lines in it gave me pause. It said, “Peace on earth began in Bethlehem.” At first this did not make much sense to be because I thought to myself, “WHAT peace?” If it began, when did it end because there certainly is not peace on Earth today?

While there may not be ultimate peace, Jesus’ time on this planet has resulted in far more peace than was realized before His birth. When singing Jesus’ praises we focus on what He has done for us on a personal level and how He has changed our eternity. Many times however we lose sight of just how much peace the Messiah brought to this wicked world.

The concepts Jesus taught and have since been passed down through the Bible were revolutionary. Things like “love thy neighbor” and “turn the other cheek” were unheard of. Charitable acts were also few and far between. When you pause and look at all the hospitals, missions, and other helpful organizations founded by Christians over the years you can see just how much peace Jesus has brought.

Many other things which existed in ancient times are today nearly extinct. Things such as human sacrifice and brutal executions such as the crucifixion are rarely heard of today. Many Old Testament stories seem like fiction to many today simply because they are so inhumane. We are far from perfect, but we have certainly come a long way and Jesus is to thank for most of it.

A large portion of our world lives in freedom today because of Christian leaders who led the liberty movement in the United States and then carried it across the globe. While there may still be war today, the sophisticated weaponry used causes us to overlook just how few armies are in battle relative to how many stayed in conflict thousands of years ago. In Jesus’ day and prior there was rarely a time where neighboring nations could sustain peace over extended periods of time yet today many nations have had friendly relations with neighboring countries for centuries.

While Jesus did confess in Luke 12:51, “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division”, and today there is still much division among us and non-believers, our world is still far more peaceful today than it was before the first Christmas.

Eventually Jesus will bring us complete peace on Earth, but for now we should be thankful for the peace He has already brought us to make the wait for eternity that much more bearable.