MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
Programs to help men become transformed to the image (character) of Jesus Christ.
MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
Men Alive - 229 - Jesus on Nonviolence and Peace
This episode is an invitation to probe the profound depths of peacemaking and sacrifice. Through Dr. Cunningham's insights, we're not just recounting historical tales but are called to examine how the principles of love, sacrifice, and reconciliation can profoundly alter our lives and the world around us. Whether it's delving into the Sermon on the Mount or reflecting on the radical example of Christ's sacrifice, you'll be prompted to ponder your role in the intricate dance of peace and conflict. Join us for a conversation that doesn't just scratch the surface but seeks the roots of eternal peace and how to cultivate it within ourselves and our communities.
Welcome to Men Alive, a biblical journey to help us conform to the image of Jesus Christ. I'm your host, paul Estabrooks. Our teacher is my longtime friend, dr Jim Cunningham, consultant in adult education, director of Go Teach Global and author of the book Men Alive.
Speaker 2:Pablo. Some of our listeners are from churches holding a historic pacifist position with a long history of seeking to be peacemakers. Rita and I have been associated with churches for many years that hold to that position. We've encountered a wide range of responses to the term pacifist and we have friends on both sides of the discussion, with no desire to get into a heated debate. As someone said, the more hot arguments you win, the fewer warm friends you will have. And one of the last topics Christians should fight over is how to be a peacemaker.
Speaker 2:Let me tell a story about my military father's first meeting with a Mennonite who was a conscientious objector. The Second World War began in 1939. My parents married on New Year's Day, 1940. My father was conscripted into the Canadian Army in 1942, and I was born in 1943, just after he was shipped overseas to England in preparation for the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. The war ended May 8, 1945. Though he trained with the regular soldiers, my father was assigned to the Canadian 2nd Army Ordnance Division to drive a truck. To my knowledge, he never killed anyone. Yet he had several near misses when attacked by enemy planes while in a convoy of vehicles. He spent another year with the Liberation Army in the Netherlands and came home in 1946. As a young teen I was allowed to own a gun and was never criticized for hunting with my grandfather. In fact, I never met a pacifist until we moved to western Canada and joined a neighborhood church that had a historic pacifist position.
Speaker 2:Now fast forward. I was doing a workshop at a Mennonite youth conference in Banff, alberta, canada, with over 1,000 youth from churches across Canada. The keynote speaker was Dr Frank Peters, president of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, ontario. I had met Frank on several occasions and enjoyed his wit and wisdom In true Mennonite fashion. When Frank met someone, he would say who is your father? And then say I know your father if he was a Mennonite. Or in my case, I said Frank, you don't know my father. After the session he said you're right, I've never met your father. Jim, bring him to my place in Waterloo the next time you're around the house. I'd like to meet him.
Speaker 1:I remember this story, jim. A few months later, you brought your father to my parents' 50th wedding anniversary in London, ontario, and on your way home you drove through Waterloo right.
Speaker 2:You got it, pablo. I did not tell my father ahead of time that he was meeting the president of Wilfrid Laurier University, nor that Frank was an Anabaptist pacifist Mennonite. I just drove to Frank's home, rang the doorbell and said Hi, I brought my father for you two to meet. Great Frank said bring him in, jim. My father was legally blind so I helped him up the stairs and into the living room. When we visited with a cup of tea and my father, out of the blue, asked the typical question a veteran asks when he meets men his age. So, frank, where did you serve during the war? Frank graciously replied I was a CO. Harold. My father, being non-Mennonite, had no understanding of what a CO meant. He thought CO was a military term meaning commanding officer. Good for you, frank.
Speaker 1:CO eh.
Speaker 2:I only got to be a corporal. We all shared a laugh together as Frank graciously explained what was meant by conscientious objector, also known as a pacifist.
Speaker 1:Jim, as I understand it. For many pacifists, the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 is the pinnacle of their Christian belief. One of their key verses is Matthew 5, 9, blessed are those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. To their credit, many pacifists strive to be peacemakers and agents of reconciliation, seeking to love their enemies instead of killing them. They have strong ties to social programs that promote peace and reconciliation.
Speaker 2:During the Roman occupation in which Jesus lived, there were two men who fought against Rome. One named Thutius had 400 followers, but Thutias was killed and followers gave up. Another named Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He was killed and all his followers were dispersed. Jesus was likely aware of these historic conflicts in his country, but never counseled his disciples to support these efforts against ungodly leaders. Instead, he gave a clear teaching in Matthew 5.41. If a soldier forces you to go with him one mile, go with him two miles, alluding to the practice of impressionment when a Roman soldier could command a civilian to carry his gear for one mile. Rather than waging war against Rome, we could say Jesus was waging peace against tyranny by shocking a soldier when a Christ follower would offer to go a second mile without complaining.
Speaker 1:Jim. I saw this dramatically portrayed by Jesus and his disciples in a recent episode of a video series. It was a very heavy pack to carry which expended a lot of energy. After the two miles, jesus and his tired disciples had to return those two miles to pick up their own backpacks again and continue their journey. It was a big interruption in their day but the Roman soldiers were indeed deeply impressed by their offer and willingness to do that second mile.
Speaker 2:Jesus called us to be peacemakers and work for peace. The founders of some world religions have fought numerous battles and killed hundreds of opposing infidels. Jesus taught love your enemy, pray for those who mistreat you, and the Apostle Paul quoted Proverbs 25, 22 that says If your enemy's hungry, feed him Thirsty, give him water. And in so doing you are heaping coals of shame on his head, meaning you cause your enemy to feel remorse by returning good for evil. And the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6 tells us that we are to have feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. When you and I walk in a room, the gospel of peace walks in with us. It's as if people look at us and say here comes the peacemaker, not the fighter. Some folks believe, since we are under the new covenant of Jesus Christ and part of his church. We only need to read the words of Jesus that guide our Christian faith.
Speaker 1:These are often called red-letter Christians. They have a Bible with all the words spoken by Jesus printed in red letters. Many of them believe only those words are the true words of God, but we need the full counsel of the Bible, from Genesis 1-1 to Revelation 22-21, and every verse in between. You are listening to Men Alive based on the full counsel of God, with Dr Jim Cunningham. For more information about our ministry, check out our website, goteachglobalcom. There you can hear more programs of Men Alive and download some great teaching resources. Jim, what is the difference between peacemaking as an individual and governments protecting their citizens with police, judges and military?
Speaker 2:There are two levels here, pablo. First is my response level how can I be a peacemaker? Second is my government's responsibility level. How do they use their God-given authority to bear the sword to protect people from evil? Romans 13 says that governments are ordained by God and the leaders are called ministers of God. Their function is fourfold. First, they are to protect life by providing services for the destitute, defending the weak and providing health assistance for the sick. Second, to punish abusers. They are to provide justice with mercy and courts with proper authority. Third, they are to praise good deeds by giving recognition with respect and awards with honor to those who do good. And fourth, they are to preserve society by providing essential services within a balanced budget.
Speaker 1:So let me ask you do you believe a government has the biblical right and responsibility to arm itself, create an army and defend itself militarily against an external enemy?
Speaker 2:Yes, I do. Romans 13, 4 and 5 says For the one in authority is God's servant for your good, but if you do wrong, be afraid. For rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities not only because of possible punishment, but also as a matter of conscience. The Jews wanted a military leader who would liberate them and remove the Romans to bring them peace. Instead, jesus came to show the individual how to first have peace with God and then be a personal peacemaker. Every time we respond as men, in a peaceful manner with our neighbor, our family, our spouse, we are becoming transformed into a man, alive, peacemaker, an agent of reconciliation.
Speaker 1:How, then, might a peacemaker respond to some of the unjust wars and violence going on in our world today?
Speaker 2:Good question, pebble. God has granted governments power and authority to deal with international injustices, but they will be held accountable for their decisions on the Day of Judgment. For example, early morning on October 7, 2023, hamas barbarically murdered over 1,200 innocent Israeli Jewish citizens and took over 250 hostages. They also kidnapped babies, elderly and abused women. The Canadian-American equivalent, based on our population size, would mean 5,400 Canadians or 45,000 Americans were murdered by Hamas in one day.
Speaker 2:Governments now have a choice how they will respond, and I'm reminded that the God of Abraham, the father of Isaac and Jacob, said of Israel in Genesis 12, 2 and 3, I will make you a great nation and I will bless you, and I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Choices have consequences. God is the supreme judge. I pray leaders continue to obey God's word and bless Israel to receive God's blessing as a nation. So, pablo, you and I are to be personal peacemakers who are waging peace in our private lives. Would we sign up for the Canadian army to kill others? Not likely. Could we be a conscientious objector like my friend Frank Peters Probably. Or would we volunteer to be a medic like in the movie Hacksaw Ridge?
Speaker 1:Yes, I saw Hacksaw Ridge. It's the extraordinary true story of a conscientious objector, Desmond T Doss, who saved 75 men in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of World War II without his firing a single shot, Believing that the war was just but killing was nevertheless wrong. He was the only American soldier in World War II to fight on the front lines without a weapon. As an army medic, Doss single-handedly evacuated the wounded near enemy lines, braving enemy fire and putting his own life on the line. He was the first conscientious.
Speaker 2:As I see it, Pablo Desmond Doss risked his life to save others. Physically, he was a true peacemaker. He even rescued wounded enemy soldiers. But Jesus Christ, the perfect, sinless Passover Lamb of God, sacrificed his life so that we could be saved spiritually from eternal separation from God in hell and have eternal life with God in heaven. I have two requests for everyone listening. First, pray for those in authority in government to protect the freedoms we have by asking God to direct their hearts the way he can redirect water flowing down a hill.
Speaker 2:Second is that you, as the listeners, receive Jesus Christ, the ultimate peacemaker, so that you can have peace with God. Romans 10, 9 and 10 says if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead, we shall be saved.
Speaker 1:That decision brings eternal peace with God. There you have it, men. Jesus Christ is our ultimate peacemaker. He is called the Prince of Peace. He reconciled us as sinful men to our holy God by paying the price for our sins through his death as our Passover lamb and his victorious defeat of Satan by rising from the dead. Until next time, I'm Paul Esterbrooks, encouraging you to stand strong through the storm of life as a true peacemaker, waging peace in each relationship we have as men, and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.
