The Peace Child ∙

The Peace Child ∙

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him, God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you, who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. – Colossians 1:19-22

Luke 2:9-14

 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,

 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.”

 11 “The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”

 13 “Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others – the armies of heaven – praising God and saying,”

 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

The Sawi people of Western New Guinea, now known as Irian Jaya, consisted of approximately 400 individual tribes. Each tribe had its own distinct worldview and belief system. Many were headhunters and cannibals, living in a manner utterly alien to the Western world.

The Sawi practiced a dreadful and horrifying cultural tradition: the worship of treachery. Betrayal, murder, and cannibalism were not only practiced but were revered as time-honored customs within their mythic traditions.

War and violent bloodshed were a way of life. Revenge was considered both manly and essential. Treachery was regarded as the highest virtue. They would feign friendship only to betray, murder, and eat their allies. Consequently, when they heard the story of Jesus Christ, they presumed Judas was the hero. The Sawi admired Judas because they themselves were a tribe that celebrated treachery. In a word, they were a tribe of Judases.

In 1962, Don Richardson, a Christian missionary from Canada, began working with the Sawi. A linguist and Bible translator, he developed an alphabet for the Sawi language and eventually translated the New Testament into Sawi. He dedicated 15 years of his life to living with and among them. Communicating the concept of redemption and the idea that one would die for another proved challenging. Sitting among the tribe, he prayed, “Lord, help me. I need a gift of wisdom.” The Father provided the perfect redemptive analogy: the Peace Child. This was the key Richardson needed to communicate his message.

The Peace Child was one person the Sawi would never betray. In an extraordinary gesture, a tribal leader gave his own child, the Peace Child, to an enemy tribe. According to custom, peace would be maintained between warring tribes as long as the child lived. War and betrayal were unthinkable; no one would betray the Peace Child. This concept became the perfect metaphor for the Sawi to understand what God the Father had done. It opened their hearts to the Gospel story.

Richardson explained that the Lord Jesus Christ was God’s Peace Child, given to remove the conflict between man’s sinfulness and God’s righteous judgment. The Father had surrendered His own Son, the ultimate Peace Child, to bring peace to all people. Cannibals were transformed into Christ-followers.

Over the years, most of the Sawi people accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, with many becoming missionaries to neighboring tribes. As for the Peace Child, he became the first Sawi to graduate from higher education and went on to become a primary school principal.

REFLECT & PRAY

Paul’s approach to evangelism was adaptive and transcended cultural norms and religious boundaries. His primary concern was to do whatever it took to make disciples.

Father, I want to follow Your command to make disciples. Enable me to be adaptive, sensitive, aware, and willing to become whatever it takes.

INSIGHT

The Father sent His Peace Child, His very own Son, into the world.

Colossians 1:20 [Through the Lord Jesus Christ] God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

The Lord Jesus Christ commands the children of the King to carry the message throughout the entire planet.

Matthew 28:19-20

 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

While the meaning of this verse is clear, delving deeper and unpacking it a bit provides even greater insight. The sentence contains only one verb: “make disciples.” The Greek word for this is matheteuo. It is imperative, meaning it is a command, and it involves instructing others in the ways and teachings of a teacher. However, it goes beyond mere teaching; it encompasses the idea of becoming attached to the teacher, following them in both belief and conduct – in other words, becoming a disciple.

The words translated as go, baptizing, and teaching are participles, indicating the manner in which the primary command is to be fulfilled.

Going into all the world and making disciples necessitates effective communication. Communication requires mutual understanding between the sender and the receiver. Making disciples of all nations demands a sensitivity to the culture, beliefs, and value systems of the people being reached. With wisdom and discernment, ideal redemptive analogies often emerge.

Paul shows the way.

1 Corinthians 9:20-23

 20 When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law.

 21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.

 22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.

 23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.

Paul became all things to all people so that he could save some. It’s a paradox: Paul was free from all men, yet he served all as a servant. Because of his freedom, Paul was free to serve others, putting aside his own rights for their sake.

“We are your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5).

The phrase “all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22) is often misinterpreted to suggest that Paul changed his message to please others. In reality, Paul was consistent and unwavering. He was a herald, an ambassador, not a politico.

Paul was given the task of ministering to the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:8). He began preaching in synagogues and then reached out to Gentiles (Romans 15:20). Paul bridged cultural divides between Jews and Gentiles by respecting the customs of both groups. He didn’t flaunt his freedom before Jews or impose the Law on Gentiles.

Paul wasn’t inconsistent; he wisely adapted his approach. His sermons in Acts reflect this: he started with Old Testament patriarchs for Jews and the God of Creation for Gentiles. Paul tailored his message to his audience without compromising its truth.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯3-28-2

© Dr. H 2024