Matthew 5:9

Matthew 5:9 (The Message)
You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

Matthew 5:9 (NIV)
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

I like how it says, "show people how to cooperate", not just tell. I wonder why, specifically, being a peace maker would show me who I am and my place in God's family?

Parallel scriptures

Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV)
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

That same word, "peace", used in Matthew 5:9 to describe who we should be is used here to describe who God is. He instigated peace with mankind through the sending Jesus to die for us. Do I instigate peace with others? Or do I insist on having things my way?

2 Corinthian 5: 16-20 (The Message)
Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.

Here that "peace" is translated settled between parties. It's that same theme again; as God, through Christ, settled the relationship between us and Him, we are supposed to settle our relationships with one another. That's so easy to say but so hard to do in lots of situations He even goes on to say here that part of our work on earth is to help people drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. As I look at Christianity historically, we've really failed here. But may, even today, I be part of the solution.

Other People's thoughts

McGarvey and Pendleton:
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God. The term "peacemakers" includes all who make peace between men, whether as individuals or as communities. It includes even those who worthily endeavor to make peace, though they fail of success. They shall be called God's children, because he is the God of peace (Romans 15:33; Romans 16:20 2 Corinthians 13:11); whose supreme purpose is to secure peace (Luke 2:14); and who gave his Son to be born into this world as the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Here again Jesus varies from human ideas. In worldly kingdoms the makers of war stand highest, but in his kingdom peacemakers outrank them, for the King himself is a great Peacemaker (Colossians 1:20; Ephesians 2:14). "

I appreciate their point that we are blessed when we endeavor to make peace even if we fail. We are only responsible for our own behavior

John Gill:
Blessed are the peace makers,.... Not between God and man, for no man can make his own peace with God; nor can any mere creature, angels, or men, make it for him; Christ, in this sense, is the only peace maker: but between men and men; and such are they, who are of peaceable dispositions themselves; live peaceably with all men, and with one another, as their relation obliges to, and their mutual comfort requires; and with the men of the world; and who are ready, willing, and very serviceable, in composing differences, and making peace between their fellow creatures and fellow Christians. The Jews speak very highly, and much, in the commendation of peace making; they reckon this among the things which shall be of use to a man, both in this, and the other world. "These are the things, (say they {e},) the fruit of which a man enjoys in this world, and his lot or portion remains for him in the world to come; honouring father and mother, liberality, wrybxl Mda Nyb Mwlv tabhw, 'and making peace between a man and his neighhour.'" This, they say , Aaron was much disposed to. "Moses used to say, let justice break through the mountain; but Aaron loved peace, and pursued it, and made peace between a man and his neighhour, as is said, Malachi 2:6" Hence that saying of Hillell , "be thou one of the disciples of Aaron, who loved peace, and followed after it; he loved men, and brought them to the law." Now of such persons it is said, that they shall be called the children of God; that is, they are the children of God by adopting grace, which is made manifest in their regeneration; and that is evidenced by the fruits of it, of which this is one; they not only shall be, and more manifestly appear to be, the sons of God hereafter; but they are, and are known to be so now, by their peaceable disposition, which is wrought in them by the Spirit of God; whereby they become like to the God of peace, and to Christ, the great and only peacemaker, and so are truly sons of peace"

I like the quote from Hillell about Aaron loving peace and bringing people to the law. May my love of peace and how I treat people, bring them to God's law and to Jesus.