“And he will be called . . . Prince of Peace.” — Isaiah 9:6
“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” — Ephesians 2:14
The Hebrew word for “peace” — shalom — has richer meaning than just tranquility or absence of conflict. Shalom means completeness, soundness, the way things were meant to be. The reason why Jesus can produce great joy in us is that he is shalom personified. The ministry of Christ was to bring shalom to a fallen world. We see shalom restored to physical bodies in his healing miracles. He commanded nature to return to a state of shalom when he quieted a storm with a few words. And most precious of all, he restored shalom to our relationship with God by paying the price for sin with his own death.
The brokenness in us and of the world do not represent the way things were meant to be. The more we become aware of that, the more our thirst for Jesus grows. Go into his presence and be captivated by the beauty of perfection. As prince of shalom, Jesus can show us the way things were supposed to be and make it a reality.
Praise the the Prince of Peace who has become Peace for me. He gives us “peace with God” (Romans 5:1) and the “peace of God” (Philippians 4:7). Thanks for sharing.