“Here I should point out that despite my own faith in Christ, and despite the vocabulary of this book (which some may find 'churchy'), I do not believe that one must necessarily be a Christian to find the peace of Jesus. True, we cannot ignore Jesus’ statements: ‘He who does not gather with me, scatters’ and ‘He who is not for me is against me.’ Yet what does it mean to be ‘for’ Jesus? Doesn’t he make it clear that it is not religious words or other expressions of piety that matter? He looks for deeds of compassion and mercy – for love. And he says that even a cup of water to a thirsty person will be rewarded ‘in the kingdom of heaven’.”
“Jesus is a person, not a concept or an article of theology, and his truth embraces far more than our limited minds can comprehend. In any case, millions of Buddhists, Muslims, Jews – and agnostics and atheists – practice the love Jesus commands us to live out with more conviction than many so-called Christians. And it is hardly our place to say whether or not they possess peace.”
Johann Arnold, Seeking Peace
I share this quote because Jesus is one who is known for peace. Many of the great peacemakers (e.g., Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr.) have looked to Jesus for inspiration. Sometimes (Gandhi's example not withstanding) Christians talk as if Jesus is ours, as if we "own" Jesus. But do we? Jesus himself said, "blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God"...
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