The Lord says: “They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.”

What is peace? Harmony, wholeness, all is well, security, wellbeing. People hope and long for peace—the peace that passes all understanding. From where does such peace come? Our readings today teach us that…

TRUE PEACE COMES THROUGH THE CROSS OF CHRIST JESUS

As we heard last week, the Lord had tasked Jeremiah with a difficult message. He prophesied harsh words against Jerusalem and the temple, saying: “Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,’ says the Lord.” Jeremiah’s recurring message of judgment wasn’t well received. He was beaten, mocked, rejected, imprisoned, thrown into a cistern at one point, and eventually taken into captivity in Egypt.

Jeremiah’s own people persecuted him, because they didn’t want to hear God’s judgment against their sins. Their ears itched for a word of peace that came apart from the cross, apart from repentance and faith, apart from dying to sin and living to God.

To the peoples’ excitement, another “prophet” named Hananiah proclaims words of peace, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” What a tremendous message of peace! Better still, no bearing crosses, no dying to sin. All’s well that ends well. A truly inspiring, encouraging message. Why can’t pastors be more like him!?!

Jeremiah’s reply to Hananiah comes in the Old Testament reading. To paraphrase, Jeremiah says, “Yes, may this happen, I pray this happens, that the Lord will do all that you say, Hananiah. But the prophets who came before us proclaimed God’s judgment on many nations for their sin. The prophets proclaimed dying to sin and taking up the cross. There will be a prophet who prophesies peace. When that peace comes, you will know that that prophet has actually been sent by the Lord.”

Jeremiah calls Hananiah out as a false prophet, wrongly invoking the Lord’s name while drawing the people further away from the true worship of God. Hananiah leads the people deeper into sin’s slavery and further from taking up their crosses to follow the Lord. Later after today’s Old Testament Reading, God sends Jeremiah with a message for Hananiah: “This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.” As it turns out, that same year Hananiah and his prophecy dropped dead. He was not, in fact, the prophet of peace.

So, then who is the prophet of peace? Maybe he’s Jesus. I mean, Scripture says, “He will save His people from their sins.” Scripture prophesies that He will give light to those who sit in darkness. At His birth, the angels sing: “peace on earth!” Simeon calls Him “a light for revelation to the Gentiles”, and John calls Him “the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sin.” Jesus must fulfill Jeremiah’s prophesy regarding the prophet who truly proclaims peace!

And so, Jesus promises, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Um, or maybe He’s not the guy…

Jesus hasn’t come to announce that there is peace where there is no actual peace. Jesus hasn’t come to scratch itching ears, excuse sin, give the easy way out, be practical, pragmatic, utilitarian, or whatever philosophy people want to claim because it fits their sinful, selfish desires. In other words, Jesus hasn’t come to bring peace if peace means the refusal to take up one’s cross and follow Jesus. Taking up one’s cross means devotion to Jesus, loyalty to Jesus and His Word from Genesis to Revelation.

But here’s the thing about crosses. They hurt. They are not fun. They kill. Crosses kill our sinful nature, the pride, arrogance, and selfishness of our sinful hearts. Our sinful nature rebels against taking up crosses. We sinners may have this idea that we can avoid crosses—that we can avoid troubles, sorrows, and distresses. We sinners may think that we can be Jesus’ disciples without taking up our cross and following behind His cross, and still feel at peace. We want the easy way out.

The apostle Peter knew that when Jesus predicted His death on the cross, it meant he would eventually take up his own cross, too. That realization scared Peter. So, he looked for an easy way out. First, he told Jesus that it would never happen. When that didn’t work, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times.

At the moment of Peter’s third denial, the Lord didn’t give Peter peace. He gave him a disappointed look. Why? Jesus doesn’t bring false peace. Jesus doesn’t desire, think, and act with pride and selfishness. Jesus is God. God hates sin. So, Jesus hates sin. Jesus desires that sin be put to death. Jesus puts sin to death.

Jesus certainly welcomes all sinners. In welcoming them, He expects them to take up their crosses. He expects them to follow Him alone. Through faith in Him, Jesus expects us sinners to die to sin. Therefore, Jesus says things like: “Your sins are forgiven… Your faith has saved you… Go and sin no more.” Jesus calls upon us to take up our crosses and follow Him. Our sinful flesh says, “No thanks. That’s crazy.” We want the easy way out. We want whatever minimizes the cross.

Assisted suicide seems like an easy way out for everybody involved. Grandpa or Grandma doesn’t have to bear their cross anymore. Caretakers don’t have to bear the cross of caring for them anymore. But is it good? No. Is it right? No. Is it virtuous and godly? No. Does it honor one’s mother and father? No. Is it really loving one another? No. Is it really death with dignity? No. It’s just avoiding Jesus’ call to take up one’s cross.

Abortion seems like an easy way out of a crisis pregnancy. An unprepared mother doesn’t have to bear the cross of poverty or single motherhood. A child with a terrible condition doesn’t have to bear the cross of suffering in this life. So, people pretend an unborn human baby is just a clump of discardable cells. Is this discarding life that God gives? Yes. Is it virtuous and godly? No. It’s just avoiding Jesus’ call to take up one’s cross.

“Easy” ways out are often encouraged regarding sex and sexuality for all age groups—not just young people. Singles don’t have bear the cross of chastity until marriage. Spouses don’t have to bear the cross of working on their marriages, but can end their marriage for most any reason. Does this faithfully uphold God’s gift of marriage that pictures Jesus and His bride? No. Is it virtuous and godly? No. It’s caving to the flesh in avoidance of Jesus’ call to take up one’s cross.

The sinful nature desires to avoid crosses. Churches and pastors are tempted to avoid the cross of calling a spade a spade. We desire the easy way out when it comes to clear confessional boundaries on the Lord’s Supper. It’s often easier to send a check somewhere hundreds of miles away, than to look at the faces of poverty in our own backyard.

We don’t want our sinfulness pointed out to us, because we may not want to take up our cross and die to it or we may want to pretend we’re just fine, no sin to confess. We may try to avoid Scripture that challenges our way of thinking by putting a cross before us. We may seek the easy way of no confession, no repentance, cheap grace, Jesus is happy with me even if I bear no crosses at all. All must repent and take up our cross… but not before Jesus takes up His!

Jesus didn’t come to bring peace to the earth in a way the world would presume. He didn’t come to pat us all on the back and tell us how good we are. He came to bring peace by means of a “sword.” Mary, His mother, received news that a sword would pierce through her own soul, too. That “sword” is the Lord’s very own suffering and death. Peace comes through death—the death of Christ Jesus and His glorious resurrection. True peace comes through Jesus’ own cross as He carried your sins, bore your sins, and took away your sins by His suffering and death, so that in Him you have peace. You are forgiven of all your sins, because Jesus paid for them with His precious blood.  He did not avoid the cross, but was obedient unto death.

The peace that Jesus gives is knowing that through Him and in Him we have died to the Law that condemns us and we belong to our Lord Jesus who rose from the dead, and on account of this we may bear fruit for God. Jesus took up His cross to set us free from sin, death, the devil, hell. Because Jesus has set us free from these things, He has freed us from the Law’s condemnation. This doesn’t mean we are free to just do whatever we want to avoid our crosses. Jesus has freed us to take up our crosses without fear, knowing that the Lord has taken up His cross, that He has won the victory, and that even if we should die because of our loyalty to Jesus the enemies of God haven’t won a thing. The kingdom ours remaineth. That’s what Paul means when He says “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” Over time, Peter learned that lesson. At the end of his life, he didn’t avoid the cross. He remained faithful unto death, even death on a cross like our Lord.

You, also, who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been given the peace of forgiveness and life eternal in God’s kingdom. So, “Let us ever walk with Jesus, follow His example pure… Let us suffer here with Jesus And with patience bear our cross… Let us ever die with Jesus, since by death He conquered death…. And let us also live with Jesus. He has risen from the dead.” For Jesus denied Himself and took up His cross for you, in order to give you His peace. Amen.