Prince of Peace
by Rebecca White
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV
Jesus was put on trial and sentenced to death on the cross. He died that very afternoon and was quickly buried before the Sabbath day began. On the 3rd day He left the grave because He was no longer dead! He appeared to His followers. First the women at the tomb, then the disciples traveling on the road to Emmaus, then to the Eleven in Jerusalem. But with this last group, Jesus didn’t just knock on their door and have a warm fuzzy reunion, that would be too easy. He appeared literally out of nowhere inside a room with the door locked, right in the middle of the Emmaus disciples telling the Eleven about their encounter with the risen Jesus on the road. A story they had run all the way back to Jerusalem to tell (about 7 miles). The disciples saw Him and got scared, they thought He was a ghost! He showed them His hands and said He wasn’t a ghost but has returned to them just as He said He would. He asked for some food then sat down to teach them again, just like the good old days. He explained to them that He is the Messiah and everything in the Old Testament is about Him, and it’s come true! (Luke 24:36-49)
Jesus told His disciples that all that the prophets in the Old Testament wrote was about Him. One of these prophets was Isaiah. God gave Isaiah many messages about the Messiah who was to come, these messages were called prophecies. The prophecy from Isaiah 9:6-7 says the Messiah will come and be called The Prince of Peace. Peace is a feeling of calm, quiet, and knowing that God is in control. Remember that the Old Testament wasn’t written in English but in Hebrew. The Hebrew word for peace is “shalom”. When Jesus appeared in the locked room, He greeted the disciples by saying, “Shalom”! The Prince of Peace wished peace to His disciples.
Over 700 years after Isaiah wrote that the Messiah would come to bring peace, Jesus was born to do just that! When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He paid the price for our sins and gave us a way to be at peace with God so that we can live forever with Him in Heaven. This is the good news that we are called to share with others. As we celebrate this Christmas season let us remember the peace, we are so blessed to have because of the greatest gift that is Jesus.
This was adapted from something I wrote for our 1st-6th grade Sunday School classes at my church in Cassville, MO where I serve as Children’s Ministry Director. I have been here for a little over 3 years now and God continues to grow and bless me in this role. ~Rebecca
