3. Jesus’ Sacrificial Love as a Model for Peacemaking
World Scripture
And when they came to the place which is called The Skull [Calvary], there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
Luke 23.33-34
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility…that he might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end.
Ephesians 2.13-16
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5.16-19
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Jesus presented a new direction for this conflict-ridden world. Oppressor nations and oppressed nations, such as Rome and Israel, viewed each other as enemies, thus creating high walls between them. Jesus’ philosophy was that these walls needed to be demolished. He thought, “You Romans want to conquer me by force, but I will conquer you in the opposite way—with love.” That is why he even sought blessings for his enemies as he was hanging on the cross.
His plea for the Roman soldiers, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” expressed this amazing philosophy. By making this plea, Jesus became the model and the archetype for all nations of the world to overcome the conventional way of seeing each other as enemies. He became the example of someone who has no regard for national borders.
(March 9, 2000)
Jesus’ saying, “Love your enemies” is God’s strategy to make evil surrender voluntarily. This is an amazing truth, full of grace. These simple-sounding words mark the boundary between victory and defeat in the battle between God and Satan.
(316:81, February 10, 2000)
Jesus taught, “Love your enemy,” but we are extending it even to loving enemy nations. After loving our personal enemies, we should leap over national boundaries to love and even save nations that attacked our nation in the past. This is the ideology of the Messiah.
(93:160, May 22, 1977)
The Bible says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called sons of God.” Because I knew God’s Will to establish the Kingdom of Heaven, I work to reconcile humankind. If either side throws a spear, I should be the first one to be hit. In order to bring reconciliation and save the two that are fighting, you shouldn’t mind if you get bloodied first.
(211:13, December 30, 1990)