JESUS CHRIST AS EXEMPLAR OF PEACE AND PEACEBUILDING

Abstract

The idea of peace in a human society contradicts God’s original intention about the peace He bestowed man at the time of creation. Man was created and placed in the Garden of Eden where he enjoyed all things including peace of mind and fellowship with His Maker but these became severed because man sinned against God. Jesus was believed to be God’s incarnate, the ultimate sacrifice for man’s redemption and the model for an ideal godly person whom God had initially created man to be. Peace in the real sense cannot be achieved in a chaotic atmosphere especially where strive, envy, jealousy, hatred and selfishness exist which cannot be found in Jesus Christ. Hence, the aim of this paper is to consider the personality of Jesus Christ as an exemplar of peace and peace building. Therefore, the methods adopted in this study are historical and descriptive. It was discovered that during Jesus’ earthly ministry, He lived a life worthy of great emulation as He stood in the middle of the society of His days carrying out His assignments in the face of haters yet displayed a grandiose attitude of peace and peace-building to His audience. The study recommended that the society should live a Christ life-pattern pursuing peace with all men as richly found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.