The contradiction is resolved when you realize that for Jesus peace seems to have meant not the absence of struggle, but the presence of love. -p83

Frederick Buechner
About This Quote

When the author said that the contradiction is resolved when you realize that for Jesus peace seems to have meant not the absence of struggle, but the presence of love, he was talking about the fact that there will always be friction between people. The friction can be from short-lived disagreements or long-standing fights, but either way it is a result of this inner struggle everyone feels on a daily basis. He also emphasized that for Jesus, this friction was a good thing. Instead of avoiding it and trying to suppress it, Jesus saw it as a sign of his followers’ continuing engagement with his example. His followers would know that their lives were not just about them and their own needs, but also about engaging in struggles for justice and even martyrdom to continue the work of Christ.

Source: Wishful Thinking: A Theological Abc

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