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And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n All Christians should be proclaiming peace with God through the gospel message of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ as payment for our sins.<\/p>\n The words \u201cHe came<\/span>\u201d are from the verb erchomai<\/em><\/span>, which means \u201cto come\u201d or \u201cto go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPreached<\/span>\u201d is translated from euangellidz\u014d<\/em><\/span>, which is a compound verb made up of eu<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cwell\u201d and angell\u014d<\/em><\/span>, which means \u201cto proclaim.\u201d Thus, this word literally means \u201cto proclaim the good news.\u201d This is the word from which we get our English verb \u201cto evangelize.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeace<\/span>\u201d is translated from eir\u0113n\u0113<\/em><\/span>, which we saw back in verse fourteen means \u201cto be at peace with someone.\u201d In the current verse, the best Greek manuscripts have the word eir\u0113n\u0113<\/em><\/span> appears twice. Therefore, the verse should be translated:<\/p>\n And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and peace to those who were near.<\/span><\/p>\n The words \u201cafar off<\/span>\u201d are from makran<\/em><\/span>, which we saw back in verse thirteen. It means \u201ca great distance away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNear<\/span>\u201d is translated from the Greek word engus<\/em><\/span>, which is based on the verb agch\u014d<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cto squeeze.\u201d Engus<\/em><\/span> indicates that something is \u201cnearby\u201d or \u201cclose at hand.\u201d<\/p>\n The current verse indicates a direct fulfillment of the words of Isaiah:<\/p>\n \u201cI create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who<\/span> is<\/em> far off and to him who<\/span> is<\/em> near,\u201d Says the LORD, \u201cAnd I will heal him.\u201d<\/span> (Isaiah 57:19<\/strong><\/span>)<\/p>\n In verse fourteen we learned that Christ is our peace. In verse fifteen we learned that He made peace between Jews and Gentiles. Now we learn that Christ proclaimed (or announced) peace, both to those who were near and to those who were far away. In verse thirteen we learned that Gentiles are the ones who were once far away. By inference, we know that \u201cthose who were near\u201d refers to the Jews.<\/p>\n There are a number of verses in the New Testament in which Jesus proclaimed peace, so it\u2019s not hard to understand what Paul means by saying that he proclaimed peace to those who were near. But, we have to ask ourselves the question, \u201cHow did Jesus preach peace to those who were far off?\u201d For the key to the answer to this question let\u2019s look at John\u2019s gospel. He recorded this statement that Jesus made to his disciples in the upper room after He was raised from the dead,<\/p>\n So Jesus said to them again,<\/span> “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”<\/span> (John 20:21<\/strong><\/span>)<\/p>\n Jesus sent his disciples (and by extension, you and me) into the world to proclaim the gospel of peace. That\u2019s how He proclaims peace to those who are far off.<\/p>\n You and I are the means by which Jesus Christ is still proclaiming peace to those who are far off. When was the last time you shared the Gospel message to people around you?<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Application<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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