Jesus – God’s Peace Child
When Don Richardson and his wife, Carol, went to Papua New Guinea as missionaries in 1962, they were soon confronted with a perplexing obstacle.
As they told the story of Christ’s betrayal by Judas Iscariot, the people cheered for Judas. The Sawi tribe saw Judas as the true hero of the story. They liked Judas because they also used treachery as a high-value method of betrayal in war. They would approach a neighboring tribe in a friendly way, building trust. After months of friendly interchange, a celebration feast would be hosted. Then in the middle of that feast they would launch a sudden, unexpected attack and kill all the men, saving the women and children. They believed this method of warfare was superior because it required intelligence, the ability to trick others.
What a difficulty for the Christian message!
Then the Richarsons discovered the tribal custom of the “peace child.” Since there was so little trust between tribes, tribal leaders had to resort to extreme measures to establish any lasting peace. The peace child method was rarely used, but there was a process. One man from the aggressor tribe would bring his newborn male child into the village of the enemy tribe and give them his child, to be raised by them. This was done with the understanding that if the aggressor tribe ever violated the truce, the other tribe had the right to kill and eat the child. As long as the child lived, peace was to be honored.
The custom was the key to unlock the gospel to these people. “God gave His cherished Son,” the missionaries said, “to the world that is like an enemy village to God because of our common human treachery, also known as sin.” They explained: “The gift of Jesus Christ was God’s binding act, securing eternal peace to all who would accept the gift.” They boldly proclaimed: “This awesome Gift proves God’s love is real and absolute, overriding the evil of humanity.”
As the tribes grasped and accepted this message, they were transformed into peaceful communities. The Sawi church is now led by indigenous leadership and continues to thrive.
This Christmas, remember the reason for the season: Jesus is God’s Peace Child. By Barry Kimbrough
Pastor, Gold Beach, Brookings, Cave Junction churches.