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This year there are over 325 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize.1 The prize has been awarded most years since 1901. Among the individuals who have won the prize are many who are worthy, such as Mother Theresa and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the groups to win was Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres in 1994 for their efforts toward peace in the Middle East. Of course, their efforts did not result in peace. A few times the Prize has been awarded to an organization such as the International Committee of the Red Cross.
One interesting observation about the prize is this: at times it seems to be political. Of the US Presidents and Vice Presidents who have won, only Democrats have won since 1906. Ronald Reagan, who ended the Cold War, did not. Yet, Mikhail Gorbachev won the prize in 1990 for his role in changing East-West relations. One Republican did win in 1973, Henry Kissinger, along with Le Duc Tho, for negotiating the Vietnam cease-fire and US withdrawal.2 I guess President Nixon was too tainted by the Watergate scandal!
In Matthew 5:9 Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (NIV) Was Jesus talking about Nobel Peace Prize winners? Was he talking about negotiating the end of wars? Not exactly. This week we’ll explore this Beatitude and what Jesus’ meant by “peacemakers.”
- “THERE ARE 329 CANDIDATES FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FOR 2021,” The Nobel Peace Prize, The Norwegian Nobel Institute, headline on September 7,2021, https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/.
- “List of Nobel Peace Prize laureates,” Wikipedia, last updated September 2, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_Peace_Prize_laureates.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.