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Context No. 1278 of 4322 · 1 Maccabees

Context · Reflection

1 Maccabees 7:26-32: in context

26Then the king sent Nicanor, one of his honorable princes, a man who hated Israel and was their enemy, and commanded him to destroy the people. 27Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a great army. He sent to Judas and his kindred deceitfully with words of peace, saying, 28“Let there be no battle between me and you; I will come with a few men, that I may see your faces in peace.” 29He came to Judas, and they saluted one another peaceably. The enemies were ready to seize Judas by violence. 30This was known to Judas, that he came to him with deceit, and he was very afraid of him, and would see his face no more. 31Nicanor found out that his plan was disclosed; and he went out to meet Judas in battle beside Capharsalama. 32About five hundred men of Nicanor’s army fell, and the rest fled into the city of David.

The Seleucid king sends Nicanor, a commander who hates Israel, to destroy the people. But Nicanor does not begin with open war. He sends messengers to Judas with words of peace: let there be no fighting between us; I will come with only a few men, that I may see your faces in friendship. He comes and they greet each other peaceably, but the whole thing is a ruse; Nicanor's men are ready to seize Judas by force. Judas, however, learns of the deceit, sees through the friendly words, and refuses to meet Nicanor again. When the plot is exposed, Nicanor gives up the pretense and goes out to open battle, and loses.

The heart of the episode is discernment, seeing through words of peace that hide a trap. Nicanor came with the language of friendship, no battle between us, let me see your faces in peace, precisely because he could not take Judas by force and hoped to take him by deception. And Judas, to his credit, was not disarmed by the friendly words; he perceived that Nicanor came with deceit and would not put himself in the enemy's hands. There is wisdom in that alertness. Not every offer of peace is genuine; some of the most dangerous attacks come wrapped in the softest language, and a person who trusts every warm word can be led straight into a trap. Judas held together two things that are hard to hold together, a readiness for real peace and a discernment that could recognize false peace for what it was. He did not become paranoid or refuse all overtures, but he tested this one and found it hollow. The lesson is not to be cynical about every kindness, but to be discerning, to recognize that the language of peace can be a weapon, and to test the words of those who have reason to wish us harm rather than being taken in by them.

Am I discerning about words of peace that may hide a trap, testing the warm language of those who have reason to wish me harm, or am I easily disarmed by anyone who speaks kindly?

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