As you know, Pastor Dan decided to spend Eastertide working through 1 Peter in his sermons. There’s some really interesting stuff in 1 Peter, but unfortunately for me, he left me the most difficult passage to work through. Peter begins this passage by telling slaves to obey their masters even if that leads to suffering. He tells the slaves in the Christian community that if they suffer, they should make sure they’re suffering for doing what is right. If you suffer for doing what is right, you’ll receive God’s approval.
I don’t know about you, but this passage makes me rather uncomfortable. Not only does Peter speak about suffering, but he seems to give approval to slavery. In
fact, many proponents of slavery, especially here in the United States appealed to this and passages like it to defend slavery. Now, I could have avoided the discussion of slavery. After all, the creators of the Revised Common Lectionary chose to omit verse 18 and begin the reading in verse 19. The problem is that Peter is addressing the experiences of the members of the congregations who are slaves. The fact is, a large portion of the population in the ancient world was enslaved. So slaves probably made up a significant portion of the early Christian community. Since Peter couldn’t do anything about their status, he wanted to make sure that if they suffered it was because they did what was right and good. If they suffered for doing what is right, then God will bless them. I decided to include verse 18 because it sets up everything that follows. Before we move on from Peter’s word to slaves let us make it clear that we reject any form of slavery. It may have been part of human history, but it is not part of God’s desire for the human community.
Since none of us here is a slave, what might Peter say to us when it comes to our experiences of suffering? Many people then and now want to know why good people suffer. If God is good, loving, and powerful, then why doesn’t God do something to prevent suffering? While many theologians, philosophers, and preachers have attempted to answer these questions, I haven’t found a truly satisfactory answer. That’s why this is a difficult passage to preach.
So, let’s start with the reality of suffering. I expect we’ve all experienced some form of suffering in our lives. Some of us have suffered more than others. This suffering could involve health issues or job issues or relationship issues, just to name a few categories. One thing Peter wants us to know is that Jesus understands what it means to suffer. In fact, Jesus left us an example of someone who suffered but did nothing to deserve it. Therefore, suffering is not a sign that a person has done something wrong.
Earlier in chapter 2 of 1 Peter, after Peter reminds his audience that as believers they are a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,” (1 Pet. 2:9), he addresses them as “aliens and exiles.” In other words, they’re different from their neighbors. Therefore, they should live honorably among their neighbors “so that though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge” (1 Pet. 2:11-12).
Peter is concerned about how believers conduct themselves in a world where they are strangers. Whether or not they are slaves, Peter wants them to live in a way that honors God. That might lead to suffering. That was true then and it might be true even today, though probably not to the same degree.
Peter wants his audience to understand that Jesus suffered and died for doing what is right and good. Therefore, he shows us how we should live in the world, even if that leads to suffering. So, while Jesus was abused and threatened although he had committed no sin, he didn’t respond by threatening or abusing his abusers. Instead, “he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.” Therefore, “he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that free from sin, we might live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:23-24). While Peter is speaking to slaves, he offers spiritual freedom even if they cannot obtain physical freedom. In doing this, Jesus shows us how to live in a world where suffering may occur.
Early Christians tended to stand out in their context because the way they lived was so different from the way their neighbors lived. They didn’t participate in normal activities like going to the temples to offer sacrifices. It didn’t matter whether you were slaves or senators, in the early Christian community everyone was an equal. This was truly counter-cultural and probably perceived as a threat to the status quo. In fact, they seemed rather unpatriotic!
When Peter wrote this letter, Christians formed a small, somewhat odd, community within the Roman Empire. They stood out because they were different from everyone else. That’s not true for us. It’s kind of difficult to stand out in our context. We don’t have to worry too much about suffering under the oppressive thumb of the government. We might even be friends with the governing authorities. In fact, this past week I offered the invocation at the Mayor of Troy’s State of the City Address. I noticed that a couple of members of this congregation were in attendance. While the city of Troy, and the United States as a whole, is politically, culturally, ethnically, and religiously diverse, Christians still make up a majority of the population. In other words, we don’t suffer much for our faith!
So, perhaps Peter would have a different word for us. Instead of advising us to keep our heads down, he might tell us to follow the example of the ancient prophets and use our freedom to speak prophetically to the ruling authorities, calling for justice to be achieved in our communities. Let’s remember that Jesus tended to step on the toes of the people in power, which is why he ended up on a cross. Peter invites us to follow Jesus’ example.
When Peter wrote this letter to the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, he spoke of these believers in Jesus in terms of being “exiles of the Dispersion.” He told them that God had chosen and sanctified them so they could be obedient to Jesus (1 Peter 1:1-2). In saying this, Peter wanted his readers to know that their first and primary allegiance is to God. We might be citizens of the United States or some other country, but as followers of Jesus, our first allegiance belongs to God and not to country. We pledge allegiance to God every time we recite the Lord’s Prayer and declare: “Let your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!”
The path set before us isn’t an easy one. It can be a bit counter-cultural. We might even suffer a little because of our allegiance to the ways of God. However, we don’t take this journey alone. Even if we go astray, like the Prodigal, God welcomes us back into the fold.
Peter uses the analogy of a shepherd to describe Jesus’ commitment to reconciling us with God. He is the one whose wounds bring healing to our lives. He is the one who welcomes the lost sheep back into the fold. Yes, Jesus is the Good Shepherd who is also the guardian of our souls. (1 Pet. 2:25).
As we consider this analogy of Jesus being the Good Shepherd, Psalm 23 gives some definition to the meaning of Jesus’ role as the Good Shepherd. He is the one who leads the sheep “through the valley of the shadow of death.” As God’s sheep, since we can trust the shepherd’s voice, we “shall fear no evil, for thou art with them.”
While Peter doesn’t resolve the question of suffering in this passage, he does encourage us to stay true to our confession of faith in Jesus. None of us are slaves, but we can take to heart this call to live rightly, even if that leads to suffering. No matter what form our suffering may take, the good news is that Jesus understands our suffering because he suffered himself. Because Jesus suffered, the Father understands our suffering as well. Therefore, it is by his wounds that we are healed. As we continue through life, we can take hold of this promise, that Jesus, the Good Shepherd and Guardian of our souls, leads us on the path through the valley of the shadow of death toward still waters and green pastures. Therefore, we need fear no evil, for God, who understands our suffering, goes with us.
Preached by:
Dr. Robert D. Cornwall
Pulpit Supply
First Presbyterian Church
Troy, Michigan
Easter 5A
May 7, 2023
Cranach, Lucas, 1515-1586. Christ as the good shepherd, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57054 [retrieved May 6, 2023]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucas_Cranach_d.J._-_Christus_als_guter_Hirte_(Angermuseum).jpg.
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