04 June 2023
It's very important to understand the context of Peter's first letter. Keep in mind that he was executed in Rome during the same period of Nero's persecution that claimed the life of Paul. Our best guess is that Peter wrote this letter shortly before his arrest. His second letter that we have indicates he was by then in prison. Since Nero died in 68 AD, Peter must have been executed before that.
Peter writes to the Christians in today's northern Turkey. Most of them were Jewish in background, under local persecution from the Jews, who filed complaints with the Roman governor. Nothing stopped the Christians from fleeing, and we can be sure some did. Less than 50 years later, there is no record of any Christians in that area. The Jews succeeded in driving them out, and we know from official Roman correspondence from around 100 AD that Christian religion was flatly illegal there.
Still, some folks must have stayed and faced prison and execution. These are the people Peter addresses. It was still early in the trials for them, but Peter knows it's going to get worse. How do you face persecution, the loss of legal protections, loss of property, prison and death for the name of Jesus? It's for sure, no religious law code is going to get you there. Instead, it requires the kind of faith that allows you to see through the code to the heart of Christ. You have to nail your flesh to the Cross.
So, it's quite obvious that Peter starts off his letter with a bracing vision of otherworldly blessings. This life is not worth much, but Heaven is worth anything and everything. If there is a time to double down on obedience to the gospel, this is it, Peter says. He quotes Isaiah to that effect.
In Chapter 2, following Christ is everything the prophets promised in the Old Testament. All that symbolism pointed to Jesus. He is the foundation God chose, and which the Jews rejected. Whatever they have is empty and meaningless; we have the real deal without all the trappings. We are the true Israel.
In order to nail down for all to see that this persecution was very much a matter of following Jesus, it was important that the Christians Peter addressed should give no other offense. Make sure they can't accuse you of anything else. Make it totally about Jesus. To provide a clear example, Peter mentions those who were slaves: Serve with exemplary grace, even masters who are evil. Our Savior carried His Cross without complaint.
Like Paul, Peter hammers on the image of a stable feudal home in Chapter 3. The business of what a Christian marriage looks like is of critical importance in our witness. He echoes Paul's advice about women dressing modestly. Men also do not escape the common warnings about being jerks.
He quotes from Psalm 34 about walking above the common human spite, and how God is watching. Let us also carry our crosses as Jesus did. Obedience is better than any ritual. He continues in Chapter 4 with admonitions to dismiss this life as of no consequence. The flesh is meant to die; better that it die for the glory of the Lord. He mentions the fervent love for one another that stands as the basic command of Jesus.
Don't get angry about the persecution. To defeat the evil of this world, you must rise above it. Peter restates the necessity of making the persecution purely a matter of following Christ by living a pure and lawful life, and giving no one cause to accuse us of anything else.
In Chapter 5, Peter talks about how elders should model themselves on good shepherds. It won't matter what the world thinks about this; it's one of the highest callings in the Kingdom of Heaven. Wrapping up, Peter paints freshly the picture of ancient Hebrew serenity and wisdom, of patience and humility. Keep a watchful eye out for temptations meant to draw us off course.
Now perhaps it's more obvious when I write about the prerequisites for the Covenant boundaries. You must have a feudal commitment to Christ as your Sovereign and Master. That's the first law, and the second is that we love each other as He did. Get those two items right, and everything else will take care of itself. We cannot fix this world's woes; this world is already damned. What we can do is condemn our fleshly natures and compel them to follow the Spirit reigning in our hearts.
That's the Covenant of Christ.
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