“A word for today?”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, April 28, 2022
1 Peter 2:11-25 (Forward, p. 89) CEV p. 1278
There is one thing that two of my favourite Bible expositors are careful to reiterate over and over again, and that is the need to understand and fully appreciate what a particular passage applied to and was saying to its original audience. That word of advice is particularly appropriate with today’s passage, for it speaks of obedience and respect both towards ungodly rulers and cruel or viscous masters (and later, to husbands as well.) The underlying sense in all three is that the people who were lording it over them were non-Christians whereas those that this letter were addressing were Christians. In the Roman/ Greek world of that time, the Emperor was not only considered supreme, but even as god. Thus, to worship or revere him was not only a civic duty, but to refrain from doing so and to worship an ‘alternative’ god was treason and rebellion. So, clearly the early Christians were ‘out of line’ here, clearly setting themselves up for harassment and persecution.
And, when it came to a household, there was a similar dynamic at play: the male head of the household was considered lord and master. He took the lead in matters of faith and religion, and everyone else, household slaves and family members—including his wife—were expected to follow his lead. So, once again, for a household servant—the word used here denotes someone that isn’t necessarily a slave, that is, a doulos—or for a wife, to step outside what the male head of the household ordered was considered an act of disobedience and rebellion, and certainly not the kind of submission that was normally expected of them.
What the apostle Peter was particularly concerned about was that certain of the believers might fall away from the faith in light of this persecution. (And, certainly, when you think of it, to give it up when to do so might result in some relief from danger and harassment and persecution, might be quite appealing and attractive.)
What Peter counsels them to do then is to continue, in every other way possible, to show respect and obedience and submission to these authority figures, and to do so without surrendering or compromising their faith in Jesus Christ. That way—this is his other concern—those authority figures cannot help but be impressed with their upright and totally godly behaviours and ways of life—and possibly, even be won over.
So, what are we to take from this? Are we to obey, to submit, to unjust and ungodly authorities, and especially those who are viscious and hurtful towards us? These are very important questions and they strike at the heart of much of how we act in our modern western society. We generally counsel people not to ‘roll over and play dead’ (that is, submit) but instead to stand up for their rights.
But, as wise and right as this often is, I do wonder at times about how far we should go in this. In this day of massive and often sustained protests, I sometimes wonder just how much of an impact they make. Does the sheer weight of numbers really make much of a difference? Or, is it the quiet, on-going, unrelentless behind the scenes work that changes things? Here I think of the campaign by Wilberforce and others to abolish the slave trade or the court battle to hold the tobacco industry accountable or the one-on-one act of caring for an avowed and terminally-ill Southern racist by the very person he once vilified and persecuted (recounted in one of Philip Yancey’s books). Perhaps, just perhaps, a respectful attitude and treatment of the other person will go much, much further and have a deeper and more lasting effect. Anyway, it is certainly a matter of prayer for all of us, no matter who we might be. Amen.
Forward notes: “As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil” (verse 16).
“These verses are hard to reconcile with those that follow. Consider 1 Peter 2:18: ‘Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh.’
“This second verse, taken out of context, was used to justify slavery in the United States. White slave owners cited this and other verses, invoking the authority of the Bible and God as permission to hold slaves. They used their freedoms as citizens and Christians as a pretext for evil.
“It is impossible to fully understand and empathize with the mind of a past individual or culture so I will not presume to explain that which I could never understand. But I believe that history and the people of the past speak to current times and living people. I wonder how other Christians and I use the freedoms given to us by God today as a pretext to benefit ourselves. In what ways do we use our freedoms to disadvantage others, even to oppress?”
MOVING FORWARD: “Research Absalom Jones, the first African American priest in the Episcopal Church. What can his witness teach you today?”