“My Kingdom Is Not
from This World…”
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.
I don’t know about you, but when I hear this kind of language—“the desires of the flesh”—I almost immediately think, “Oh, we’re talking about sex here, aren’t we?” But not so. While sexual conduct is a concern for Jesus and his early followers, they were not fixated on it to the exclusion of other concerns. The irony, of course, is that our modern Christian fixation on sexual sin has not cultivated anything resembling a culture of fidelity and virtue, but on the contrary a culture of shame, secrecy, and scandal. It seems we may have missed the point.
The point for Peter in today’s scripture…is that we abstain from the fighting of the world. Notice how Peter opens his instruction here by identifying his fellow Christ-followers as “aliens and exiles”—that is, as people who do not belong to this world but to another world. When I start thinking along those terms, I recall the words of Jesus to Pilate, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over” (John 18:36). Jesus clearly communicates here that his followers belong to a different world and live a different way. And I recall what happened shortly before Jesus spoke these words, how in the garden Peter—the person who is writing our letter—drew his sword and struck the ear of an opponent (John 18:10). I recall how Jesus reprimanded him, saying, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matt 26:52). One of the early church leaders, Tertullian, turned this into a core teaching: “When Christ disarmed Peter, he disarmed all of us.”[1]
And so I wonder if, when Peter urges his fellow Christ-followers to “abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul,” he is remembering this lesson he learned from Jesus. The desires of the flesh that wages war against the soul are the desires for vengeance and control, payback and prestige. For Peter and for us followers of Christ, the real fight is—as Paul put it—not against other people, not against “flesh and blood,” but against the powers and principalities that wage war within, inflaming us to resent and accuse and fight back.
Let’s see if this aligns with what Peter says next…
12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles—which is to say, the nations, the citizens of this world’s kingdoms (as opposed to God’s kingdom)—so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds—more literally “good deeds” or “works”—and glorify God when he comes to judge.
Much of the Roman empire “maligned” the early communities of Christ-followers for their difference—for their refusal to sacrifice to the emperor at the marketplace, for their refusal to attend civic events to which they objected (like the games at the coliseum), for their refusal to observe the basic distinctions of class and honor that separated rich and poor, and master and slave. Peter here is urging his audience not to respond in kind, not to vilify society, not to fight back—not to cave in to the desires of the flesh and take up the sword, as he once did. Rather, he says, persist in doing good that society might also one day give glory to God and live a better way. God’s mission is not to contain evil…but to transform it.
“For the Lord’s Sake”
13 For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution—the more literal translation, which I prefer, is “every human creature”—whether of the emperor as supreme, 14 or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing right—literally, “doing good”—you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. 16 As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. 17 Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
If a Roman governor had caught wind of Peter’s letter being circulated among the churches in modern-day Turkey, would he have been worried about subversive Christian teaching spreading amid his subjects? Probably not. A superficial reading reveals nothing to fret over. Peter invites his audience to “accept the authority” of every human creature, specifying the emperor and governors. He concludes by telling his audience to “honor the emperor.”
But if we move deeper than a superficial reading, we begin to detect hints of a worldview that is ultimately incompatible with the Roman empire. We begin to detect hints of what made Jesus a dangerous rabbi in the Roman empire’s eyes and what eventually put him on a cross.
To begin, before Peter advises accepting the authority of the emperor and governors, he advises accepting the authority of “every human creature.” And the reason for this, his rationale, is of supreme importance. It is not a survival strategy. It is not because every human creature is stronger or superior. It is, Peter says, “for the Lord’s sake” (1 Pet 2:13). In other words, accepting the authority of others does not signify becoming a doormat and letting others do whatever they want. Rather it signifies the voluntary positioning of oneself as a servant for God’s sake, the deliberate choice to seek the good of the other person, just as Jesus said, “You know that among the Gentiles [the nations] those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant” (Mark 10:42-43). The point for Jesus is that while the world seeks to have power over others, in God’s kingdom we seek a cross-shaped power, a power “under” others, a love that does not overpower but empowers. Jesus does not mean that we must choose to suffer abuse. He himself stood in the way of such abuse, as when the crowd had gathered to stone the disgraced woman. The point for Jesus is not needless suffering but deliberately serving and seeking the good of the other.
It is well worth noting that Peter never acknowledges the legitimacy of worldly leadership, whether the emperor or his governors. Theologically speaking, his worldview could align with Jesus’, for Jesus seems to accept the devil’s proclamation that this world’s kingdoms belong to the devil (cf. Luke 4:5-7). When Peter says, “Honor the emperor,” it is possible he is referring to the emperor Nero, who was responsible for the violent persecution of Christians. (Nero blamed Christians for a great fire that swept through Rome in 64 CE). Peter is not advising honor on the basis of the emperor’s office or his just exercise of power but on the basis of his humanity. Notice what he says right before: “Honor everyone” (1 Pet 2:17). Peter is not blessing the Roman empire or the status quo, he is exploding it. The same honor you give the emperor, he says, give everyone. Treat everyone that way. And notice what else he says in between these two directives to honor others. “Fear God” (1 Pet 2:17). In case his audience missed it, Peter is putting the emperor in his place. Fear—or what might translated as “awe and wonder and reverence”—is due not the emperor, but God. Revere God, and honor his human creatures—all of them.
“When He Suffered…”
Today’s passage concludes with one of the Bible’s most troubling scriptures. Even the lectionary omits the very next verse because it seems indefensible in light of how our world will hear it.
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.
It is because of this passage and other related passages that Jefferson Davis once proclaimed that slavery “was established by decree of Almighty God…it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation.” Similarly the Rev. Richard Furman, for whom Furman University is named, preached, “The right of holding slaves is clearly established in the Holy Scriptures, both by precept and example.”
Allow me to rebut these arguments in swift fashion. To follow Christ in the way that Peter is encouraging his audience leaves absolutely no room for owning or controlling other people. On the contrary, following Christ means honoring others as free persons. Following Christ means positioning oneself under others as servants, not over them as masters. There is no “lording it over” others in the kingdom of God.
It is no coincidence that Peter only addresses slaves in his letter, not masters. The implication is clear. Peter knows that there are many slaves among his audience, but he does not expect there to be any slaveowners. For him, it would be a logical contradiction that a Christ-follower would own another person.
19 For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20 If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
The word “example” here is a unique Greek word that appears elsewhere in antiquity as a reference to the “pattern letters” that school children would carefully trace as they learned to write. In other words, Christ is our pattern, our stencil, guiding us to live in a good way.
22 “He committed no sin,
and
no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he
suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges
justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free
from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
25 For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the
shepherd and guardian of your souls.
My sister-in-law laughs at the memories of when she dated a hand model. It didn’t go very far, particularly because this man cared so much about his hands. Numerous activities—such as cooking adventures and kayaking—were ruled out because of the potential for damage or undue stress to his hands. When she shares these memories, I think about a piece of advice I received regarding dating. “Pay close attention to how your date reacts when something inconvenient or unfavorable interrupts your date.” It could be a mix-up with your waiter. Or a maniac driver and a moment of road rage. (Or the proximity of a knife that could ruin a hand!) Whatever it is, it will tell you a whole lot more about your date than when things are going well.
As a diagnostic, I think the value of this advice goes far beyond the dating world. For example, there have been several soccer tournaments this summer that I’ve enjoyed watching on television, and one thing I’ve noticed is the different ways that team captains will respond in moments of adversity. Some will pout and put on a “woe-is-me” face, throwing their hands in the air, as though helpless to change the fortunes of their bumbling teammates. Others will double-down with encouragement, clapping their hands, embracing their crestfallen teammates, shouting words of support and reassurance. I know which kind of captain I’d like leading my team.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that when Peter gives his audience the pattern of Christ to follow, he points them specifically to moments of hardship. “When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly” (1 Pet 2:23). We see the true colors of Christ when he encounters adversity. Unlike our world, he neither fights back nor flees. His acceptance of difficult realities should not be mistaken as validation of those realities, but rather understood as a deep, abiding trust in God and God’s kingdom. Indeed, Peter points out that it is precisely because Jesus remains faithful that we are saved: “by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pet 2:24).
Only One Way
The paradox of our faith is that it does not presume to change the world, and yet we believe it is the only way our world will be changed. Peter does not set out to end slavery or patriarchy. He accepts these realities. But at the same time, he instructs his audience to live according to a different reality, one in which every person is honored, one in which conflict is not resolved through domination and fighting.
I’d like to conclude, then, by offering an example for further reflection. In Jackson, Mississippi, 1960, a small group of students and a professor, black and white, sat down at a Woolworth counter to be served. What they got instead, for over three hours, were all sorts of condiments—syrup, mustard, salt—poured on their heads, all sorts of insults poured on their soul. But they did not fight back. They endured the taunting and the shame and the violence. In a way that almost seems illogical or senseless, they honored the people persecuting them. Not because they were weak or spineless, but because they were strong in faith, modeling a different world, tracing themselves according to a different Pattern.
Now, they were trying to change their world. In that way, they were going beyond or outside the instructions of Peter. But what I find noteworthy is that, even while they sought change, they did it in a way that remained consistent with Peter’s instruction, which was originally Christ’s instruction. If they sought change, if they desired a particular result, they decided nonetheless that their noble end did not justify any means. Rather, they decided that there was only one means, only one way—the way of enduring love.
Prayer
And guardian of our souls,
We entrust ourselves to you
…
Encourage us, as your servants,
To bow before others
Not in weakness
But in love. In Christ, our pattern: Amen.
[1] Cf. Tertullian, On
Idolatry, chapter 19.
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