Peter is writing to Gentile Christians using deeply Jewish language. He calls them the “elect exiles of the Dispersion (Diaspora).” If the Jewish Diaspora are Jews exiled from Israel, then Christian Diaspora are Christians who are exiles from where? Heaven. Peter’s major point is that as Christians, we are not at home here. He writes to people who have lost power and position in society because of their choice to follow Christ. They are being persecuted and rejected by society because of their choice to follow Christ and their lifestyle that accompanied that choice.
Throughout the letter, Peter is going to explore three temptation for a poor response to losing power and position in society:
Blend in with society. Interpret Christianity in a way that doesn’t make you stand out in the culture.
Withdraw and hide. Close yourself off from the world, build bigger and thicker walls to keep the world out, and do everything you can to stay safe and not be challenged by the world.
Fight back. Do everything you can to reclaim positions of power in society. If they hit you, hit them harder. If they insult you, insult them back.
Throughout his letter, Peter is going to say that these three responses to persecution are not the way of Jesus. He continually paints a picture of Jesus as one who endured suffering from persecution and calls us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. How then should we respond to the world? “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” 2:12. Basically, rise above the ways of the world so that they see the love of Christ in you and through you.
The only way we are able to rise above is to first recognize that we are God’s chose and special possessions (2:4-5) and we are not at home in this world (1:1). When we recognize that we are God’s dearly loved Children, and that our citizenship is in heaven, we can let go of the need for power and position in this world and more freely love those who oppose us.
As we move closer and closer to the election, I hope for Peter’s letter to continually remind us that we are God’s chosen, this is not our home, and love is the only way to respond to this election and those who vote differently from you. No matter the outcome of this election, remember, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flowers of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” Our true citizenship is in a forever Kingdom so do not put too much of your emotional energy in things that do not last forever.
He begins his letter with an incredibly long run-on sentence (in the Greek). He lays the foundation fo God’s goodness, the salvation that we’ve received in Jesus Christ, the fullness of that salvation that is still to come, how the Prophets longed to know about what we have freely been given in Christ, and ends with a note that the angels long to understand the special relationship we have with God! Peter lays this foundation because when the world rejects us, we no longer have position or power, we are reminded of who we belong to and where our home is and we no longer have a need to fight back.
Next week’s lesson will explore how we are called to live as God’s special people in a world we are not at home in. 1 Peter 1:13-2:10 will be our focus passage and 1:22-2:3 will be the passage for Dwelling in the Word.