I Peter 2:18-25
I had mentioned a few days ago that Peter often discusses persecution in this epistle. And true to form, in today’s reading the word “suffer” is mentioned four times, twice with respect to Christians suffering and twice recalling Jesus’ sufferings. But that’s a nice connection for Peter to make. Many (most?) scholars believe that Peter was martyred during Nero’s reign. His persecution of Christians is legend! So Peter, himself, may have been suffering persecution while he is writing this letter. And if so, he is connecting himself to Jesus’ sufferings and offering his own connection to Jesus’ sufferings to other Christians. By association, we 21st-century Christians in the USA are hardly “suffering”. However, there are troubles that do befall us – frustrations, disappointments, hurts. I can well remember the nuns in grade school telling us to “offer it up” when troubles came our way. They were probably helping us to connect with Jesus’ sufferings, not unlike Peter’s writing today. They were teaching us more than we could ever have imagined back then!
Servants… not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. (v. 18) This verse is another take on the servant-master relationship that Paul has already visited. But Peter is adding something new here, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. He is covering all bases. In Paul’s letter to Philemon he was trying to connect a Christian servant to his Christian master. Peter is suggesting that the master may not be a Christian at all and may, in fact, be a harsh, even cruel master. And what is to be the servant’s response? To be subject to your masters with all respect… It may not get the servant any positive return, but also that master may possibly be won to Jesus over time – as we saw two days ago, …on the day of visitation… (v. 12b), whenever that is!
Slava Bohu!