Knowing What Time It Is 1 Peter 1:3-12

This week we talked directly about a prominent theme in 1 Peter: suffering because of being identified with Jesus Christ. It is really hard for us to enter into the theological thought world in which 1 Peter was written and even more difficult for us to relate to the socio-cultural circumstances in which Peter's young Christians found themselves. It is the best scholarly consensus that Peter's people to whom he wrote were not yet in the midst of the full-on persecution of the Roman empire. It is too early for that. What they were suffering from - and this is particularly difficult for those of us who benefit from the pluralism of Western democracies to understand - is a profound and sustained social bullying from their neighbors. Luke Johnson captures the situation here: "Persecution and martyrdom, after all, have a certain clarity and comfort. Lines of allegiance are obvious. However difficult the choice, it need be made only once. But scorn and contempt are slow working acids that corrode individual and community identity. Social alienation is not a trivial form of suffering. Persecution may bring death but with meaning. Societal scorn can threaten meaning itself, which is a more subtle death (Luke Timothy Johnson)."

It is important to note that when Peter approaches the question of suffering he does not engage in an apologetic addressing the issue of why suffering is allowed by a good and all powerful God. This sort of theological exercise can be found elsewhere in the Scriptures but Peter here addresses the specific issue of suffering because of one's faith in Christ, which he regards as part and parcel of being identified with Christ in a world that resists his rule and grace. Moreover, Peter teaches us that to be a part of God's mission to bring the world to Christ through the gospel one must suffer rejection as Jesus suffered rejection from the gods of this world and those who worship them. This is because the pattern of God's redemptive work from the time of the fall to the present is a pattern of working through suffering to bring glory (e.g. the Exodus, the Exile, etc.) This is at least part of what Peter means when he talks about the Spirit of Christ testifying in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ: "Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated, when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you.....". This theological insight is a different way of saying what Jesus said about the OT on the road to Emmaus: "Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures (Luke 24:25...)". What Jesus is teaching his disciples and what Peter is saying is that God's pattern of redemption in the Old Testament, to bring glory through suffering, is the prophetic pattern that Jesus' suffering and glory fulfill. Peter is reassuring these new converts that God's mission in the world is executed not in spite of suffering but through suffering and that their suffering - due to their identification with Jesus Christ - means that they are on the right side of history; they have become a part of God's mission to bring his redemptive love into the world.

We titled this homily, "Knowing What Time It Is", because that, in a sense, is what Peter is wanting for his people: to know the time. Throughout this long introduction and blessing, Peter has chosen to call attention to time, again and again. Suffering is for a little while, there is an inheritance awaiting God's people, and the last day is anticipated as a time of joy because Jesus' praise and glory will be our praise and glory. Finally, the prophets are invoked in order to link the present situation of suffering to God's work in the past, specifically to help these Gentile converts find their place in God's ancient story of redemption. These new Christians in what is now Western Turkey are encouraged to see their suffering as evidence of their identity with Jesus Christ. His suffering brings to fruition God's pattern of working through suffering to bring redemption and glory to this fallen world. In this time (for a little while) they and we are to regard suffering as evidence that we are a part of God's work.

We are far removed from the time and place of this letter on the one hand. On the other hand the clock hands have not moved too much when it comes to what we should expect regarding suffering because of our identity with Christ. Because we enjoy the religious freedom afforded to us in our socio-political setting most of us do not suffer the acids of scorn and contempt in the same way as did Peter's people. However, we must be careful that we don't take advantage of our socio-political setting to hide our identity with Christ like chameleons. In my opinion there is no one-size-fits-all formula to follow in order to be a perfect disciple of Jesus, suffering the perfect amount of scorn, etc. Each person must ask God's Spirit to search her heart and come to her own conclusions about whether or not she is a chameleon or not. Here is what I wrote in my devotional as I pondered this topic:

"If you want to be popular tell everyone what they want to hear; learn how to ingratiate yourself to others. Exploit insecurities in other people so that they need your praise and approval to feel OK about themselves. Remove the suspicion that you are a sycophant by criticizing people who are sycophants and doing so very loudly. Alternately, carve out for yourself a position of power in relationship to other people. Make them need your gifts or make them need a relationship to your persona in order to have currency with others. From this position you can tell them whatever you want without worrying about whether what you say is true or loving because your dependent community will not push back at you for fear of losing you as a patron. But if you want to suffer in this life - identify with Jesus and tell everyone by the example of your life and the words from your lips that sin and evil have been conquered on the cross and that this is the place where God must be met if any of us are to have hope. Tell everyone by your influence (not by coercion) that you believe that the line between good and evil runs through each human heart and that each of us has played a sinful role in the breaking of the peace of God's world. When we live in this identity we will suffer; and when we do we are to respond with the love of Jesus, not returning evil for evil but good for evil."

Questions for discussion:

1. In our socio-political setting, due to our religious freedom and influence, is it possible for us to invite scorn and contempt for positions we take as Christians but not actually because of our identity with Christ and Christ crucified? Examples?

2. In our socio-political setting, what does it look like for us to be scorned simply because of our identity with the message of the gospel? Examples?

3. Many non-Christians in the U.S. think they are rejecting the gospel when they are really rejecting aspects of Christendom. What do you think many have in mind when they are rejecting "aspects of Christendom"? Can you think of creative ways to help people encounter the simple message of the gospel? What role do you think your church community can play in supporting you in introducing the gospel to others? Examples?