Tawa Baptist

Reach

Scripture: 1st Peter 3:18-22

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Righteousness & Atonement
  • Exaltation & Confidence
  • Conclusion – Humanity

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

If you have ever been fishing with a rod and reel then you will know the importance of not getting your line in a tangle. If you let out the fishing line too quickly the nylon on the reel turns into a birds’ nest. When that happens you just have to slow down and let the line all the way out, until it is untangled, then wind it back up again.

Untangling fishing lines is good practice for brushing knots out of children’s hair and untangling your wife’s necklaces.

This morning we continue our series in first Peter, focusing on chapter 3, verses 18-22. This passage is a bit of birds’ nest. No disrespect to Peter but people throughout the centuries have got themselves into all sorts of knots trying to understand what Peter meant. Even the great reformer, Martin Luther, said he could not understand this passage. What may have been obvious to Peter’s first century audience is simply lost on us. So we approach this reading with humility, being honest about the limits of our knowledge.

From first Peter chapter 3, verses 18-22, we read…     

18 For Christ diedfor sins once for all,the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 through whom alsohe went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patientlyin the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were savedthrough water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good consciencetoward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Just as it is important to avoid getting your fishing line in a tangle, so too we need to keep our thoughts in order when we read Scripture. To save any intellectual birds’ nests, the big idea of today’s message is: nothing is beyond Jesus’ reach. The victory and Lordship of Jesus is comprehensive in its scope, both in this world and in the spiritual realm. So that’s the headline: ‘Nothing is beyond Jesus’ reach.’

With that in mind, there are five things in today’s text that I want to draw your attention to, and they are all about Jesus. These verses speak of the righteousness of Christ, the exaltation of Christ, the atonement of Christ, the confidence we can have in Christ and the humanity of Christ.

Righteousness, Exaltation, Atonement, Confidence and Humanity. R.E.A.C.H. It spells reach. First let’s consider the righteousness of Christ and the atonement of Christ together – because they go hand in hand in Peter’s thought here.

Righteousness & Atonement:

Righteousness has to do with right relationship – acting with justice and kindness in our relationships with others. Loving God and loving our neighbour.

Atonement also has to do with relationship. In very simple terms, the meaning of atonement can be found in the syllables: At-one-ment. If we do something unrighteous (something unjust or unkind) in our relationship with another person, then the relationship is no longer one. It is damaged. Perhaps not broken into a thousand pieces but at least fractured, no longer whole.

For us to be in right relationship with that person again we must make atonement – we must do something to put the relationship right so we are at-one with that person.     

Let me illustrate what I mean. I have here a packet of biscuits from the kids’ Sunday school. This packet is unopened. It is one. It is whole. None of the biscuits are missing. But what if I were to open the packet and eat one or two of the biscuits?

Well, if I did that (and I’m not saying that I have) but if I did, then the packet of biscuits would not be one anymore. I could not, in good conscience, give the Flock Sunday school kids a half-eaten packet of biscuits. What would I need to do to make atonement in that situation do you think?

[Wait] That’s right. I would need to replace the biscuits. Then my relationship with the kids and my relationship with myself (my conscience) would be right again. It would be at-one and whole.   

Of course, replacing a packet of biscuits is an easy thing to atone for. But some things cannot be replaced. If you break someone’s heart or betray their trust or do something that cannot be undone, then it becomes far more difficult to put the relationship right again and atonement feels out of reach. Well, it might be out of reach for us but it is not out of reach for Jesus.  

In verse 18 of chapter 3 Peter writes: For Christ diedfor sins once for all,the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

This verse is talking about the atonement Jesus made for humanity on the cross. Jesus was completely righteous in all his ways. He alone is the only human being to have lived a sinless life and so he alone is the only one who can atone for the rest of us who have sinned and cannot atone for ourselves.

In the Old Testament Jews would atone for their sins (they would replace the biscuits they had stolen) by sacrificing an animal, one without blemish, one that was whole and healthy. That was a ritual they had to keep repeating. It was like the atonement did not stick. It was only temporary. So righteousness, of a lasting kind, was always out of reach for them.

But Jesus died for sins once for all. The quality of his sacrifice was sufficient to atone for all sins through all time, so there is no need for any more animal sacrifices. Jesus does not just replace the packet of biscuits. He redeems the whole biscuit factory.

Jesus died for sins to bring us to God. You see, we have all broken trust with God. We have all done injury to God’s heart. We have all taken something that cannot be replaced. That’s the bad news. The good news is that Jesus’ death somehow makes us at-one with God again. Jesus’ death and resurrection brings right relationship, with God, within our reach.

Our salvation is not automatic though. While the atonement of Jesus is a permanent fix and while it does bring righteousness within reach, we still have to take hold of it by faith. And this is what Peter is getting at in verse 21 of chapter 3 when he talks about baptism:

…and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good consciencetoward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Baptism is the ritual of Christian initiation. It is a beginning.  It is how we demonstrate we want to be a Christian. Baptism is a way of publicly saying, ‘I want to take hold of the righteousness that is now within my reach because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.’

Notice that it’s not just Jesus’ death which saves us but his resurrection also. Jesus’ death and resurrection go together. Baptism is a symbolic re-enactment or identification with Jesus’ death and resurrection. When we go down under the water we are saying, ‘my old way of life is now dead to me’. And when we rise up out of the water we are saying, ‘I pledge to live for righteousness.’

Peter wants to make it clear that it is not the ritual of baptism itself that saves us. The water is not magic. It is Jesus’ death & resurrection that saves. Baptism is a way of asking God (on the basis of the atonement Jesus made) to cleanse our conscience and forgive our sins.

Sometimes people put off being baptised because they feel like they are not good enough yet. Baptism is not a badge that says you’ve made it. It is a confession that says you are a sinner (you’ve eaten the biscuits and you can’t replace them) but you want to live for righteousness. So you don’t you have to be perfect in order to be baptised but you do need to be prepared to make a few changes to your lifestyle. Baptism does not mean business as usual.  

Okay, so we are talking about how nothing is out of reach for Jesus and he brings righteousness and atonement within reach for us.

In this morning’s reading Peter also focuses on the exaltation of Christ and the confidence this gives to Christian believers.

Exaltation & Confidence:

We live in a relatively egalitarian society here in New Zealand. One which is quite flat in terms of its social structure. No one likes to stick out too much. In some ways this is good. We enjoy a certain degree of equality; of being on an even footing with others. But the shadow side to this is tall poppy syndrome. Tall poppy syndrome is a phrase which means cutting people down who might succeed or rise above the rest.

New Zealand is not like other countries. We are less inclined to celebrate success and more inclined to criticize those who do well. Which sounds crazy, when you say it like that, but it’s true.

A couple of weeks ago a guy called Jay came and spoke to a group of Wellington Baptist pastors. Jay is the national coordinator for 24-7 youth work in New Zealand and he is also the founder of a movement called E Tū Tāngata.

E Tū Tāngata is a Maori term.  E Tū means stand and Tāngata means people. But it translates as Stand Together. E Tū Tāngata is about people standing up together against tall poppy syndrome. That means valuing ourselves and others. Not putting ourselves or others down.

When speaking to groups of people Jay often asks the question, ‘On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate yourself?’ (10 being absolutely amazing and 1 being not great). Most people say they are a 6 or 7, because they live in New Zealand and that’s the right answer in kiwi culture. We want to be just above average but not too far above the rest because then we will get cut down. 

The problem with tall poppy syndrome is that it infects our mind-set. It puts us on a downward mental spiral. Life is hard enough without being hard on ourselves too. We need to be on our own side.       

When the Bible talks about the exaltation of Christ it means the lifting up of Jesus. The exaltation of Christ includes his resurrection from the dead, his ascension to heaven and his enthronement at the right hand of God. Peter spells this out in verse 22 where he says:   

[You are] saved by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Jesus’ exaltation makes him the tallest poppy around and in New Zealand culture that also makes him (and his followers) a target.  

As kiwis we might hear those verses about Jesus’ exaltation and think: Not sure I like that image of Jesus. I liked him better when he was washing feet and being a carpenter and rubbing shoulders with ordinary people. I liked him better when he was more on my level.

The truth is Jesus has always been a 10 and that’s okay. In fact, it is good news, because Jesus being better than us (his being perfect) is what brings righteousness and atonement within reach. God wants to raise us up. He wants us to realise that, in Christ, we are 10’s also.   

You know, tall poppy syndrome makes us blind and deaf to certain things. When we read that verse in the gospels where Jesus talks about loving your neighbour as you love yourself, we might hear, ‘I must love my neighbour and whenever I fail to love my neighbour I’m no good, I’m a 1 or a 2’. Something else to feel stink about.  

But we can be slow to hear the second part of what Jesus is saying there which is love yourself. Love in this context means to seek the well-being of your neighbour and yourself. We cannot sustain love for our neighbour out of an empty well. Loving yourself means taking care of your own needs. Not being self-indulgent but having grace for yourself. Not being too hard on yourself. Not letting your inner critic dictate a mantra of negative self-talk. 

The exaltation of Jesus is something for us to celebrate because it gives us confidence. Who do you want to see exalted? Who do you want to see in charge? Do you want someone who doesn’t know what they are doing? Who makes poor decisions and cannot be trusted? Or do you want someone who is wise and kind and just? Someone who is firm but fair, strong but also compassionate. I think we all want the latter. We want Jesus to be lifted up because he can be trusted. The exaltation of Christ gives us confidence. Confidence to reach for righteousness and peace. Confidence to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.     

Verses 19 and 20 of chapter 3 are among the most knotty in the Bible. This is where the birds’ nest often comes into play. Peter writes:

Jesus was… made alive in the Spirit. 19 through whom alsohe went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patientlyin the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were savedthrough water,

Much ink has been spilt by scholars trying to understand these words. While we cannot fully comprehend exactly what Peter is saying here, the general gist seems to be that the exaltation of Christ gives Christian believers confidence.

Say whaaat? Let me explain.    

Peter says that Jesus made proclamation to the spirits in prison who disobeyed in the days of Noah. Who these spirits are and where the prison is exactly is disputed. I won’t confuse you with all the different theories but I will present you with the majority opinion among Bible experts today.

You may remember from the series on Noah, a few months ago, that the people of Noah’s day were so bad that God gave up on them and decided to start again with Noah and his family. It is thought that the spirits Peter refers to were the evil spiritual beings of Noah’s time who, according to Genesis 6, overstepped God’s boundaries by sleeping with human women.

In Jewish tradition these fallen angels were behind a lot of the bad stuff that happened in Noah’s day, so God locked them up in a prison somewhere in the spiritual realm. Jesus went to these spirits in prison to let them know he had conquered sin and death and so he is in charge. Sort of a victory speech.

The message to Peter’s readers is to be confident in their suffering for Christ because Jesus still reigns and rules. He has not surrendered believers to the power of evil forces. Jesus triumphed over all evil by his death & resurrection. By implication those who put their faith in Christ and share in his suffering will also share in his exaltation and reign with him. [1]

Suffering with and for Christ is a reason for confidence, because it is the path to exaltation.

Peter was comparing the fledgling church of the first Century to Noah and those with him in the ark. The Christians of Peter’s day were like Noah and his family; a small minority in a world that was hostile to them. But they could be confident that, like Noah, their future would be secure when the flood of God’s judgement came.

The fact that Jesus is exalted to the highest place means that nothing is out of reach for Jesus. As the psalmist says:

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.    

Nothing is out of reach for Jesus.

Conclusion:

The H in our REACH acrostic stands for the humanity of Jesus. Verse 18 tells us Jesus was put to death in the body. This is a reference to Jesus’ humanity. Jesus had a physical body like us. He experienced the weakness of the flesh like we do. He understood hunger and pain and temptation. And he died as all people must. Jesus was fully human. He was not just a heavenly tourist on this earth.

The fact that Jesus is from heaven and is human means that he can bring the kingdom of heaven within reach for us. Jesus offers us his righteousness, his exaltation, his atonement, his confidence and his humanity.

May grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is righteousness? What is atonement? How do we make (or find) atonement? Are there things in your life that you long to atone for?
  • How do we take hold of the righteousness and atonement that Christ offers?
  • On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate yourself? (10 being absolutely amazing and 1 being not great).  Why is that do you think? Would your private answer be different from your public answer? How so?
  • What is meant by the exaltation of Christ? Why is Jesus’ exaltation good news for us?
  • Why does Peter compare his readers to Noah and his family? In what ways was Noah’s situation parallel with Peter’s first century audience? In what ways is Noah’s situation parallel with ours?
  • What confidence do you take, personally, from Jesus’ exaltation and humanity?

[1] Refer Thomas Schreiner’s commentary on 1st Peter, page 198.

Tawa Baptist

Sanctuary

Scripture: 1st Peter 3:13-17

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Sanctuary
  • Transparency
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Before we start I just want to say ‘thank you’ to the mystery person who put peanut brownie cookies in my letterbox last Monday. That was a winsome thing to do. They were delicious and I appreciated the connection with the sermon.

Today we continue our series in first Peter, focusing on chapter 3, verses 13-17. Part of the purpose of Peter’s letter is to encourage Christians who were suffering for their faith in Jesus. At the time Peter was writing, the church in Asia Minor was probably not subject to full on persecution but Christians were a marginalized minority, viewed with suspicion. There was social pressure to hide one’s faith in Christ. Believers were apparently misunderstood, maligned and slandered. In a culture where reputation was everything, the church’s reputation was getting a beating.

In today’s passage, and the verses that follow, Peter talks about how the Christian community is to handle itself in that context.

From 1st Peter chapter 3, verses 13-17, we read… 

13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hopethat you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience,so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will,to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.  

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Two words which give us a handle on this passage are sanctuary and transparency. We are to find sanctuary in Christ and we are to be transparent (or open) about our hope in Jesus.   

Sanctuary:

Last Monday, while someone was putting peanut brownie biscuits in my letterbox, I was at Zealandier, also known as the Karori Bird Sanctuary. As most of you probably know Zealandier has a special fence around it to keep predators out. The idea is to provide a secure environment which is attractive to birds. One which is filled with the kinds of trees native birds like to feed off.

In some ways Zealandier is to native birds what Christ is to Christians. Just as native birds find sanctuary at Zealandier, so too we Christian believers find our sanctuary, our security, our home and our nourishment in Christ. To be a Christian is to be in Christ. We thrive in Christ, just like native birds thrive in the Karori Sanctuary and just like branches thrive when connected to the vine.   

In verse 13, of chapter 3, Peter says: Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?

There is sanctuary, there is security, in doing good. If you do something bad, something which is outside of a Christian lifestyle, then you invite unnecessary risk and harm into your life. Sort of like a bird that chooses to make its nest outside Zealandier invites the threat of cats and other predators.   

In verse 14 Peter goes on to say: But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.

These words echo the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5:10 where the Lord says: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

It might seem contradictory to us that we are blessed if we suffer for doing what is right, because suffering for any reason does not feel good, it hurts. Being blessed is not measured by a subjective feeling though. Being blessed is an objective state of being.

If someone asks you to do something difficult it is actually a complement. It says, ‘I trust you to handle it.’ And that’s how Peter sees it.  For him it is a privilege, or a sign of God’s favour, to suffer for Christ (if that is God’s will).

Verse 16 also picks up the idea of finding sanctuary in doing good. Peter writes about, keeping a clear conscience,so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

It is never pleasant to be the subject of rumour and malicious talk. It feels unfair and something in us wants to cry out, ‘It’s not true’. But we know that the louder we protest in our own defence, the more guilty we appear. As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet: ‘The lady doth protest too much, me thinks’.

We heard last week that true humility means not responding to people’s insults but trusting God to vindicate us. One sanctuary, or safe place we take refuge in, when we are slandered, is a clear conscience. We can find strength and security in knowing we are not guilty of the things our adversaries accuse us of.

We also find sanctuary in the knowledge that God is just and all knowing. He will defend us in his good time. That’s what Peter means when he talks about his readers’ enemies being ashamed of their slander. It’s not that we wish our enemies to be embarrassed. Rather, we want the truth to win out in the end, because the truth is in everyone’s interests.

Following this train of thought, verse 17 reads: For it is better, if it is God’s will,to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.  

Peter’s point is that his readers’ present suffering, for doing good, is not a sign of God’s punishment or displeasure but rather a sign of his blessing, his favour. If we suffer for the sake of righteousness, we stand to receive a reward.   

From the second part of verse 14 Peter says: “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.

This is a reference to Isaiah 8, where the Lord (Yahweh) says to the prophet:

12 “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. 13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread. 14 and he will be a sanctuary;

In the context of Isaiah 8, the people of Judah were afraid of being invaded and overrun by their enemies. But the Lord’s message to Isaiah was, do not be afraid like the people. I, the Lord God Almighty, am in control. Fear me. Revere me. Regard me as holy and I will be a sanctuary for you. 

Peter’s first century readers may have been tempted to give in to fear of their neighbours. After all the Christian church was vulnerable; it was a marginalised minority in a potentially hostile environment. Peter’s message to them is do not be afraid of your pagan neighbours. The Lord Jesus is in control. Revere him. Notice how Peter equates Jesus with Yahweh, the Lord.  Peter is saying that Jesus is our sanctuary.  

To revere Jesus as Lord, in our heart, is to keep Jesus in the center of our lives – to orientate our whole lives around Christ and his teaching.  

There is a Baptist pastor from the South Island by the name of Andy Edwards who has worked in pastoral ministry for 30 years. Andy writes, “My biggest desire, which is my biggest challenge, is being ‘present’ to God, myself and others… and in this journey I have found slowing down and stillness to be the precondition of presence.”  

Stillness is the precondition of presence. I like that.

When I was at Zealandia last Monday, I found myself on the top of a ridge on the Lakeview Track, which overlooks the upper dam. As often happens in the bush I could hear many birds all around but I could not see any. So I sat down on a bench beside a couple of feeding stations. Just sat quietly in stillness, not really expecting anything to happen.

Within two minutes a male saddleback and a male bell bird turned up and started feeding on the sugar water. (You can tell the males because they usually have brighter feathers than the females, which is sort the opposite of the human species.) These birds were about a meter away and they stopped there to feed for a good five minutes, although I wasn’t really keeping track of the time. It was a beautiful moment; a moment of genuine sanctuary.

To revere Christ in our hearts includes being present to Jesus, present to ourselves and present to others. Stillness is the precondition of presence. Now obviously we cannot be still all the time. Much of the time life requires us to be active and on the move. But we need to stop and be still sometimes in order to revere Christ and be present to him.

Fear, anxiety, worry, conspiracy, these are the predators that rob the human soul of stillness. When we revere Jesus in our hearts, we find sanctuary from fear and a certain stillness for our soul, so that we may be nourished by the presence of God.

Transparency:

Zealandier is not like a zoo. It is not a cage where the birds are trapped inside. There is a fence to keep rats and cats and possums out but there is no roof to keep the birds in. Zealandier is transparent. It is open to the public and the birds are free to come and go as they please. The transparency of the sanctuary actually encourages native bird life in the greater Wellington area. 

Being in Christ is like being in a sanctuary that has a definite boundary fence or code of conduct, but it also has a gate to give access to the public and it has no roof, it is open to be shared.  

In verse 15, after having told his readers to revere Christ as Lord, Peter writes: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hopethat you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…

So far, throughout this series, we have heard Peter encouraging his readers to be a winsome witness and let their distinctive Christian lifestyle do the talking. Here, in verse 15, Peter says be prepared to speak words of explanation as well.

The idea is that we Christians are to be open and transparent about our hope in Jesus. We are not to push our beliefs down people’s throats. (That would not be respectful or gentle.) Nor are we to keep our faith locked away like an animal in a cage. Rather we are to be prepared to speak when invited.

Peter had to learn this the hard way. On the night when Jesus was betrayed and arrested Peter was not prepared. He was standing outside warming himself by the fire when those with him asked if he was with Jesus. Sadly, Peter denied this three times without gentleness or respect.

But Peter found redemption. Later, after Jesus’ resurrection, when Peter was brought before the same Council who condemned Jesus, Peter was prepared to speak words of reason, with gentleness and respect. 

Okay, so what might you say if someone asks you why you are a Christian? Well, I’m not going to give you a script to follow. It does not work to recite someone else’s words. That just sounds like a telemarketer trying to sell you something. What we say has to be real and genuine. You have to find your own words and your own way of getting the message across.

With these things in mind, try to remember this acrostic. L.O.V.E. Love. Love is the main point of the gospel message. Jesus came to show us God’s love.

L stands for listen. Love listens. If someone wants to have a conversation about your Christian faith, then try to listen to what they are really saying. Listening is both respectful and gentle. Listening earns us the right to be heard and it helps us to understand the other person better.

Which brings us to the O in ourL.O.V.E. acrostic. O stands for others. If someone asks you to give account for the hope you have, you need to understand it’s not about you, it’s about them. What do they need from this conversation? We learn what others need by listening and asking questions.

What you say does not need to be long but it does need to be clear. Don’t use Christian jargon or big theological words that make the other person feel small. Because that is not gentle or respectful and it does not communicate God’s love. The Christian faith is reasonable. It is logical. It makes sense. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and ask, ‘what sense are they making of what I’m saying?’.

V is for vulnerable. Make yourself vulnerable, without going overboard, and without making anyone else vulnerable. Do not speak down to the person. Do not patronize. Come alongside. Share from your heart as much as is helpful. There is a risk with sharing something deeply personal, like our hope in Jesus. We risk rejection.

But that is the way of Christ. Jesus did not coerce people. He challenged people, yes. And his words disturbed people. But he spoke from a place of vulnerability. He did it without defending himself, with his arms open and his heart exposed.

There is a certain stillness in making ourselves vulnerable for the sake of the other person. Even when people cannot understand the content of what we are saying, if we say it with vulnerability, so that the other person knows they are standing on holy ground, a feeling of stillness settles on the conversation and a door to God’s presence is opened.

E is for experience. When it comes to sharing your faith, experience is your friend. People cannot argue with your experience. I like to talk about the goodness of God and the meaning God gives to life because that is real in my experience. One of the reasons I am a Christian is because Jesus makes this world a better place. He makes ugly things (ugly situations) beautiful.

He makes pain bearable.

He comes alongside me when I am lonely and shows me his scars so that, without words, I know I am understood. I am not alone.

He does not lie to me and, for those who have been let down and lied to a lot, that is huge. That is gold.

There is a purity to Jesus that I love and am terrified of at the same time.

These are my words. You need to find your own words based on your experience of God.

When you are in a conversation think L.O.V.E. Start by listening. Remember it is not about you. It is about the other person. Be prepared to make yourself vulnerable but not too vulnerable. Share don’t scare. And speak from your own experience.  

So how might we prepare ourselves then? How might we find the words we need to articulate our hope?

We need to take time daily to soak in the Scriptures and be present to what the Holy Spirit might be saying.

We also need to think about our faith and sometimes to wrestle with the gnarly bits. When you boil it all down, what is it you actually believe to be true in simple language.

And how does that square with the Scriptures, with your own experience and the experience of other believers?

In verse 15, when Peter talks about the hopeyou have… the you is plural, not singular. So it is both your hope personally and our hope collectively. Hearing what other Christians believe and how they have made sense of the gnarly bits helps us in forming what we believe. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. But you do have to own it. It has to be real for you and that takes a process.  

Hope here refers to future salvation. Hope therefore is having faith (or trust) that, even though the present may be difficult, we have something good to look forward to in the future.

That hope may be the hope of resurrection and seeing Jesus face to face.

It may be the hope of being reunited with loved ones who have passed on.

It could be the hope of seeing justice done, of God vindicating the righteous and righting wrongs

It may the hope of seeing a friend or family member share our faith in Christ

Or it may be the hope of being set free from the limitations and burdens and pain we carry in this life.

You know the hope you carry inside you. You know the hope that carries you.

I do not pretend to be good at hope. Like Jonah I tend to think the worst. But, like Jonah, I also know God is more gracious than I am. Which is why God does not quit me and I cannot quit him. And so I find hope in God’s character, his goodness.   

We are talking about the need to be transparent about our faith; to be open about our hope in Jesus. Those of us who were at the church forum last Wednesday saw a wonderful example of transparent hope when Katie & Dan shared with us their sense of call to become youth pastors.

Dan & Katie were quite open with us about the journey they are on. This openness (this transparency) created a moment of stillness, I felt. There were a couple of things Dan said in particular, which I won’t share with you because it is Dan’s story and it is for him to share. But the gentleness and respect and vulnerability with which they shared created a stillness which opened the door to presence. I have asked Dan & Katie to share with us next Sunday morning.

Conclusion:

We started today’s message hearing about the situation of Peter’s first century readers, how they were misunderstood, maligned and socially marginalised. Our situation in 21st Century New Zealand is not identical to theirs but there is some overlap.

The church in New Zealand today is not persecuted but we are aware of a growing disconnect between what Christians believe and what the wider society, we live in, believes. I don’t think we have it as hard as some of Peter’s readers did but we also do not have it as easy as we once did. It seems Peter’s letter is becoming more and more relevant to us.

We need to maintain our sanctuary in Christ. And that means taking time to be still and wait for the presence of Jesus.

We also need to be transparent about our hope in Christ. And that means being prepared to speak with words of love.   

Let’s stand now and sing, Jesus, be the center…

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What was the situation of Peter’s first century readers? How is that similar (or different) from our situation today?
  • What practical things can we do to find and maintain sanctuary in Christ?
  • Why do we need to take time to be still? How does stillness help us to be present to God, ourselves and others? Do you have regular patterns of stillness in your weekly routine? If not, what would need to change to create space for stillness?
  • Why do we need to be transparent about our hope in Christ?
  • What would you say if someone asked you to talk about the reason for your hope?  
  • Discuss / reflect on the L.O.V.E. acrostic. Which aspects do you need to work on? (e.g. listening, others, vulnerability, experience.)
Tawa Baptist

Blessing

Scripture: 1st Peter 3:8-12

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Defined by character
  • Defined by blessing
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

What would you say defines a banana cake? [Wait]

That’s right – a banana cake is defined by bananas. It is made out of bananas and as a consequence its very character, its smell and taste, is banana-ish.

What about a custard square – what defines a custard square? [Wait]

That’s right – custard. Take the custard out of a custard square and it is no longer a custard square, it’s just a piece of pastry. Keep the custard and it does not matter what shape the pastry is, it is still a custard square.

What about a Christian – what defines a Christian? [Wait]

That’s right – Christ. A Christian is defined by Jesus. If a person stops walking in the way of Christ, they are no longer Christian. But how might we define the way of Christ?

Today we continue our series in first Peter, focusing on chapter 3, verses 8-12. In this passage Peter talks about some of the things that define the way of Jesus and therefore are characteristic of Christians. From verse 8 we read…

8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be understanding, love one another as brothers, be compassionate and humble-minded. 9 Do not repay evil with evilor insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to thisyou were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these verses we learn what defines a Christian. We are defined by our distinctive Christ-like character and we are defined by blessing. First let us consider what a Christ-like character smells and tastes like.  

Defined by character:

In my hand here I have a Griffin’s Vanilla Wine biscuit. Vanilla Wines are a plain round biscuit with a distinctive smell and taste. They remind me of my Nana. Often when we went to visit she would put some Vanilla Wine biscuits out for us to eat.

It’s not that my Nana did not do her own baking. She made amazing peanut brownie cookies but I’ve never found a peanut brownie biscuit that tastes just like hers. Fortunately, Griffins have not changed their Vanilla Wine recipe so whenever I want to remember my Nana I simply smell and taste a Vanilla Wine biscuit.  

Character refers to the mental and moral qualities distinctive to a person or community. Character therefore refers to the inner substance of a person or group. Not their physical substance but their moral substance. Character is the seed bed of speech and behavior.

In considering what Christ-like character smells and tastes like, Peter lists five character traits for Christians. In verse 8 we read: …all of you, be like-minded, be understanding, love one another as brothers, be compassionate and humble-minded.    

Notice that Peter starts by saying all of you. In contemporary Western society we tend to think of character in individual terms. But Peter is writing in a cultural context which is more collective in its way of thinking. So these five mental and moral characteristics apply to all Christian believers, both individually and collectively as a community of faith.    

The first moral quality by which Christian character is defined is like-mindedness. Like-mindedness implies working together with other Christians as part of a team or family and not acting in isolation. Like-mindedness also refers to sharing a common heritage and ethical tradition. [1]

Some translations paraphrase the word like-minded as harmony, which provides a lovely image. The church is a bit like an orchestra made up of different people playing different instruments but all playing in a like-minded or harmonious way.

The thing that makes an orchestra like-minded is playing from the same musical score and following the same conductor. In a similar way, the thing that makes the Christian community like-minded is reading the same Bible and following the same example of Jesus Christ.

Closely related to being like-minded is having understanding for one another. Understanding on both an emotional level and an intellectual level. Being happy for people when things go well for them and being supportive of them when life is tough. Understanding requires us to see things from the other person’s point of view and ask ourselves the question; if I was in their shoes what would I find most helpful?

So for example: if the person in question has a problem with alcohol then understanding requires that we don’t buy them a bottle of wine for Christmas.

Or if someone has been abused as a child then understanding might mean not imposing a hug on them because you know they don’t like to be touched.

Or if a couple are not able to have children then understanding means not complaining about your kids keeping you awake at night.

Or if you are a married woman and you have a female friend who is on their own then understanding might mean going on a girls’ night out, rather than inviting your single friend to dinner with lots of couples. You get the idea.

The third character quality that Peter mentions is brotherly love. This comes right in the center of the five virtues, which might indicate it is the most important.

Some more modern translations take out the word brotherly and say ‘love one another’. They do this to appear more gender neutral, more inclusive. But the original text uses the expression brotherly love and when we remove key words in translation we risk watering down the meaning of the text. Brotherly love does not exclude women in any way. As we heard a couple of weeks ago, with the section on instructions to wives, Peter is not writing to men only.

The point is the kind of love Christians are to have for one another is the love that one has for family, for blood relations. We tend to put up with more from family members because they are family. The bond between family members is stronger somehow than other relationships. By using the term brotherly love Peter is saying the church is a spiritual family. So the bond between Christian believers should be at least as strong as the bond between blood relations.

The Hebrew word for love is closely related to the Hebrew word to give. Therefore, in Jewish thought, to love is to give. [2]

Let me share with you a traditional folk story that illustrates brotherly love well.          

Once therewere two brothers who lived in two villages and shared the land between them. Every year they would divide the harvest.

During one abundant year the older brother, who was married and had many children, was worried about his younger brother who did not have a family. Who would support him in his old age? In the middle of the night, the older brother secretly brought some grain to his brother’s storehouse, but when he woke up in the morning he still had exactly the same amount of grain that he had the night before.

The younger brother was also worried: How will my older brother support all his children? So, the younger brother decided to secretly travel to his brother’s storehouse and place some grain of his own inside, but in the morning, he discovered that he still had exactly the same amount of grain as he had before he gave any away.

This went on for two nights until on the third night, the two brothers met as each one was on the way to the other’s storehouse carrying grain. At once, they both understood what had happened and they embraced in brotherly love.

In Jewish folklore it is said that God decided the ground where the two brothers met would be the site of His holy temple. I’m not sure if that is historically accurate but it certainly contains some beautiful truths. Those brothers were defined by like-mindedness, understanding, love and compassion.

Compassion is the fourth word Peter uses to define the Christian believer and community.  In Biblical thought compassion is a strong gut feeling which moves someone to act in kindness for someone else’s well-being. The classic story of compassion is Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan.

You know the one; where a man is beaten up by robbers and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite each, in turn, see the wounded man and pass by without stopping to help. But when a despised Samaritan sees the man in need, he has compassion on the stranger. And his compassion moves him to stop and care for the man’s wounds. Then the Samaritan puts the man on his own donkey and carries him to an inn to recover, paying the expenses himself.     

One of the finer points of Jesus’ parable of the Samaritan is that the wounded stranger had been stripped of his clothes. And in that culture the clothes a person wore identified which race and religion they belonged to. So without seeing any clothes it was impossible for the Samaritan to know who he was helping. It could have been a Jewish enemy.

The point is compassion is blind when it comes to matters of race and religion. Some of you may sponsor children through World Vision or Tear Fund. Although both of these organizations are Christian, some of the communities they support through child sponsorship are not Christian. But that does not matter. As Christian organizations, World Vision and Tear Fund are not defined by the communities they help. No, they are defined by compassion.

Now in saying that compassion is blind to race & religion, I do not mean to imply that Christian compassion is stupid or unthinking. The exercise of Christ-like compassion requires wisdom and discernment.

Being compassionate makes us a target for deceitful people. You would not believe the number of scam emails we receive in the church office. If you try and help everyone who presents some kind of need, you will quickly destroy your capacity to remain compassionate.   

With this in mind, there are three basic questions we should ask ourselves when we come across someone in need:

Firstly, what is the real need here?

Secondly, is it in my power to help this person?

And thirdly, will my helping this person put other vulnerable people at risk?

The Samaritan in Jesus’ parable could see there was a real need. There was a man bleeding out on the side of the road. It was a life and death situation.  

It was also in the Samaritan’s power to help the injured man. It probably was not convenient but he did have the resources to save the man’s life.

And thirdly, the Samaritan helped the wounded stranger in a way that did not put other vulnerable people at risk. There may have been some risk to the Samaritan himself, but there was no risk to anyone else.  

If someone drives up to you in a Lexus and asks for money for petrol, you have to ask yourself, ‘What’s the real need here?’ Because it is probably not money. It’s not likely to be a life & death situation.

Or if a complete stranger, who is sleeping rough, wants a bed for the night then you might ask yourself, do I have the resources to pay for a motel room for them? If you have a wife and children at home, then it would be unwise to let the stranger stay in your house because it would put your family at risk.

Jesus said, ‘Do not put your pearls before swine.’ In other words, do not offer things of value to those who will treat them with contempt. Be discerning about how you spend the pearls of your compassion.      

Being humble-minded is the fifth virtue defining the followers of Christ. Humility was not considered a virtue in Greco-Roman society, although it was a virtue in Jewish culture. In the first century, humility was regarded as a sign of weakness and shame, because it meant an inability to defend your own honour. Only those of degraded social status were humble. [3]     

Another finer point from Jesus’ parable, in Luke 10, is the way the Samaritan puts the wounded stranger on his own donkey to carry him. This shows that the Samaritan was humble-minded. In that culture, the person riding the donkey had greater status than the person walking beside the donkey. The Samaritan gave up his status for the man in need by carrying him on his donkey. 

We kiwis may be tempted to think we are the very picture of humility, but I’m not sure we are. In the Christian sense of the word, a truly humble person does not attempt to defend their personal honour. When insulted, a truly humble person forgives the offence and trusts in God to vindicate them.  

Jesus was humble-minded. He had the power to defend his honour but he chose not to and instead embraced the shame of the cross, trusting God to glorify himself.

Like-mindedness, understanding, brotherly love, compassion and humility. These are some of the essential character qualities that define Christians. Put those virtues together and you have a Vanilla Wine biscuit that reminds people of Jesus.

Having outlined how his readers are defined by Christ-like character (in verse 8), Peter goes on (in verses 9-12) to discuss how we are defined by blessing. 

Defined by blessing:

Our church’s mission statement summarizes our purpose: We are to glorify God and be a blessing to his world. Christians are defined by blessing. We are both the recipients of God’s blessing and the agents of God’s blessing to others.

Verse 9 reads: Do not repay evil with evilor insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to thisyou were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

These words resonate with the teaching of Jesus who instructed his disciples to love their enemies and to bless those who curse you.

The temptation when we are maligned or insulted is to exaggerate the offence in our own mind and use the hurt as fuel for getting our own back against the one who has insulted our honour. But a tit for tat response allows our enemies to set the agenda and define us. As difficult as it is, in the heat of the moment, we need to hold on to who we are. We need to remember that we are not defined by insult and grievance. We are defined by blessing.

What then does Peter mean by blessing? Well, a blessing can be in word or deed. When we speak well of others, publicly, we are blessing them. Or when we ask God to show favour to someone, we are invoking God’s blessing on them. Of course, words of blessing that are not substantiated by deeds of blessing tend to sound a bit thin.

The story is told of a Christian soldier living in a barracks with his unit. Each evening, when he read his Bible and prayed before going to bed, he was insulted and verbally abused by one of the other soldiers opposite him.

One night a pair of muddy combat boots came flying across the room at the Christian. The next morning, the hostile soldier found his boots at the foot of his bed, cleaned and polished and ready for inspection. Several soldiers in his company eventually became Christians as a result of the winsome witness of this one Christ follower who returned blessing for insult. [4]

In this situation the Christian soldier did not allow himself to be defined by his antagonist. He was defined by blessing. God had shown him grace and so he passed this grace on to his enemy. 

In verses 10-12 of chapter 3 Peter provides some Old Testament support for what he is saying by quoting from Psalm 34. Psalm 34, as a whole, focuses on suffering and the Lord’s deliverance of those who are afflicted. Peter chose Psalm 34 because it speaks to the same sorts of issues faced by Peter’s first century readers.

Psalm 34 is attributed to king David who spent some time in exile with the Philistines. David was on the run from king Saul and had to hide in a pagan society, surrounded by people who were hostile to him.

David’s situation was a fitting parallel to the situation of Peter’s readers, who also lived in a pagan society, surrounded by people who viewed them with suspicion if not outright contempt.

Just as God delivered David from his exile among the Philistines, God will deliver Christians from their afflictions caused by their faith in Jesus. [5]

Verses 10-11 of chapter 3, outline the pathway (or lifestyle) of blessing…

For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.

The wisdom here is that our words and deeds need to be in line. We don’t want to be bad talking someone behind their back and then nice to their face. Our words and deeds need to be positive & consistent, both in private and in public.

In the world we live in, speech and words have become a bit cheap. We often say things we don’t mean and swearing and cursing is common place. It’s like we imagine our words don’t matter. But it has been scientifically proven that the things we say to ourselves and to others have a very real effect in shaping our brain and thought patterns.   

We need to watch what we say because, if our speech is deceitful, we will end up believing a lie.

I have mentioned before that Robyn has an acrostic she uses with her class. T.H.I.N.K. – think before you speak. Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind? If the answer is yes, say it. Otherwise think a bit more.

The idea that we must seek peace and pursue it indicates that peace does not simply find us as we sit quietly in a room. Peace requires some effort, some pursuit. Specifically, the effort of acting justly. There is no peace without justice. We cannot control how other people might act but we can control our own actions.    

Jesus’ command to love our enemies does not refer to an emotional feeling. You do not necessarily have to like your enemies. Enemy love means acting justly and kindly towards our adversaries, regardless of the emotions we may feel, and that’s where the effort in pursuing peace comes in. It takes real strength of character and divine energy to go against the grain of what we are feeling and love our enemies. 

I was at the Dentist recently, sitting in the waiting room, and I saw a newspaper article warning against the use of mouth wash. Research has found that we need a diversity of bacteria in our mouth, in order to maintain good oral health. Apparently mouth wash tends to reduce the diversity of bacteria.

This made me think of a parallel with our reading of Scripture. Sometimes we apply a kind of mental mouthwash to the Bible. We can be tempted to sanitize the Scriptures, by reading selectively to remove the parts we don’t like or that sound a bit harsh or offensive or out of date.

For example, we might tend to steer away from the passages that talk about God’s judgement and anger and justice because that makes us feel uncomfortable or embarrassed or fearful. But if we remove the justice and judgment of God from our Bible reading, then we will find it very difficult to believe in the goodness of God as well. And if we lose faith in the goodness of God we won’t be able to repay insult with blessing.

Verse 12 of 1st Peter 3 concludes the quote from Psalm 34…

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

This verse alludes to the justice and judgement of God. We might be tempted to sanitize it by removing the part about the face of the Lord being against those who do evil. But actually we need to hold on to that because it tells us our doing good in response to evil is not in vain. God, who is just, will not tolerate evil indefinitely. There is a reckoning for those who insult others without just cause.

Conclusion:

This morning we have heard what defines the followers of Jesus. We are defined by our distinctive Christ-like character and we are defined by blessing.

The ideals Peter holds up here are not easy to attain. If we spent too long measuring how far we fall short, we might become discouraged and give up. Loving our enemies takes some heavy lifting, it is hard work.

Two things to bear in mind. Firstly, God is on your side. He wants to bless you. He wants to see you succeed in overcoming evil with good. If (or when) we slip up, God is gracious and willing to forgive, provided we are honest and willing to repent. 

Which brings us to the second thing. The perfection of our character is not achieved in a day. So think marathon, not sprint. Pace yourself. Break it down into manageable pieces. Take little steps in the right direction, every day, and stay the course. By God’s grace, and through the power of His Spirit, you will get there in the end.   

Let us pray…

Loving Father, we thank you for your goodness, your justice and mercy.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil we ask.

Help us to remember who we are in Christ.

Help us to be like-minded, working in harmony with other Christian believers.

Help us to be understanding, quick to see things from the other person’s point of view.

Help us to demonstrate brotherly love, for by this will all people know that we are Jesus’ disciples.

Help us to be compassionate, in a wise and discerning way, not wasting our pearls but making them count for your glory.

Help us to be humble, not quick to defend our own honour when we are insulted, but ready to embrace the shame of carrying our cross, in faith that you will vindicate us, if not in this life then at the day of judgement.

Save us from giving in to the temptation of being defined by our enemies.

Help us instead, Lord, to love our enemies and to repay evil with a blessing.

We thank you for the blessing of eternal life that is promised to those who trust and obey Jesus. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • How does Peter define the Christian community in chapter 3, verses 8-12?
  • Discuss / reflect on the five character virtues Peter lists in verse 8. How might you apply each of these in your context?
  • Which of Peter’s five character virtues do you find hardest to practice? What small steps could you take to become more Christ-like in this aspect of your character?
  • Which Christian character qualities do we see in Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan? What three questions should we ask to help us spend our compassion wisely?
  • Why do you think Jesus taught his disciples to bless those who curse them? Can you think of a time (from your own experience) when someone repaid an insult with a blessing? What happened?
  • How might you be a blessing to those around you? (Whether they be friend or foe.)
  • Take some time this week to audit what you say. How much of what you say is true, helpful, inspiring, necessary and kind?

[1] Karen Jobes, 215

[2] https://www.ifcj.org/learn/holy-land-moments/daily-devotionals/brotherly-love-2/

[3] J.H. Elliot, 605.

[4] Refer Karen Jobes’ commentary on 1st Peter, page 218.

[5] Karen Jobes, page 223.

Tawa Baptist

Beauty

Scripture: 1st Peter 3:1-7

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Wives (beautiful submission)
  • Husbands (knowledgeable respect)
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Language has a strange way of evolving over time. What a word or phrase meant several centuries ago can be completely different in today’s usage.

Take the word ‘nice’, for example. In the 1300’s nice meant silly or foolish or ignorant. Then, by the 1500’s the word nice had evolved to mean meticulous, attentive or sharp. These days though the word nice just means agreeable or pleasant.  

The word ‘meat’ has also changed. In old English meat described any kind of solid food (as opposed to drink) for humans or animals. So bread was meat, as were apples or hay. These days though meat has narrowed in its meaning to refer to the flesh of animals eaten by people. A piece of steak or a kranksy is meat.   

Today we continue our series in 1st Peter, focusing on chapter 3, verses 1-7. Zooming out to look at the bigger picture, Peter is giving instructions on how Christians are to relate with those around them, in particular unbelievers.

In this morning’s passage, Peter addresses the relationship between wives and husbands, with a special shout out to those Christian wives who have non-Christian husbands.

Some of the words and phrases in this passage might make a 21st Century western audience cringe. Before we pass judgment on the political correctness of the language though, let’s remember that the nuance and meaning of words evolves over time. The way we hear this reading is quite different from way a first Century Middle Eastern audience would have heard it.

From 1st Peter, chapter 3, verses 1-7 we read…       

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbandsso that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won overwithout words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self,the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in Godused to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker vessel and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

One of the things we notice with this reading is that Peter’s instruction to wives takes up six verses, whereas his instruction to husbands only takes one verse. Why do wives get so much more attention than husbands? Well, two reasons…

Firstly, women were among the most vulnerable and powerless in first century society. Peter is saying that his Christian readers (both male and female) were like women, socially speaking: they were relatively vulnerable and powerless. The instructions he gives to wives here contain principles which apply to all Christian believers regardless of their gender or marital status. So if you are single or a man you still need to pay attention to what Peter is saying to wives because it is relevant to you as well.    

Secondly, Peter wants to affirm and empower Christian women. Peter wants his readers to understand and recognize the valuable role women have in witnessing for Christ and the gospel. Women are not just along for the ride.

If we were to sum up Peter’s instructions to wives (and by extension to all Christians) then it might be something like, practice beautiful submission.  

Wives – beautiful submission:

Another word that has changed its meaning over time is the word ‘naughty’. For us today naughty means being a bit badly behaved, without being altogether evil. If someone eats a piece of chocolate when they shouldn’t or drinks an extra glass of wine, we say that was ‘naughty’.

But originally, being naughty had nothing to do with being badly behaved. Originally, being naughty was equated with being poor. The poor had naught (they had nothing) and so they were called naughty. This was not a comment on their character or behavior. It was simply a description of their socio-economic status.  

This morning’s reading begins with Peter instructing wives to submit to their husbands. In today’s world, where such a high value is placed on personal freedom, the word submit sounds like a swear word. People generally prefer to resist or rebel or protest. The word submit is a bit like the word naughty in that it has changed significantly from its original meaning. So what Peter’s first century readers understood when they heard, ‘Wives, submit to your husbands’, was quite different from what we hear and understand.       

We might hear: sexist, discrimination, inequality, male privilege, domestic violence, oppression and injustice. But Peter’s original audience would have heard things like: winsome, beautiful, gentle, character, courage, purity, reverence, peace and order in the home. I’m not making this up. It’s actually in the text.

To submit means to accept, or yield to, the will of another person. Obedience goes hand in hand with submission. When we submit to someone we put ourselves under that person’s authority. Submission does not diminish our worth or our value as human beings. It is simply a way of saying, ‘you first’.

There are basically two ways to submit to someone: either willingly and freely, or because you are forced to. Peter has just told his readers (in chapter 2) to submit freely to the government and to their masters. ‘In the same’ way wives are to submit to their husbands; that is, freely and not under duress.

In other words, don’t submit because you are forced to. Don’t submit because society expects you to. Don’t submit because you are afraid. Wives, you be empowered. You be in control of the choice to submit.   

If my daughter asks me for a ride somewhere I submit to her request, not because I have to but because I want to. My taking her where she wants to go then becomes an act of love. It helps to reinforce the bond between us.

Likewise, if Robyn says, ‘Can you take the lid off this jar?’, I submit to her request because I want to. Obeying Robyn freely does not make me less in any way. Robyn is not oppressing me. If anything she is making me feel useful.

The submission Peter has in view here is freely given, it is not forced. It is an expression of love, which creates trust between people.

So, should wives always submit to their husbands then? Well, no. Wives should not blindly do whatever their husbands say. In verse six Peter tells wives to do what is right and not give way to fear. The kind of submission Peter is calling for requires discernment and courage. It is a righteous submission.

Our ultimate submission is to God. If your husband (or wife) wants you to do something that is clearly offensive to God, then you must give priority to what God wants. For example, if your husband wants to use you as a punching bag, then you do not have to submit to that.  

In the first century Roman empire, wives were expected to adopt the religion of their husband. But some of the people Peter was writing to had pagan husbands. Peter is not saying wives should worship the gods of their pagan husband. No. They should not submit in that way. That would undermine their faith in Jesus.

To the contrary, Peter is saying: try to win your husband for Christ by being a winsome witness. Peter writes… 

…submit yourselves to your husbandsso that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won overwithout words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

The idea here is that submission provides a winsome witness. To be winsome is to be attractive or charming or appealing in a fresh and innocent way. Winsomeness is not loud or self-promoting. It is pure and authentic.

People can argue with what you say but they cannot argue with their experience of you. An unbelieving husband is likely to be alienated by a wife who harps on about Jesus all the time. But winsomeness speaks for itself without words.

The character Jane Bennet, in Jane Austin’s novel Pride and Prejudice, is the very picture of winsomeness. Unlike her youngest sister Lydia, Jane has a far more gentle and gracious way with people. When she is given the cold shoulder by Mr Bingley she does not think the worst of him. She graciously wishes him well in her heart and does not force the issue. And as we know, the story ends happily for Jane.     

Or if you are familiar with the story of Beauty and the Beast, then we find an example of a winsome woman in the heroine of the story, Belle. Belle submits to the beast, without compromising her virtue, and her winsomeness breaks the spell so the beast is transformed back into a charming prince again.  

St Augustine describes the winsome witness of his Christian mother, Monnica, to his pagan father Patricius:

She served her husband as her master and did all she could to win him for You (Lord), speaking to him of You by her conduct, by which you made her beautiful… Finally, when her husband was at the end of his earthly span, she gained him for You. [1]    

A winsome wife supports her husband. She encourages him when he is down and guides him when he is lost. She is not high maintenance or always badgering with a list of demands. She does not scold him or complain about his faults to her friends. A winsome wife sees his faults and shows grace.      

In verse 1, when Peter talks about husbands that do not believe the word, he means those who have not accepted the gospel about Jesus. The original Greek word translated as believe is more literally obey.[2]  So the meaning is: ‘…if any of the husbands do not obey the gospel…’.

Belief and faith go hand in hand in a Christian understanding. One cannot claim to have faith in Christ without obedience to him.

It could be that some of the wives reading (or hearing) Peter’s letter had husbands who claimed to be Christian but actually did not obey the teaching of Jesus very well. They may have attended church services but then gone home and neglected the needs of their families. Maybe they spent their pay at the pub and didn’t put bread on the table for the kids.  

In that situation Peter is asking the wives to show their husbands the way of the gospel, not with words, but by the example of their lifestyle; their purity and their reverence.

Being reverent means living in the conviction that the whole world is the temple of God and all life is lived in the presence of Christ. The wife’s reverence here is to be directed toward God, not her husband. Husbands are not in the place of God.

Purity is the natural companion to reverence for God. Purity has to do with willing one thing. Not chasing after other men or women or other gods. Staying faithful and true to your husband or wife and to Jesus. If you revere God, if you put God in the number one place in your life, you will live a pure life, a holy life, a clean life, a life of moral integrity. 

The main point to get hold of here is that, for Peter and his first century readers, free submission was a beautiful thing. From verse 3 we read…

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self,the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Peter is contrasting inward virtue with outward adornment. What really matters to God is the content of your character, not the cost of your clothes.

‘Pretty’ is another word that has changed over time. For us today pretty refers to someone or something that looks good or beautiful in a delicate kind of way. For us, prettiness is about outward appearances. We might say, for example, ‘That’s a pretty dress’.

Originally though pretty meant crafty or cunning. Being pretty, therefore, was not about the way someone looked on the outside. It had more to do with the way they thought on the inside. In the old sense of the word, a snake was pretty. You would never have said a dress was pretty because a dress was not capable of being crafty or cunning.

When Peter talks about beauty he does not mean pretty in either sense. True beauty is not an external style or look, nor is it about being cunning. The beauty Peter has in mind comes from the inside out. It is the beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit.

A person’s spirit refers to the way they relate with others. Spirit has to do with the character of relationship, or the quality of our connection with others.

Quiet does not mean silent or shy. It means calm, in control of yourself. If a quiet person does not speak much it is not because they are afraid or do not know what to say. It is because they are in control of their tongue. They think before they speak. Still waters run deep.

Likewise, gentleness does not mean being timid or weak. As we heard last Sunday, it takes great strength and self-control to be gentle. So to have a quiet and gentle spirit means to relate with others in a way that is calm and brings peace into that situation. 

When an unbelieving husband sees his Christian wife managing the home and the kids in a way that is graceful and results in a calm harmonious environment he will (if he has half a clue) see the virtue in his wife’s Christian faith and get on board with it.    

We should not think that quietness and gentleness are solely feminine qualities though. Jesus, who was a tradesman, a bloke, a carpenter, is described as having a quiet and gentle spirit. A bruised reed he will not break and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, until he has brought justice to victory. [3]      

Now, I’m conscious there is a women’s clothes swap coming up. (The timing of this sermon is purely coincidental.) When Peter says, your beauty should not come from outward adornment he is not saying women cannot take care of themselves.

Ladies, you do not have to go around dressed in hessian sacks. You can go to the hairdresser, you can put on a bit of lippy and you can wear jewelry. (Personally, I think hairdressers do a public service. They make people feel good about themselves.)

Peter is warning against spending excessive amounts on our outward appearance and from wearing clothing that is seductive. The clothes swap saves money and no men are allowed, so there is little chance of extravagance or seduction. Besides, the main purpose of the clothes swap is to get people together socially; to build relationship. So you don’t have to feel guilty about going to the clothes swap.

In thinking of the cultural context, Karen Jobes makes the observation that Peter’s instruction against extravagant outward adornment makes sense.[4] Women in that culture did not leave the home very much.

If a Christian wife left the house to go to church, all dolled up, people in the first century would think she was off to see her fancy man; that she was having an affair. Which would obviously bring shame on her husband and on Christ. Not very winsome. But by going out in public unadorned, her purity of purpose, her reverence for God and her intent to attend worship would be more clear.        

In verse 5 Peter refers to the women of the Old Testament, holding them up as an example of what it means for wives to submit to their husbands. He says these women put their hope in God. Hope is about the future. Physical beauty has no future; it fades and so you don’t want to put your hope in that. We are to put our hope in God because he alone has the power to make our character beautiful and a beautiful character is eternal.

In verse 6 Peter pays special tribute to Sarah who obeyed Abraham and called him master. The example of Sarah & Abraham is interesting. The submission in their marriage went both ways; it was mutual submission. Yes, Sarah did submit to what Abraham asked, even when it was risky for her to do so. She did after all follow Abraham into the unknown. But Abraham also submitted to Sarah’s wishes on more than one occasion.

In particular, I’m thinking of Genesis 16 when Sarah, who was unable to have children herself, asked Abraham to consider a surrogacy arrangement with Hagar. Abraham agreed even though it was probably a bit awkward for him.  

The point is: the ideal in Christian marriage is not a hierarchy with the husband at the top issuing orders and the wife underneath obeying his every command. No. The ideal is a genuine partnership where husband and wife are on the same footing, alongside each other, giving space to really listen to one another. If both partners in a marriage are believers, then they should seek God’s will together and submit to that.

Of course, Peter is addressing situations that are not ideal. In his cultural context marriage was a top down hierarchy. If the man was not a believer, the next best thing was for the wife to freely submit to her husband for the sake of Jesus’ reputation and her husband’s salvation.

Having spent some time describing what beautiful submission looks like, in marriage, Peter then instructs men in how to relate with women – that is with knowledge and respect.  

Husband – knowledgeable respect:

I remember browsing through a bookshop one holidays and coming across a paperback with the title, ‘What men know about Women’. It was quite a thick book. I had not been married long at that point and thought, this is interesting, I might learn something. So I opened it up and flicked through the pages. There wasn’t one word written in the whole book. (The message was: men don’t know anything about women. Not very winsome if you ask me.)

In verse 7 we read: Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker vessel and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

The word translated as considerate is more literally knowledgeable. So it carries the sense of Husbands, be knowledgeable (or show understanding) as you live with your wives.

I’m not sure that a man can ever fully understand a woman but he can listen and learn. The message here guys is pay attention to your wives. Think about what her needs are. Do not neglect your wife. Do not take her for granted.

If she has been at home all day looking after the kids then she is probably going to need some time with you in the evening, some adult conversation. If this is what she needs, give her a break. You put the kids to bed, you do the dishes. Then switch off the TV and give her your full attention.     

Or, if she has been at work all day and comes home exhausted, she might just want some peace and quiet. Show her some understanding. You could offer to cook the dinner while she has a soak in the bath to relax. 

But the knowledge in view here is not just the husband’s knowledge of the wife. It is also the husband’s knowledge of what God requires. We take care of our wives because we know that pleases God.

Peter tells husbands to treat their wives with respect. That word ‘respect’ is literally precious in the original Greek. It is the same word used of Jesus in chapter 2:6-7, where it talks about Christ being the precious cornerstone. So husbands are to treat their wives as precious, as highly valuable. 

One of the main ways a man respects a woman and treats her as precious is by submitting to her ‘no’. If a woman says no, then we men need to respect that. No means no. We don’t cross that line. 

Peter says men should respect their wives because they are the weaker vessel, which in our culture sounds a bit offensive. But actually it’s not.

By calling women the weaker vessel Peter means women do not have the same physical strength as men. It’s not that women are physically weaker in every respect. It takes quite a bit of strength to give birth, for example. Not only that but women tend to live longer than men and often have a higher pain threshold. But when it comes to lifting heavy objects and opening jars, men usually have the advantage.

The main point Peter is getting at here is that it is not okay for a man to use his physical strength against his wife. Hitting women is prohibited. We today are quick to agree with Peter but, in the first century, men thought it was acceptable to hit their wives. They thought it was their right in fact. Peter is standing up against his culture and saying, that’s not who we are in Christ. You cannot hit your wife and then expect God to answer your prayers. It does not work like that.  

In verse 7 Peter says that women are heirs with you [men] of the gracious gift of life.  This means women of Christian faith stand to inherit eternal life, so they have equal standing, with men, before God. The message is clear: Husbands, treat your wife with knowledgeable respect for she is your equal.

Conclusion:

Christian marriage is not a hierarchy with the husband at the top issuing orders and the wife underneath obeying his every command. No. The ideal is a genuine partnership where husband and wife are on the same footing, alongside each other, giving space to really listen to God and one another.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Why does Peter give six verses of instruction for wives and only one verse for husbands?
  • How do Peter’s instructions to wives apply to all believers, irrespective of gender or marital status?
  • How do you feel about the word submission? Is this a swear word or a beautiful word for you? How would Peter’s first century readers have felt about the word submission? 
  • What does it mean to have a quiet and gentle spirit? Can you think of examples of Jesus’ quiet and gentle spirit in the gospels?
  • Why do you think Peter warned against elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes?
  • How should Christian husbands treat their wives? Think of some practical examples.
  • Thinking of the wider canon of Scripture, what is the ideal for Christian marriage? 

[1] Quoted in Edmund Clowney’s commentary on 1st Peter, page 130.

[2] Refer Thomas Schreiner’s commentary on 1st Peter, page 149. 

[3] Matthew 12:20

[4] Refer Karen Jobes’ commentary on 1st Peter, page 205. 

Tawa Baptist

Tuakana-teina

Scripture: 1st Peter 2:21-25

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Tuakana-teina
  • Jesus’ example: innocence, meekness, faith
  • Redemptive suffering
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Do you have a favourite sandwich? For me it would have to be a Reuben. Reuben sandwiches are fairly simple: two thick slices of wholegrain bread (toasted) with corned beef and sauerkrauts in the middle. Hard to beat a good corned beef sandwich. 

Today we continue our series in the New Testament epistle of first Peter. We are roughly in the middle of Peter’s letter now, in a section that looks a bit like a sandwich. Not a Reuben sandwich so much; more of a suffering sandwich.

The focus of this morning’s passage (chapter 2, verses 21-25) is Christ’s suffering. Jesus provides the Christian believer with a model for responding to unjust suffering. This is the meat of the sandwich.

It seems that Peter has intentionally sandwiched Jesus’ suffering between instructions to slaves (which we heard about last week) and instructions to wives (which we will look at next week). Slaves and women being two of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups at the time Peter was writing. From 1st Peter chapter 2, verses 21-25, we read…

21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example,that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him,he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himselfto him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sinsand live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,”but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Peter’s words in these verses draw on Isaiah 53, where the prophet talks about the suffering servant. Peter takes this prophecy from Isaiah and appropriates it to Jesus, whose suffering had a redemptive effect.

Tuakana-teina:

In traditional Maori society there is a concept, or more accurately a relationship, known as tuakana-teina. If you work in education you may be familiar with it.

Tuakana is the Maori word for an older brother, sister or cousin. And teina refers to a younger brother, sister or relation.   

The principle of Tuakana-teina is used in schools as a model for buddy systems, where an older or more expert tuakana helps and guides a younger or less experienced teina. The idea is to create a culture of care and support.

Tuakana-teina is actually part of the DNA of our church also. When we talk about our church being inter-generational, part of what we mean is that we want to be a community of faith where each of the generations is represented and the older more mature believers (the tuakana) help and guide the younger less experienced (the teina). Of course, it’s not just the younger who learn from the older. The older can also learn from the younger. It is a mutually beneficial relationship.    

Last Sunday, being Labour weekend, the BIG and Flock kids (aged 3-12 years) combined for their Sunday school programme. One of the advantages of occasionally combining age groups like this is that it provides the opportunity for tuakana-teina relationships to form. In fact, one child (a 12-year-old boy) was helping a 5-year-old boy with a craft they were doing and said to Robyn, ‘tuakana-teina’. He understood it wasn’t just about completing the craft. Yes, the craft helps one to remember the lesson but, more importantly, it is a vehicle for building relationships of care and support.  

In using an example from Sunday school I don’t mean to suggest that tuakana-teina is just for kids. It is for the whole congregation. Someone in their 20’s can be a tuakana to someone in their teens (as happens in youth group). Just as someone in their 40’s or 50’s can be a tuakana for someone in their 20’s or 30’s, and so on. 

In verse 21 Peter says: To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example,that you should follow in his steps.  

Verse 20 tells us the this to which we are called is ‘suffering for doing good and enduring it’. 

With our calling in mind, Jesus is our tuakana (our older brother) and we are his teina (his younger siblings). Ours is a tuakana-teina relationship. Jesus shows us by his example how we are to handle ourselves if or when we experience unjust suffering.  

Broadly speaking Peter highlights three things about Jesus’ example here: Jesus’ innocence. Jesus’ meekness and Jesus’ faith. When we manage to follow Jesus’ example, of innocence, meekness and faith, we point others to Christ and so glorify him. Our relationship with Jesus is meant to be mutually beneficial.  

Jesus’ example:

In verse 22 Peter alludes to Isaiah 53:9 saying of Jesus: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

This refers to Jesus’ innocence or his righteousness. Jesus is the only human being ever to have lived to adulthood and be sinless. Jesus is the spotless, perfect Lamb of God. The fact that Jesus committed no sin and yet still suffered punishment implies that his suffering was unjust, not fair.

We note here that Jesus was sinless both in word and deed. ‘No deceit was found in his mouth’, tells us that Jesus had a clean heart as well as clean hands. The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Therefore, no deceit in the mouth implies no deceit in the heart. Jesus did not pretend. He was the same on the inside as he was on the outside.

The fact that Jesus was without sin and was always honest means he is a genuine tuakana who we can trust. His example carries weight. 

Now, it needs to be acknowledged that while Jesus was completely innocent or sinless, we are not. Sometimes (or perhaps often) we fall short. Nevertheless, we need to do our best to be innocent in all our dealings with others, so that if we are wrongly accused we can draw strength from a clear conscience. God, who knows all things and is just, will vindicate the innocent either in this life or the next.     

Jesus had perfect control over himself, which brings us to our next point; Jesus’ meekness. In the first part of verse 23 Peter writes: When they hurled their insults at him,he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.

This illustrates Jesus’ meekness. Meekness is often misunderstood these days as being a bit timid or weak. But meekness is not weakness. Quite the opposite. Meekness is great strength, great power, under control. Meekness is akin to gentleness. It takes tremendous strength to control oneself, and not retaliate, in the crucible of injustice.

In 2nd Samuel chapter 16, a man named Shimei starts cursing David and throwing stones at him and yelling insults. One of the men with David says: ‘Why should this dead dog curse my lord and king? Let me go over and cut off his head.’

And David replies, ‘…Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today.’ David responded with meekness here; great strength under control. David had the power to kill Shimei but he doesn’t. Instead he trusts himself to God.

In Matthew 26, when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, one of the disciples responded with the opposite of meekness. He drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest cutting off his ear. But Jesus intervened saying: Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

Jesus then healed the servant’s ear and submitted to his unjust arrest because it was God’s will for him in that situation. That is meekness, great power under control. Jesus had the power to easily smash his opponents but he kept that power in check for the well-being of others.   

Later, that night, when Jesus was brought to trial and wrongly accused of all sorts of crimes, he was silent. Then, the next day, when Jesus was hanging on the cross his enemies goaded him saying: If you are the Messiah, come down from the cross and save yourself. But Jesus did not respond with threats. He did not say, ‘My dad is going to get you for this’. No. He said: ‘Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing’. That is one example of meekness, given to us by Jesus (our tuakana).     

Now, I need to say here that meekness does not always equate to biting your tongue, staying silent and doing nothing. While it is true that Jesus never threatened anyone there were plenty of times when Jesus spoke up to expose the truth.

Jesus called a spade a spade. (There was no deceit found in his mouth.) Jesus said to the Pharisees openly, ‘You white washed tombs. You look good on the outside but inside you are filled with corruption and filth.’ Jesus was not being unkind in saying this. He was not threatening them. To the contrary, he was simply stating the facts; both for the benefit of the people (so they would not waste their lives following the wrong example) but also for the benefit of the Pharisees themselves, so they would clean up their act and return to God.

The point is, meekness does not mean avoiding the truth or keeping silent about injustice. If you are suffering physical or sexual abuse, then expose the truth. Tell someone you trust what’s happening to you. Say what is. Do not make threats to the abuser about what you are going to do. Do not retaliate or seek revenge either. Instead be meek and get help. Report the abuse to someone who can help you get free of it. Let the authorities deal with it.

There is wisdom in walking away from an abusive situation. In Luke 4 Jesus stood up to speak in the synagogue and the people there took offense at him, so much so that they decided to throw him off a nearby cliff. In that situation Jesus did not submit to their abuse because his time had not come. But nor did he call down fire from heaven to destroy them. Instead he quietly slipped through the crowd and walked away. That too was meekness.  

Just because it was God’s will for Jesus to die on the cross, it does not automatically follow that it is God’s will for you to suffer abuse too. The fact that Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Your will be done, your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven’, tells us that not everything that happens to us, in this world, is God’s will. Jesus died to bring an end to sin and death. Ultimately it is God’s will that abuse stops and people are free to love him and each other.

So meekness can find expression in a variety of ways. Sometimes by keeping silent and other times by speaking out. Sometimes by walking away and other times by making a stand or taking the fall for someone else.

The single thing that enabled Jesus to be meek was his faith or trust in God’s justice. In the second part of verse 23 Peter tells us that Jesus entrusted himselfto God who judges justly.

Jesus had faith that God would see him right. And Jesus’ faith in God was rewarded. God vindicated Jesus by raising him to new life on the third day. Jesus’ resurrection is evidence that God is just and that Jesus was innocent. It is because God is just that we can have confidence that he will right any wrongs or injustices we suffer, if not in this life then in the next. 

Jesus is our tuakana (our older brother) and the example he gives for us to follow is the way of innocence, meekness and faith.

Redemptive suffering:

Can anyone here tell me what a cooper is? [Wait]

That’s right. A cooper is a tradesperson who makes wooden barrels. A very popular trade in centuries gone by but not so much in demand now.

Two or three weeks ago one of my favourite TV shows returned: The Repair Shop. In this series people bring much loved antiques and treasures to a workshop of skilled craftspeople who set about repairing and restoring the items. I like this show because it is essentially about redemption. Redemption means saving or reclaiming something.

One of the items brought in a couple of weeks ago was a small wooden barrel. The barrel was missing some braces and was basically in pieces, so it couldn’t hold liquid.

After the master cooper had put the barrel back together again, he took a bag of salt and poured it into the barrel, followed by some hot water. He then explained how the salt makes the barrel sweet again. The salt draws all the nasties out of the wood and into itself. The salt absorbs the impurities, cleansing the barrel.

This struck me as a parable of what God did, through Jesus, in redeeming us. Jesus came to save us and reclaim us for God. 

In verse 24 of 1st Peter chapter 2 we read: “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sinsand live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

If we are like a broken barrel, then God is like the master cooper and Jesus is like the salty water whose life was poured out to cleanse our souls from within.

Jesus bore our sins, in his body, a bit like salt soaks up the impurities in a wooden barrel. Jesus did not do this so we could refill the barrel of our soul with more impurity. He did it so our lives could be filled with the new wine of his Spirit and we could live for righteousness.    

“By his wounds you have been healed” is a poetic way of saying Jesus’ suffering is redemptive. It heals us in a spiritual sense. It saves us and reclaims us for God’s purpose. 

The classic Old Testament story of redemptive suffering is that of Jacob’s son Joseph. If anyone suffered unjust treatment it was Joseph. Although he had done nothing to deserve such treatment Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, who were simply jealous of him.

To his credit Joseph did not allow this injustice to make him resentful or bitter. Instead he went about meekly proving himself a good worker in the house of his master, Potiphar. Potiphar promoted Joseph putting him charge of all the other household servants.

But there was more injustice coming Joseph’s way. When Potiphar’s wife took a fancy to Joseph, and Joseph refused to sleep with her, she falsely accused him of sexual assault and Joseph was thrown into prison. The fact that Potiphar did not have Joseph killed indicates that he knew Joseph was innocent but, like Pilate before Jesus, his hands were tied.

God gave Joseph the grace to endure the hardship in prison and, as he had done with Potiphar, Joseph went about meekly proving himself a trustworthy servant to the man in charge of the prison. After 3 and half years, God then provided a way out for Joseph.

Long story short, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and Pharaoh made Joseph Prime Minister of Egypt. This put Joseph in a position to redeem many lives from starvation, including the lives of his brothers who had sold him into slavery in the first place.       

Joseph points to Jesus, in that his suffering was redemptive. God used Joseph’s unjust suffering to save many, just as he used Jesus’ suffering to save many more.

Our Scripture reading today finishes with verse 25 where Peter says:

For “you were like sheep going astray,”but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

This echoes Isaiah 53:6 which reads: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. In other words, none of us are completely innocent. We are all sinners.

The Shepherd and Overseer of our souls refers to Jesus. Jesus is the good shepherd who goes after the lost sheep and indeed who musters the flock for their redemption.

Often, when we think of Christ as the good shepherd, we picture the image of Jesus tenderly carrying a lamb on his shoulders. And while tenderness is one layer of the meaning here, it is not the only layer.

Peter is quick to call Jesus the Overseer of our souls which indicates Jesus’ authority over our lives.  Jesus has every right to require us to respond to unjust treatment with innocence, meekness and faith because that is what he has done in redeeming our souls. 

Conclusion:

Returning to The Repair Shop for a moment. Another item brought in for redemption was an old fashioned set of scales for weighing babies. The cradle in which the babies were laid was a basket made from willow canes. This cane basket was in a bad state.  

The basket weaver who fixed the cradle explained that, before she could work with the willow canes, she had to soak them in water to soften them up and make them flexible. Otherwise the canes would be too brittle and would snap in her hands when she tried to weave them together.

It made me think, we are a bit like the willow canes in God’s hand. We need to be soaked for a while before we are flexible enough to be useful to the Lord’s purpose. But what is it we soak in? Is it the water of unjust suffering or is it the water of God’s grace?

Well, I suspect it is both, depending on what we need. Suffering, in small doses, can make us softer and more compassionate but too much suffering can dry us out, making us hard and brittle. In which case we probably need to soak in the water of God’s grace for a bit.

Just as actual water (H2O) is two parts hydrogen and one-part oxygen, I imagine the metaphorical water God uses to soften us up is two parts grace and one-part suffering.      

In a few moments we will share communion together. Communion is a time to remember the example of our tuakana, Jesus. It is a time to soak in the water of Christ’s suffering and grace for us. May God’s grace and peace attend you.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is your favourite sandwich? In what way is today’s Scripture reading like a sandwich?
  • What is tuakana-teina? Can you think of any tuakana-teina relationships that have been mutually beneficial in your own experience? In what sense is Jesus our tuakana?
  • Discuss / reflect on the example Jesus has given us – that is Jesus’ innocence, meekness and faith. Which of these facets of Jesus’ character do you find most appealing? Which is most disturbing or challenging for you?
  • What are some of the ways that meekness can find expression? How might we know when to be quiet and when to speak up? Or when to walk away and when to stand our ground?
  • Why did Jesus bear our sins in his body?
  • How has God used suffering and grace to redemptive effect in your life?