Easter 4 – Jubilate April 25, 2021
1 Peter 2:11-20
Purposeful, Joyous Suffering
v.19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear friends in Christ, the appointed texts for this Fourth Sunday of Easter—Jubilate or Rejoice Sunday—seem a rather odd choice at first. The OT reading from Lamentations 3 speaks of the believer bearing the yoke, being struck, and filled with insults, yet trusting in the Lord. In the Gospel reading from John 16 we see Jesus telling His disciples that they will be sorrowful. And here in the Epistle reading from St. Peter, we are exhorted to bear up, even unjust suffering! How is any of this connected to joy? Joy in suffering? Nobody likes to suffer! Nobody wants to suffer! Yet, this is what we Christians are called to endure.
As always, it helps to have a little bit of context. St. Peter began this portion of his letter by telling the church that they have been called by Christ, out of the darkness of this world, to be citizens of His kingdom. Indeed, that we are now to live as Jesus' royal priesthood—for we are a part of His people—a holy nation. Therefore, St. Peter urges us "as sojourners and exiles" (people who are in the world, but not of the world) "to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evil doers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:11-12).
Now that we Christians have been called by Christ to faith in Him, we are a changed people—a holy people—a people set apart by God for faithful service to Him and His Word—and loving service to our neighbor—whomever that may be. Peter was not naïve. Remember, Peter was writing at a time when it was quite dangerous to be a Christian—when the government was outright persecuting Christians (indeed St. Peter would later be executed by that government, simply for being a Christian). Yet he urges us Christians to keep our conduct/actions honorable among the Gentiles (unbelievers). So that, when they speak evil against us, yet they may still see our good deeds and glorify God when He returns.
Note that St. Peter doesn't say "If" the unbelievers speak evil against you, but "When." Christians will always be spoken against by the unbelieving world—viewed as evil for our adherence to the Word of God above all else—despite societal norms, etc. As Jesus says to His disciples in Matthew 10:24-25, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household." As they spoke evil of Christ our Lord and Master, so they will speak evil of us, His disciples and servants. We should expect nothing less.
Peter then goes on in our text to give some examples of what our good deeds as Christians living in a hostile world may look like. First of all, we are to be subject to all human institutions, particularly the government. For they have been put in place by God to maintain order by punishing those who do evil and praise those who do good. By doing good, even in the face of slanderous and malevolent accusations, the ignorant and foolish people will be silenced. Because they will see that those who do such good things as loving and serving their neighbor at every opportunity—speaking kindly to all—etc.—are not really evil at all. By living out our Christian faith in this way, we may prove that the world's slanderous accusations against us are false.
We are to live as people who are free—free by the redeeming blood of Jesus. No longer are we bound to uphold the Law in order to earn righteousness—for we have already freely received such perfect righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ who bled and died for us. However, we are never to use such freedom as a cover-up for evil, but rather are to continue to live as servants of God. We do what is right and good out of love for our God who has had such mercy upon us and saved us when we didn't deserve it.
Our freedom from the Law's demands does not excuse sinful behavior. We can't think, "Oh, I can give into this sinful temptation and it will be OK because Jesus died for me." That is not faith, but unbelief. We are to repent of our sin—turn away from it—and strive to do good in all things. Yes we fail—and yes we are imperfect followers of God's Word—and so we always rely on the Gospel of Jesus to build us up and soothe our consciences, trusting in His grace and mercy all the more. But this is not license to sin, but rather freedom from sin. We use our freedom, rather, in loving service to our neighbor who needs our good works.
Therefore, we are called to honor everyone—love our fellow Christians—fear God above all things—and yet honor the government authorities however we may, as long as they don't want us to do anything contrary to the Word of God. So then, servants are to be subject to their masters—whether their masters are kind and good or not. Even if they are mean and unjust, we are to serve them faithfully to the best of our abilities. This beloved, THIS is a gracious thing in the sight of God—enduring sorrows while suffering unjustly.
To be sure there is a great deal of suffering in the world—among Christian and non-Christian alike. But Peter isn't talking about generic suffering. He is not talking about the kinds of suffering all people have endured this past year in relation to the pandemic: job loss, loneliness, heartache, and sorrow. As real as that suffering is. Nor is he even talking about the Christian suffering under the diagnosis of a terminal illness—the pain that disease and death brings to body and soul. Rather, he is specifically talking about the suffering Christians endure when they suffer for being a Christian—suffering for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—an unjust suffering.
Bearing up under suffering for something that you have done—say breaking the law of the land—is no big thing—you steal a car, you should pay the price. However, suffering for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus—for His Word of truth and salvation—now THAT is a gracious thing in the sight of God. We have seen examples of this in recent years: Baronelle Stutzman, the florist from Washington state who has been repeatedly sued for refusing to provide specific floral arrangements for a same-sex couple's wedding, as it violated her conscience and religious beliefs. Or Jack Phillips, a Colorado bakery owner, who has been sued by the state repeatedly for refusing to use his artistic cake design skills in service to things that violate his conscience and religious beliefs. And there are many more.
Beloved, the time is coming when all Christians may be called upon to suffer for our faith. The time may come when we, too, may face punishment from the government, our employers, and the world at large, for holding to Biblical truth—whether it is regarding human sexuality, the sanctity of human life, even what pronouns we use when speaking of our neighbor. Yet, St. Peter exhorts and encourages us to remain true to the Word of God throughout. And to continue to do good to our neighbor. Not to respond in anger and hatred, but rather in Christian love and charity, while never denying the truth. We combat evil and falsehood, not by using evil and falsehood in return, but rather by emulating our Lord Jesus Christ—who spoke mercy and grace to all people—who loved the world so much that He gave up His life into death to save us from our sin.
There is purpose and joy in the suffering of the Christian, dear friends. God may use our stalwart suffering to lead people to faith in Jesus. For we cling to the promises of our God in Jesus Christ that our sins have been wiped away by His shed blood, meaning that this time of suffering will only be for a little while—that there is an eternity of joy that awaits those faithful who believe.
And our God has not left us here to wrestle with these things on our own. No indeed. He has provided us with His Holy Word and Sacraments—that reassure us of His love and grace each and every moment of every day of our lives. They fill us with the forgiveness of sins Christ earned for us on the cross. They transform us to be more like Christ so that we may bear up under the unjust sorrows and sufferings of this world. For we know that our Lord Jesus has conquered sin, death, and the power of the devil. So, too, shall all who believe in Him. For Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen again! Alleluia! Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
1 Peter 2:11-20
Purposeful, Joyous Suffering
v.19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear friends in Christ, the appointed texts for this Fourth Sunday of Easter—Jubilate or Rejoice Sunday—seem a rather odd choice at first. The OT reading from Lamentations 3 speaks of the believer bearing the yoke, being struck, and filled with insults, yet trusting in the Lord. In the Gospel reading from John 16 we see Jesus telling His disciples that they will be sorrowful. And here in the Epistle reading from St. Peter, we are exhorted to bear up, even unjust suffering! How is any of this connected to joy? Joy in suffering? Nobody likes to suffer! Nobody wants to suffer! Yet, this is what we Christians are called to endure.
As always, it helps to have a little bit of context. St. Peter began this portion of his letter by telling the church that they have been called by Christ, out of the darkness of this world, to be citizens of His kingdom. Indeed, that we are now to live as Jesus' royal priesthood—for we are a part of His people—a holy nation. Therefore, St. Peter urges us "as sojourners and exiles" (people who are in the world, but not of the world) "to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evil doers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:11-12).
Now that we Christians have been called by Christ to faith in Him, we are a changed people—a holy people—a people set apart by God for faithful service to Him and His Word—and loving service to our neighbor—whomever that may be. Peter was not naïve. Remember, Peter was writing at a time when it was quite dangerous to be a Christian—when the government was outright persecuting Christians (indeed St. Peter would later be executed by that government, simply for being a Christian). Yet he urges us Christians to keep our conduct/actions honorable among the Gentiles (unbelievers). So that, when they speak evil against us, yet they may still see our good deeds and glorify God when He returns.
Note that St. Peter doesn't say "If" the unbelievers speak evil against you, but "When." Christians will always be spoken against by the unbelieving world—viewed as evil for our adherence to the Word of God above all else—despite societal norms, etc. As Jesus says to His disciples in Matthew 10:24-25, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household." As they spoke evil of Christ our Lord and Master, so they will speak evil of us, His disciples and servants. We should expect nothing less.
Peter then goes on in our text to give some examples of what our good deeds as Christians living in a hostile world may look like. First of all, we are to be subject to all human institutions, particularly the government. For they have been put in place by God to maintain order by punishing those who do evil and praise those who do good. By doing good, even in the face of slanderous and malevolent accusations, the ignorant and foolish people will be silenced. Because they will see that those who do such good things as loving and serving their neighbor at every opportunity—speaking kindly to all—etc.—are not really evil at all. By living out our Christian faith in this way, we may prove that the world's slanderous accusations against us are false.
We are to live as people who are free—free by the redeeming blood of Jesus. No longer are we bound to uphold the Law in order to earn righteousness—for we have already freely received such perfect righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ who bled and died for us. However, we are never to use such freedom as a cover-up for evil, but rather are to continue to live as servants of God. We do what is right and good out of love for our God who has had such mercy upon us and saved us when we didn't deserve it.
Our freedom from the Law's demands does not excuse sinful behavior. We can't think, "Oh, I can give into this sinful temptation and it will be OK because Jesus died for me." That is not faith, but unbelief. We are to repent of our sin—turn away from it—and strive to do good in all things. Yes we fail—and yes we are imperfect followers of God's Word—and so we always rely on the Gospel of Jesus to build us up and soothe our consciences, trusting in His grace and mercy all the more. But this is not license to sin, but rather freedom from sin. We use our freedom, rather, in loving service to our neighbor who needs our good works.
Therefore, we are called to honor everyone—love our fellow Christians—fear God above all things—and yet honor the government authorities however we may, as long as they don't want us to do anything contrary to the Word of God. So then, servants are to be subject to their masters—whether their masters are kind and good or not. Even if they are mean and unjust, we are to serve them faithfully to the best of our abilities. This beloved, THIS is a gracious thing in the sight of God—enduring sorrows while suffering unjustly.
To be sure there is a great deal of suffering in the world—among Christian and non-Christian alike. But Peter isn't talking about generic suffering. He is not talking about the kinds of suffering all people have endured this past year in relation to the pandemic: job loss, loneliness, heartache, and sorrow. As real as that suffering is. Nor is he even talking about the Christian suffering under the diagnosis of a terminal illness—the pain that disease and death brings to body and soul. Rather, he is specifically talking about the suffering Christians endure when they suffer for being a Christian—suffering for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—an unjust suffering.
Bearing up under suffering for something that you have done—say breaking the law of the land—is no big thing—you steal a car, you should pay the price. However, suffering for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus—for His Word of truth and salvation—now THAT is a gracious thing in the sight of God. We have seen examples of this in recent years: Baronelle Stutzman, the florist from Washington state who has been repeatedly sued for refusing to provide specific floral arrangements for a same-sex couple's wedding, as it violated her conscience and religious beliefs. Or Jack Phillips, a Colorado bakery owner, who has been sued by the state repeatedly for refusing to use his artistic cake design skills in service to things that violate his conscience and religious beliefs. And there are many more.
Beloved, the time is coming when all Christians may be called upon to suffer for our faith. The time may come when we, too, may face punishment from the government, our employers, and the world at large, for holding to Biblical truth—whether it is regarding human sexuality, the sanctity of human life, even what pronouns we use when speaking of our neighbor. Yet, St. Peter exhorts and encourages us to remain true to the Word of God throughout. And to continue to do good to our neighbor. Not to respond in anger and hatred, but rather in Christian love and charity, while never denying the truth. We combat evil and falsehood, not by using evil and falsehood in return, but rather by emulating our Lord Jesus Christ—who spoke mercy and grace to all people—who loved the world so much that He gave up His life into death to save us from our sin.
There is purpose and joy in the suffering of the Christian, dear friends. God may use our stalwart suffering to lead people to faith in Jesus. For we cling to the promises of our God in Jesus Christ that our sins have been wiped away by His shed blood, meaning that this time of suffering will only be for a little while—that there is an eternity of joy that awaits those faithful who believe.
And our God has not left us here to wrestle with these things on our own. No indeed. He has provided us with His Holy Word and Sacraments—that reassure us of His love and grace each and every moment of every day of our lives. They fill us with the forgiveness of sins Christ earned for us on the cross. They transform us to be more like Christ so that we may bear up under the unjust sorrows and sufferings of this world. For we know that our Lord Jesus has conquered sin, death, and the power of the devil. So, too, shall all who believe in Him. For Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen again! Alleluia! Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.