Crazy Peter

Peter told his readers who were facing difficult times to "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution" (1 Peter 2:13). What follows are examples of human institutions, including government (1 Peter 2:13-17), servants (1 Peter 2:18-20), and the institution of marriage (1 Peter 3:1-7). In every case Peter tells his readers to submit for the Lord's sake even in the case of bad leadership. He sums up this way:

To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)

You see, this text makes it abundantly clear that ... Peter was a loon. Crazy as a bat. All that "harmonious" and such is well and good, but, seriously, man, do you actually expect us to not return evil for evil or insult for insult? That's not even human.

How can we do that? Why would we do that? Peter gives a basic reason for us to do such an outlandish thing. By giving a blessing instead, "you might inherit a blessing." Okay, fine, we all want a blessing. Indeed, Peter says, "you were called for the very purpose." That, he says, is one of the fundamental things you and I were called for. So ... how? How can we possibly do this? Well, earlier he told them to "fervently love one another from the heart" (1 Peter 1:22), which looked like "putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander" (1 Peter 2:1) first and then longing "for the pure milk of the Word" (1 Peter 2:2). This works well "if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good" (1 Peter 2:3). And there's the key. In his explanation of how wives could submit to unbelieving husbands, he told them about women of old "who hoped in God" (1 Peter 3:5). That allowed them to submit for the Lord's sake and adorn themselves with a quiet and gentle spirit.

That, then, is our secret weapon. Not returning evil for evil, insult for insult, but honoring everyone and fearing God (1 Peter 2:17). If our hope is in our circumstances and our own abilities, we're going to have to get nasty sometimes. If it is in our God, then such responses are not necessary. "Oh, but they are," some will protest. And I'll happily let you argue that with God who says otherwise.