Life Project Blog

Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

1 Peter 2:17-21

Slavery was a fact of life in the Roman world of the first century, and Peter addresses it as such.  It isn’t accurate to insist that the Bible condones it, however, as some would do.  It was not permitted under the Law of Moses, and the New Testament addresses it only as one of the ways of this world. There were many in the past who cited the New Testament’s treatment of slavery in an attempt to justify the practice, and of course there are some today who use the same approach to discredit Christianity, but in both cases, such commentators demonstrate a complete lack of understanding concerning the nature of the New Covenant, which established a Kingdom not of this world, and in opposition to this world.

Since we, for the most part, live in places where slavery does not exist as an economic system, we can draw insight from this passage regarding our relations with employers, and that is how I’ll approach it here.

Peter is telling slaves (employees) to submit themselves to their bosses out of regard for God.  He goes on to say that we should do this not only with “good” bosses, but with the harsh ones as well.  For our time, let’s look at it this way: If you are a Christian and you have a bad attitude at work, how does this look to your fellow workers or your boss?  You talk about all the good and wonderful things, and then you are resentful, demanding, and lazy and cause problems for everyone. So, is this what it is to be a Christian? Seems a fair question. If you are always telling your friends that the boss is always trying to cheat you, what kind of impression does that make?

OK, to be fair, I was almost always in management, but to me you would just sound petty and selfish, certainly not like a humble servant of Jesus… but maybe I’m wrong.

Peter goes on to ask what good it would do for you to suffer a beating for doing wrong.  For our time, you sure can’t complain too much if you get fired for doing something wrong, can you?  Getting in trouble for doing right is a whole different matter!  In all cases, Peter is saying that we need to do what is right in God’s eyes and in building God’s Kingdom, and if that requires some sacrifice on our parts, that’s well worth enduring for His sake. Jesus thought so, and as a result of His willingness to suffer and sacrifice, you and I are free from sin and death.

In the next section, Peter looks directly at the suffering of Christ, and we will dive into that one next time.

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

1 Peter 2:13-17

You will recall that Peter has told us in general terms that we need to behave in a manner that is right and proper, as citizens of heaven and not of this world.  His particular concern in verse 12 is that we must live good lives among the pagans, even though they will accuse us of all sorts of things, so that the love and light of Christ will save some of them. Now, starting with verse 13 Peter gets more specific, first talking about our relations with government officials, then with Masters, and then within our own homes.

First off, we are to show proper respect to the rulers of human government.  I always told my students, that this is where the Bible commands that they obey the speed limit, and do you know what they always did?  They laughed, thinking that I was joking! You are probably laughing as you read this… Brothers and sisters in Christ, if we can’t do the little things, how can we do the big things? Oh yes, put a “Jesus” sticker on your car and drive recklessly… great, just great. We are to obey the laws, and show proper respect to our officials, even when they aren’t as respectable as they should be.  Why?

For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. (v. 15)

If we behave badly, it will reflect badly on the Gospel.  What goes through your mind when you read a news story about a foreign diplomat who breaks the law and gets away with it because they have diplomatic immunity?  Probably something not very close to good feelings, shall we say maybe something negative?  How does it appear to the unbeliever when you tell them about Jesus and then misbehave?  Does that unbeliever want to hear more from you about righteousness?  Not likely, you’ve lost your credibility, and so have all other believers.

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. (v. 16)

This is a contrast between free people and slaves.  Keep in mind that the Roman Empire was a slave economy, and a significant percentage of believers were slaves.  Peter is reminding them and us as well, that we are God’s servants (slaves) and our freedom in Christ must never be used to enable evil conduct on our parts.  This is followed by Peter’s imperative in verse 17:

Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

As Peter has set this up quite nicely, I have little else to say here… Oh, except that you should obey the speed limit!

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

1 Peter 2:11-12

Verses 11 and 12 are again transition into the next section of Peter’s letter, transition that is of particular interest to us today.  Peter’s general context here is that we are in this world of Mankind at the present, but we are citizens of a heavenly Kingdom that is not of this world at all, thus we are foreigners and exiles.  Oh no, we are not exiles from the heavenly Kingdom, we are exiles from this world.  As such, we are here representing that heavenly Kingdom of which we are citizens.

Have you ever visited a foreign country? When you did so, did you behave as unofficial representatives of your own country and adopt your best behavior, or were you a jerk?  We Americans have sometimes been described as “ugly Americans” in other countries because apparently, we don’t behave well when we travel.  I don’t know if that is true or not… when I visit other countries I am on my best behavior…  but I have seen how we are usually portrayed on British television and I must say if Americans are really like that in Britain, they don’t act the way we do at home! Suffice it to say that Peter is going in much the same direction that Paul went when he spoke of us as Ambassadors of Christ.

The other side of this “strangers and exiles” metaphor is that we really don’t belong to this world any more, and as such we need to let the priorities of this world go by the wayside.

This is what Peter is referring to when he says that we should abstain from “sinful desires that wage war against your soul”. Sin is over. Slavery to sin is over, and it has no hold on us any more… our chains are gone; we have been set free from the law of sin and death!  So why must we insist on holding onto sin? Peter’s alternative is that we should so conduct ourselves, that the un-Christian world we live in may come to belief when they see how we live.

There is one other point we should consider here.  Notice that Peter says, though they accuse you of doing wrong. Have you ever read any of the posts here on WordPress that are posted by atheists? I refer to the ones that are openly using the label “atheist.” If so, you have no doubt noticed two things, first that they usually have no understanding of the Bible, and often feel quite free to openly misrepresent it.  The other thing is that many are self-appointed experts on what is and what is not “Christian” when it comes to behavior.  They are looking for any slip-up on our part in our personal conduct to justify their own opinions and condemn Christianity.  I guess there’s nothing new under the sun, since Peter saw the same thing in the first century pagans.

So, here we are, strangers in a strange land, citizens of a heavenly Kingdom, representing our King… let’s act like it, and show the world what Christ’s love looks like in action.

This passage, 1 Peter 2:4-10, is a really rich one, but it might seem a little confusing at first because of the imagery involved, that of living stones, but as you’ll shortly see, this, too is a simple passage to understand.  To begin with, Peter writes:

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:4-5

It’s pretty obvious that “the living stone” that we have come to is Jesus Christ; He was chosen from the beginning and is precious to God.  Next, that we are illustrated as living stones is also pretty clear.  The next part used to puzzle me, until I caught the fact that all of us living stones are being built into a spiritual house where sacrifices are to be offered.  Oh, easy money!

The Old Testament Temple was the place where acceptable sacrifices were offered. It was also said to be the dwelling place of God on earth, and that His Spirit dwelt in the Holy of holies, behind the veil.  But now in the New Covenant, His Spirit is the indwelling Holy Spirit that lives within us as covenant partners of Jesus Christ, and we offer spiritual (not animal) sacrifices through Jesus Christ as a holy priesthood. What is a priest? A priest is one who intercedes between man and God, offering sacrifices as they do so.  Because of what Jesus did in taking sins away, He is our only intercessor, and as His co-heirs, we can approach the throne of God with confidence, and we do so in prayer all of the time.  Thus, when built up together, all of us living stones are a royal priesthood, the dwelling place of God on earth… the Church. (Hebrews 8-10)

Peter is using these images from the OT to illustrate our awesome relationship with God to teach Jewish Christians how all of this works together to fulfill the Law, and once we get the hang of it, it’s actually really simple, and really very amazing. Next Peter cites some OT passages that show where this imagery came from…

For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:6 c.f. Isaiah 28:16)

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,” (1 Peter 2:7 c.f. Psalm 118:22)

and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. (1 Peter 2:8 c.f. Isaiah 8:14)

Notice that the first quotation, Isaiah 28 is Jesus, the cornerstone or foundation stone for Zion. Zion is the mountain upon which the Temple was built, the seat of worship, the dwelling place of God. Those who trust in Him (yes the stone is a “him”) will never be put to shame, for their names are written in the Book of Life.  The next 2 quotes are contrasts.  Psalm 118 is why a believer would consider the “stone the builders rejected”. Remember that Jesus was “despised and rejected by men,” because Jesus is the very foundation of all of our hopes.  Contrast that with the Isaiah 8 quote that follows. For an unbeliever, one who has rejected Jesus, He is their stumbling block and causes them to fall, why?  For the Jews of Peter’s time who refused to follow Jesus, He was not what they wanted or expected in a Messiah. This caused them to turn away from Him and that was their ultimate undoing.  For the unbeliever today who refuses to follow Jesus, because they just can’t accept the story of His death, burial or resurrection… or because they are just too cool… their rejection of His grace will also be their ultimate undoing. Yes indeed, they stumble because they disobey His message.  Finally, something truly wonderful…

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10

We as followers of Jesus Christ are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession! No, Peter is not addressing Old Testament Israel, he is writing to Christians.  The old Temple is over.  Israel is over. The Law of Moses is over.  We are in a whole new age, we who were not a people, are now God’s special people; we come from every Nation. In His church, God has recaptured the purpose for which He created Mankind in the first place: Fellowship. (Relationship + Purpose = Fellowship) We have what Israel never had, direct contact with God’s presence. We have an inheritance Israel never contemplated, being co-heirs with Christ to everything. We have received what Israel never received, mercy and eternal life. Yes, dear reader, I think Peter may have understated one thing: That we “may declare the praises of Him…” should be more like praise Him from the rooftops!

Reviewing all of this, how can we not love Him? How can we hold back any longer taking up His work to share this great salvation, brought about by His great love, with those who still hold back from following Him?

Title: A Strange Sequence of Events

Text: Mark 6:14-56

John Has a Bad Day

Mark 6:14-29

Parallel Texts: Matthew 14:1-12; Luke 9:7-9

The real “meat” in this text is found in verses 14-16, the part most commentators discuss and teach is in 17-29, unfortunately. Thomas Jefferson had a painting of John’s head on the platter hanging in his dining room, and I can attest that it is still there, yet the important part is not in what happened to John, it’s what people were saying about Jesus at this point in His ministry.

King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

Others said, “He is Elijah.”

And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”

But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”

Mark 6:14-16

“King Herod had heard about this” “This?” What was “this?”

In context, this passage in Mark’s gospel follows immediately the passage about Jesus sending out the twelve, it is relating to the Kingdom Tour, and we know that news and accounts of Jesus’ activities had spread like wildfire throughout the region; the Pharisees had already begun to consider how they would kill Jesus, and they were exactly the ones who either knew, or with reasonable diligence they should have known that Jesus was the Messiah. Herod Antipas was another matter. Recall that he was the son of Herod the Great who had slaughtered the baby boys of Bethlehem upon hearing of the birth of Jesus. He was the Vassal-king of Judea, serving under the Roman Emperor, a marginal Jew at best in a secular administration, who one day would have his own problems with the Romans.

Who was this guy up in Galilee?

Nobody could figure that out for sure, but there were rumors.

Elijah? A prophet? No, John the Baptist has been raised from the dead!

It’s clear that on some level, John had gotten to Herod. It’s also clear that as a result of a stupid party stunt, Herod has randomly had John murdered. If you are Herod, and you are feeling guilty for what you did at that stupid party because you shot your mouth off… probably after a few drinks, and you think that John the Baptist has come back from the grave with miraculous powers, how do you feel about this new situation?

This guy is a rock star, the people are loving Him… and He has miraculous powers and you think he is the resurrection of the one you had murdered. What do you do now?

You could repent and beg forgiveness, but how would that look in the morning papers on the Emperor’s desk the next day? (so to speak) How will that play on the nightly news? What will your approval numbers do with the people? (Remember, this guy was a politician in a tough spot)

Is there a way you could try to kill him again? But he doesn’t stay dead!

What you really need are powerful allies, and sooner or later He is sure to catch wind of a plot against Him. I have a strong hunch that we might see Herod’s fingerprints later in the story!

Feeding the Crowds

Mark 6:30-44

Parallel Texts: Matthew 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14

Mark jumps back to Jesus and the disciples, who have just returned after their journey through Galilee, giving us the impression that Herod’s musings about who Jesus was had gone on during the mission of the twelve disciples. Jesus hears their stories and suggests they withdraw to the other shore of the Sea of Galilee, to a place Luke identifies as Bethsaida. Mark has them heading there later that night, but either way, they’ve crossed the border. It strikes me as interesting that Mark has the story of Herod and John the Baptist inserted here, because as soon as the “away team” returns to Jesus, He leads them out of Herod’s jurisdiction…

Of course, the crowds have anticipated their destination and arrive first.  That is also interesting; did Jesus have a staff leak? Maybe I was in politics too long, but I can’t help wonder about that. Mark’s reason for their withdrawal was that the crowd was so big, they couldn’t even get a bite to eat, then the crowd, on foot, gets all the way to the other side of the Sea of Galilee before they can row straight across.  Jesus, never letting an opportunity get away from Him, begins to teach.  The disciples, seeing that it’s late in the day, ask Jesus to send the crowd off to get food, and what does Jesus do?

He tells the disciples to feed them. Of course the disciples object, citing the cost, and Jesus has them gather up what food they have and there are five loaves of bread and two fishes. You know the story, with five loaves of bread and two fishes they feed five thousand people and have more leftover than they started with.

So, let’s take stock: Jesus teaches the Kingdom, heals the sick and lame, makes the blind see, chases out demons, forgives sins, raises the dead and now provides free meals?  If you are a priest, a Pharisee or Herod, your political problems are getting worse!

A Stroll on the Lake

Mark 6:45-56

Parallel Texts: Matthew 14:22-36; John 6:15-21

After feeding the five thousand, a murmur went through the crowd: “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”  Jesus knew they were about to seize Him and make Him king by force. (John 6:14-15) This is why the politicians, Herod, the Pharisees and priests, were so concerned about Him. They had two problems, first, they didn’t want to be replaced by Jesus, and they couldn’t have cared less if He was really the Messiah. Second, they had to be concerned about the Romans. Rome did not permit rebellion. They would allow a considerable amount of local autonomy and local rule, which as it turns out, was the secret to their success as an Empire. Rebellion, however, would be crushed with a brutality that had become well-known. Yes, these political types were in a tough spot.

Jesus sent the disciples across the lake in the boat and sent the crowds home; all things considered, that might have been another miracle. Then, He went off to pray alone. That He did so is probably material enough for an entire lesson, for please take note: If Jesus had intended any sort of a Kingdom in this world, He could have had it right then and there.

During the night, another storm comes up out on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus knowing that the boys were struggling against the elements walked out on the Sea in their direction shortly before dawn.

One can hardly be surprised that they mistook Him for a ghost… or something… after all I haven’t seen a guy walking across a lake in the midst of a storm, and if I did, would I think it was Jesus when I first saw him? Well, that might not be the first thought to pop into my mind, and I have heard of this; they hadn’t. They cry out in fear, Jesus identifies Himself. According to John, Jesus calls Peter out to walk on the water, which he does until he thinks about what he is doing, and then begins to sink; Jesus rescues him. Mark, however, didn’t mention this detail, and says Jesus climbed into the boat and the winds were still.  Here’s an interesting thought: Mark, who left Peter’s incident out of the story, is thought by most scholars to have written his gospel under Peter’s supervision: Hmmm…

Matthew recounts something interesting when they reached the shore that Mark only hinted at. Mark says that their hearts had been hardened, but Matthew goes on to say that when they arrived at the shore, the disciples worshiped Jesus, saying that surely, He is the Son of God. (Matt. 14:33). This is the first time they realize this, even though they should have understood it when He fed all those people, and from time-to-time, they would seem to forget it in the months ahead.

They reach the shore after sun up, and are immediately recognized, and the people begin to bring their sick and lame for healing, and many were healed as the Kingdom Tour resumes, and the Pharisees are on the attack…