Get Ready
What kind of family did you grow up in? Was it relatively small, or large with lots of aunts and uncles and cousins? Was it organized with rules about what you should and should not do, or was it more casual with a few guidelines about “how we do things here”?
The Word
2Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture:
“See, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the very head of the corner,”
8 and “A stone that makes them stumble,
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were
Live as Servants of God
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.
13 For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, 14 or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. 16 As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil.
17 Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
The Example of Christ’s Suffering
18 Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. 19 For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20 If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. NRSV
Get into the Word
1. How does Peter open this section of his letter? What “evil” does he want believers to eliminate? Why do you suppose he mentions these five? What does he want his readers to seek?
2. What metaphor does he use for Christ? Why is the significant for Peter (see Notes)? Who else uses this metaphor (see Notes)? What additional meaning does Peter give the “living stone”?
3. How does Peter describe the church? What is the church supposed to do in this time and place? Who gives us this task? Why? What distinguishes the church from other groups?
4. How does Peter next describe believers. How are they supposed to live? What should they avoid? How should Christ-followers respond to the non-believers around them? Why is this important to believers? What is the effect on other people?
5. What is Peter’s special message to slaves? Why is this important? Who will approve this way of living? What example does he give for them to follow? How does Peter describe the way Christ responded to abuse? What event does Peter focus on? How does this change the way we can now live?
Get Personal
How are you doing in avoiding the “evils” Peter lists. How about responding to non-believers who use their position to insult or harm you? How does God help you to trust him as the “shepherd and guardian of your souls”?
Notes . . .
2:3. Tasted – Peter alludes to Psalm 34:8: O taste and see that the Lord is good, an invitation to get to know the Lord.
2:4. Living stone – Jesus changed Peter’s name to the Greek word for “rock,” and Peter applies the same metaphor to his readers as living stones being built into a strong, spiritual “house.”
2:6-7. Cornerstone – [from Isaiah 28:16], the starting point for any building that determines the placement and location of all other stones.
2:8. Stumble – the result of not paying attention or “disobeying” – from Isaiah 8:14.
2:9. Chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people – are all labels originally applied to Israel [the references are, respectively Isaiah 43:20, Exodus 19:5, Deut 4:20]. Peter sees the church as the new expression of God’s relationship with humanity, and being part of God’s people is not by birth, as the Israelites are, but by re-birth through Christ’s resurrection and God’s mercy [v 10].
2:12. Conduct yourselves honorably – doing the “right” thing not only helps a believer grow, it also shows the non-believers the “honorable deeds” that a grace-filled life involves.
2:13. Accept the authority – Peter now turns to relationships in society, and urges his readers to do right to silence the ignorance of the foolish [v 15].
2:18. Slaves – Peter advises slaves to accept their status regardless of the master’s treatment of them and presents Jesus as the example of endurance while suffering [the reference is to Isaiah 53:9, but check what happened at Jesus’ trial in Mark 14:65].
2:24. Bore our sins – Christ’s ultimate suffering on the cross was for our sake – so that we might live for righteousness. Paul’s statement is very similar: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God, [2 Cor 5:21].
Memory Verse
He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed, [1 Peter 2:24]
Next Lesson
Wives and husbands – 1 Peter 3