Pastor David B. Curtis
Pastor David B. Curtis
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Good morning, Bereans. We are back in 1 Peter today. In our last study of 1 Peter, we looked at verse 18 of chapter 2 which we entitled, Biblical Slaveology.
Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 1 Peter 2:18 ESV
In our last study we talked about slavery in the Roman empire and in Israel. So, today we're going to exegete the text.
Let me start by saying, If you don't see yourself as a servant, then you will not see how this text can apply to you. So, I ask, Do you see yourself as a servant? The Apostle Paul saw himself as a servant. Paul was on a ship headed to Rome to stand trial when they were shipwrecked on Malta, a small island located about 60 miles south of the island of Sicily.
In mid-November the weather on Malta would be biting cold. The passengers would not have kept any heavy clothing, because they had to swim (or paddle on some piece of wreckage) to shore. On top of this, it was raining. The natives of Malta came out into the bad weather and kindled a fire for them to gather around as a relief from the rain and the cold. So, Paul went out to gather sticks.
When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. Acts 28:3 ESV
After swimming to shore Paul was busy seeking to serve, and he assisted by gathering a bundle of sticks. Does that seem strange to you? The Apostle Paul gathering sticks? Culturally, it was strange. In the Hebrew culture, wood gathering was the work of women or children. So, Paul is doing very menial work here when he gathers firewood.
Culturally, its strange, but Biblically, it isn't. Paul said he was a follower of Yeshua:
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV
And Yeshua said he was a servant of all:
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45 ESV
I think you would agree with me that as the Creator of the world, Yeshua is in the supreme position of authority. But when He came to His creation, He did not come expecting to be served; He came to serve. And this is the same attitude He expects in His followers. Earlier in this text a couple of the disciples came to Yeshua and said, ""Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." Yeshua's response was,
And Yeshua called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Mark 10:42 ESV
Yeshua illustrated His point from Gentile rulers; the Jews had experienced a number of them. And one thing was common to all: They lord it over their people. They were proud of their authority and very conscious of it, and they exerted it to the full. They were the masters, and they wanted everyone to know it.
This is biting irony. This is exposing the hypocrisy of the disciples. Because in the disciples' desire for position, rank, and precedence so that they might exercise authority over other people, they are no different than the Roman rulers they so despise.
And I suspect their hypocrisy and their struggle is ours also. In our workplace, in our neighborhood, and even in our church, we desire a place of rank or precedence that we might exercise our authority or influence for our own benefit—that we might exercise those things in our own interest:
But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. Mark 10:43-44 ESV
"It shall not be so among you"—As followers of Christ, as those redeemed through Christ's blood, as those who now live for the glory of Christ, it is not this way. The phrase "among you" implies all disciples, every congregation of believers. Yeshua insists on a distinct contrast between Kingdom citizens and the world.
"Must be your servant"—the idea is of personal service rendered to others. The word for servant is diakonos. This verse, incidentally, describes the duties and responsibilities of a deacon; humble service to others.
"Must best slave of all"—the Greek word used here is doulos. Some translate this: "servant," which is not a very good translation. A servant is one who can quit. "Slave" better fits the picture here. Doulos conveys the idea of: "ownership, possession, dependency, subjection, loyalty." It also conveys the idea of: "willing service," not a forced service. They are slaves, but they are slaves by choice. They have willingly made themselves slaves of Yeshua to do His will.
The disciple's prime concern, said Yeshua, is to serve, yes, even to be a slave. That is the test of greatness among Christians: They do not look for praise, They do not seek honor, They do not desire position. They gladly take the lowest task if it will help someone. They just want to be useful in God's service, and as long as God is satisfied, they are satisfied. That is true greatness.
Humility was no virtue in the ancient world. To be a slave meant that you were not a citizen, and you did not have the rights of citizenship. You were not free. You belonged to another. You could not pursue your own ambitions, but were left to the desires of someone else. Someone has said, "You will know whether a person is a servant or not by the way they act when they are treated like one."
Those who want to be great in Christ's kingdom must become the servant of all. With that in mind let's look at what our Lord says about a servant and submission.
Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 1 Peter 2:18 ESV
In applying the hermeneutical principle of audience relevance does this text apply to us? I believe that this text can be applied to the employee/employer relationship also. We could interpret this in the twenty-first century by speaking of labor and management. In a modern paraphrase, we could say, "Give your employer your very best work."
This idea of submission to authority is not something exclusive to Peter's audience. This and many other New Testament passages require servants to be obedient to their masters, not to rebel against them.
Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, Ephesians 6:5 ESV
Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Colossians 3:22 ESV
Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things. 1 Timothy 6:1-2 ESV
Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, Titus 2:9 ESV
This teaching is for the church universal, are we the church? Yes, then these teachings apply to us. As I said earlier these principles would apply likewise to employees who work for an employer.
E. M. Blaiklock writes, "The Church nowhere called the slaves to revolt, protest, demonstrate, or to claim justice and the freedom which is a human right. The apostles knew too well that violence begets its like, and that the doom of slavery and the cruelty which it involved, lay in the slow, sure pressure of the Christian way of life." [E. M. Blaiklock, Today's Handbook of Bible Characters, p. 603].
"Servants, be subject to your masters"—the word "servants" here, oiketeia, basically is the word for household slaves. Most of the slaves were household slaves, that is, they served some home owner, some estate owner in some way.
Masters is the Greek word despots, from which we get despot. It's a strong word. It means absolute ownership and uncontrolled power.
In our culture Peter's directions apply to how we behave in relation to those directly over us in society; employers, bosses, and administrators.
"With all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust"—the word "respect" is phobos, from which we get phobias, it should be translated, "with all fear." In the previous verse Peter distinguished between fearing God and honoring the king. So here, when he says that we should be submissive with all fear, he means, "fear toward God," not "fear toward the earthly master."
Peter stresses this idea of fear. In verse 17, he says, "Fear God." In chapter 1 verse 17, "Conduct yourselves with fear," meanings the fear of God. Chapter 3 verse 2 he says, "when they see your respectful and pure conduct." and again it's fearing God. Verse 15 also says that you are to make a defense with "gentleness and respect." And in each time he uses the word "fear," he does it about five times, he has in mind the fear of God. So, we are to be submissive to our masters with all due fear of God.
Also, twice in the following verses Peter says that submitting to unjust treatment "finds favor with God." Believing slaves respect their earthly masters because they respect/fear God!
The Greek term for "good" is agathos which means: "of good constitution or nature,
useful, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy, excellent, upright, and honourable" according to Thayer. The word "gentle" is from the Greek epieikēs which means: "reasonable, fair, yielding, ready to forgo rights." It even means content to take less than due. This is a generous, kind, gracious person. It's easy to submit to that kind of person.
But also, he says in verse 18, to those who are "unjust" which is from the Greek skolios. From which we get our word scoliosis which is curvature of the spine. That's the word. It means bent, crooked, curved. It is translated "harsh" (NKJV) is translated "froward" (KJV, ASV), "unreasonable" (NASB), "unjust" (ESV), or "crooked" (MLV).
Christians often suffer unjustly at the hands of those who have authority over them, yet they must remain faithful to God and submissive to the authorities despite the hardships. Look at what extent our submission should go.
Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, Ephesians 6:5 ESV
What he is saying is you should serve your master as if you were serving whom? Christ.
Howard Hendricks tells the story of being on an airplane that was delayed on the ground. Passengers grew increasingly impatient. One obnoxious man kept venting his frustrations on the stewardess. But she responded graciously and courteously in spite of his abuse.
After they finally got airborne and things calmed down, Dr. Hendricks called the woman aside and said, "I want to get your name so that I can write a letter of commendation to your employer." He was surprised when she responded, "Thank you, sir, but I don't work for American Airlines." He sputtered, "You don't?" "No," she explained, "I work for my Lord Jesus Christ." She went on to explain that before each flight, she and her husband would pray together that she would be a good representative of Christ on her job. She sought to please God first. This is what we are all called to do.
Paul gives us the motive for this submission in the next verse.
For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrow suffering unjustly. 1 Peter 2:19 ESV
"For this is a gracious thing"—the word "gracious" here is charis which means; "unmerited favor, a gift, grace." In this context charis refers to that which bestows or occasions God's pleasure and delight. It refers to a good action which is worthy of praise and approval. The Amplified version helps understand the idea by translating it,
"For one is regarded favorably (is approved, acceptable, and thankworthy) if, as in the sight of God, he endures the pain of unjust suffering."
In this context charis means what counts with God (gains His approval), or what pleases Him, rather than what He gives.
"When, mindful of God, one endures sorrow suffering unjustly"—
"Mindful of God"—is suneidesis which in this context has the idea that the servant has a conscious awareness of God and an allegiance to Him as his or her Master. It means because you're aware of God's presence, because you're aware God is watching, because you're aware God is there. This thought is conveyed by several of the translations:
So, this is saying, because he is aware of God's presence, aware God is watching. "One endures sorrow suffering unjustly"—endures here is hupopherō which is from hupo = under + phero = bear. It means to continue to bear up (from underneath), to endure, to sustain, to put up with, despite difficulty and suffering. The principle is that we are able to get under a heavy load and carry it. It is in the present tense which indicates that bearing up under is this man's lifestyle, the attitude and the habitual practice of this person.
"Suffering"—is from the Greek pascho which means to experience a sensation or feeling which comes from outside of one's self and which has to be suffered. It means to undergo an experience, usually difficult, normally with implication of physical or psychological suffering. The present tense speaks of continual suffering.
Given Peter's emphasis on trials and afflictions, it shouldn't be surprising that this verb pascho is used more often in 1Peter than any other epistle, with in fact 25% of the New Testament uses.
Unjustly—is from adikos which means suffering injustice undeservedly, wrongfully or without good reason. Suffering which is not just, right or deserved and falls short of the righteousness required by divine laws.
This verse is talking about God's approval of submission even amidst persecution, when this suffering is related to our Christian convictions and trust in Christ.
MacDonald writes that
"When we suffer unjustly, we win God's approval. He is pleased when He finds us so conscious of our relation to Him that we endure undeserved pain without vindicating self or fighting back. When we meekly take unjust treatment, we display Christ; this supernatural life gains God's "Well done. (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)
We are born with a strong inner sense of fairness and a strong desire to fight for our rights when we have been treated unfairly.
Peter goes on to say,
For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 1 Peter 2:20 ESV
What pleases God, what finds favor with Him is when you bear up under the sorrows that come when you suffer unjustly. That pleases God.
"For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?"—
"If" this is a first class conditional sentence, which is assumed to be true from the author's perspective or for his literary purposes. Christian slaves were suffering under cruel masters for Christ's sake.
"Beaten"—is from the Greek kolaphizō which comes from kolaphos which means, "the knuckles or a closed fist" and kolapto which means to strike. So, kolaphizō means to beat or strike with the fist. To strike with clenched hand. Figuratively it means to cause harm, treat roughly or harshly. Here it is is in the present tense indicating continuous action, signifying that it was the habit of the masters to "continually pummel" their slaves. Beating of slaves was common.
Kolaphizo is used in to describe the beating of Christ by the frenzied Jewish mob!
Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, Matthew 26:67 ESV
And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, "Prophesy!" And the guards received him with blows. Mark 14:65 ESV
The prophet Isaiah paints a vivid picture of our Lord's condition after being beaten.
As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind— Isaiah 52:14 ESV
The literal rendering of this verse according to Hebrew scholars is, "So marred from the form of man was His aspect that His appearance was not that of a Son of man." In other words, Isaiah is saying He was so marred that He almost did not even appear to be human!
"You endure"—this is the Greek word hupomeno. It is a military term that has to do with one's response when being positioned in the middle of a violent battle. It conveys the meaning to stay under, remain, have fortitude, persevere.
"For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?"— the word "credit" here is kleos which means, "a good report, fame or renown." This verse is the only New Testament usage.
What Peter is saying is that it's no credit to you if you endure being beaten for you sinfulness. He goes on to say, "But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure this is a gracious thing in the sight of God"—but is alla the strongest Greek adversative which marks a change direction. "If" this is another first class conditional sentence. Peter assumes as obedient children who are to be holy as God is holy, we will do what is right and we will suffer for doing what is right.
"Do good"—is agathopoieō which means, "o do good, do something which profits others." it is in the present tense indicating that this is to be our continual action.
"Suffer"— is again (v19) from the Greek pascho which means to undergo an experience, usually difficult, normally with implication of physical or psychological suffering.
"You endure"—this is the Greek word hupomeno same as earlier in this verse. It is a military term that has to do with one's response when being positioned in the middle of a violent battle. It literally describes the ability to abide or remain under not simply with resignation, but with vibrant hope.
"This is a gracious thing in the sight of God"— gracious here is again as in v19 charis, "this is a grace to God." This finds favor with God. God is pleased when believers patiently bear unjust suffering it will count to their credit with God.
Why does patient endurance delight our Father? Because when we as slaves of God live holy lives, supernaturally empowered by His Spirit, such lives are a testimony of God's great mercy and grace to all we see us.
It's natural to want to defend ourselves against injustice and to strike back. But if we're quiet and peaceful when others mistreat and persecute us, we are responding in a Christlike way. God wants to develop in us qualities that are unnatural for us. Anyone can be patient when everything's going his or her way. The greater virtue is to remain calm and controlled under provocation
This submission in the face of unjust suffering will result in commendation and reward from God. Later in this epistle Peter says,
But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 1 Peter 3:14 ESV
Where did Peter get this from? Maybe Yeshua,
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:10-12 ESV
Reflecting this teaching Peter later in the letter says,
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 1 Peter 4:14 ESV
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 1 Peter 4:16 ESV
Paul reflects this same idea in 1 Corinthians,
To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Yeshua through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 1 Corinthians 4:11-16 ESV
This is how Paul and the Apostles lived and they want all believers to imitate them because they are imitating Christ. This should encourage us when working with difficult bosses, employers or families. We submit because of consciousness to God, who rewards the faithful.
To be punished for our wrongs is no credit to us. But when we are punished for doing good and endure it patiently, we are blessed by God.
How many of you enjoy and look forward to suffering?
Our text tells us that when we endure suffering, we are blessed of God. Our text uses charis twice in connection with suffering. Paul makes this same connection.
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, Philippians 1:29 ESV
Paul realizes that the threat of persecution and hostility can cause these believers to question the goodness of God. Have you ever asked the question, "If God loves me, why am I suffering? In order to enable these Christians to bear up under persecution, they needed to be reminded that suffering is as much a part of God's eternal purpose for their lives as believing in Christ.
The verse says, "It has been granted"— that is the Greek verb charizomai, which comes from charis, which means grace. So charizomai is grace. The noun form is used for spiritual gifts. Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says, "Charizomai primarily denotes to show favor or kindness as in Galatians 3:18; to give freely, bestow graciously." Suffering is a grace gift from God.
"For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe"—he compares suffering with salvation. Both are grace gifts. Salvation is a gift, according to Ephesians 2:8-9, and so is suffering. He doesn't say that suffering is punishment or that it is something that has happened to you by chance. God gives suffering as graciously and lovingly as He gives you the faith to believe in His Son.
Does this make sense to you? Suffering, affliction, and oppression a gracious gift from God? What does he mean? Paul also uses charizoma in:
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32 ESV
Suffering has been freely given to us. It is a gift from God. Suffering is a gift, a privilege. What is a gift? It is something that makes you happy; something that reveals the givers love for you; a gift is undeserved, not earned; a gift should cause thankfulness and gratitude. When is the last time you thanked God when you were suffering?
If this is the nature of a gift, how can Paul say that suffering is a gift of God? This should show us how far we have come from the thinking of Christians in the first century. God giving suffering as a gracious gift doesn't make any sense to us. That we should be grateful for it, that it should make us happy, that it should make us feel honored and blessed, that we should see it as a manifestation of God's love—that doesn't make sense to us. But it did to the first century believers, because they were familiar with suffering.
Maybe we should just ignore this verse. Tear it out of the Bible and throw it out (just kidding). Maybe this is just one isolated instance of a raving man who has a martyr complex. No! This is God's inspired Word. I don't know how the health/wealth teachers deal with this verse. It sure doesn't fit their theology.
We need to understand that Paul isn't the only one who holds to this view. If he was, we would still have to believe it, but it is also taught by Yeshua and many of the New Testament writers.
Peter began to say to him, "See, we have left everything and followed you." Yeshua said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. Mark 10:28-30 ESV
Verse 30 lists the blessings of service, and notice that one of the blessing is "with persecutions." He is listing the blessing and he says, "With persecutions."
and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Yeshua, and let them go. Acts 5:40 ESV
When you are trying to share the gospel and someone slams the door on you or makes fun of you, how do you feel? Do you get your feelings hurt, or get discouraged? These men were physically beaten. Please notice their response:
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Yeshua. Acts 5:41-42 ESV
They rejoiced! And they kept on preaching. Their suffering caused them to rejoice. They didn't get hurt feelings or get depressed or mad at God, they rejoiced.
Evidently suffering, in some way or degree, is essential to the formation of Christian character. Now, suffering may differ today (at least in America) in meaning from its meaning in the early days of the church. By that I mean it may not mean bodily torment, imprisonment, starvation or a torturous death, but it will always be the price we pay when we live uncompromisingly for the gospel of Yeshua the Christ.
Why is suffering good for us? Well, for one thing it reminds us that we are strangers and aliens on this earth. The physical earth is not our home. For all of us who have placed our trust in Yeshua, we have eternal life, and we know that we are not going to live here forever. Everybody physically dies. But our hope is that when we die, we will be in heaven. Paul said to the Corinthians:
If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:19 ESV
Is the believer's hope in Christ only for this life? NO! Our hope is spending our eternal life in the spirit realm; our hope is heaven. But when this life is trouble free we tend to forget about heaven. But suffering reminds us the our future holds something much better than what we have here. The bliss and joy of heaven awaits us at death.
I want to touch on the beginning phrase before we close today.
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21 ESV
"For to this you have been called"—"For to this" is literally "for into this you were called." What is "this?" Peter is alluding to what he has just written in verse 20 about suffering for doing good.
What does he mean "called"? The Greek word here for "called" is kaleō which Peter used in 2:9.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 ESV
This is a call to salvation. In our text kaleo is in the aorist passive, where the passive is what some linguists refer to as "divine" passive indicating that the action is performed by God. In this verse, it is God Who calls saints to bear up though suffering unjustly for doing what is good.
Wuest makes the point that in this context kaleo describes "The divine call of God to a lost sinner (which) is an effectual call into salvation, and an accompaniment of that salvation is suffering for righteousness' sake, the natural result of the Christian's contact with the people of the world and their reaction towards the Lord Jesus who is seen in the life of the saint."
Peter is saying when you were saved you were saved for this purpose. What purpose? Here it is, "To patiently endure suffering you do not deserve." As we saw earlier suffering is a gift from God. Which means that we need to work on changing our thinking about suffering. The health/wealth gospel is a lie. But I would say that we have all be some what influenced by it.
Part of the Christian's calling includes suffering,
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 2 Timothy 3:12 ESV
Yeshua "suffered" at the hands of sinners because of His righteous conduct (cf. Matt. 26:67; Mark 14:65). We too can expect that our righteous behavior will draw the same response from the ungodly of our day.
In verses 21-25 Peter compares the unjust suffering Christian slaves may have to endure to the suffering of Christ. He applies the familiar shepherd metaphor to the guidance Yeshua offers to those who suffer.
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