“Coming to Him as to a Living Stone,
Rejected indeed by men, but
Chosen by God and precious,
You also, as Living Stones,
Are being built up a Spiritual House,
A Holy Priesthood,
To offer up Spiritual Sacrifices
Acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
I Peter 2:4-5
How often do you think Peter thought of the time of Christ's reference to the rock? Peter had said that Jesus was the son of the living God. Thus in all likelihood Jesus referred to Peter's confession as the Messiah, as the rock on which Jesus would build the community of believers. To enshrine that moment of God's revelation to Simon on Jesus's true identity, Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter. However the meaning of the verse has been in dispute where many view St.Peter being the rock on which the early church will be built.
In his epistle, Peter portrays Christ as the corner stone of God's Spiritual temple and each one of us are living stones (1Peter 2:4-8) . Which ties in well with the concept of Christ is the foundation of the church and we are the blocks. Thus we are described as living stones because in Christ we have a life that lasts forever (1Peter 1:23-25). It is through the enduring and unchanging Word of God that we come to hear and believe in the words of God. As Christians we are a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. Each one of us are priests because we have Christ who is our mediator and chief priest through whom we have special access to God. As Christians we lay down our lives as living sacrifices to God to lead lives that glorify God. We glorify God when we sincerely love God and one another.
Peter wrote to encourage the struggling Christians to rejoice greatly whenever they faced trials of any kind. We have all been born again into a living hope of eternal life because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This hope is living because it is an incorruptible inheritance reserved for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-6). Peter wanted them to see the vision of a Spiritual Building, where we are living bricks that is in the process of being built. By ourselves we are just bricks, but when we find our niche in the temple we see the larger picture. We are all being built up brick by brick into something beautiful for God. Do we see the hands of a builder at work? If you were to watch a mason at work sometimes he chips and cracks the bricks at certain places, to make it fit appropriately into the spot that it best fits. So it is with God the master builder as he shapes and builds and forms us into the perfect position where we will fit in this Spiritual building where God himself dwells and shall be glorified. Do you see the Master Builder at work?
Peter wrote this letter to cheer up (1 Peter 5:12) the early Christians by reminding them of the grace and presence of God that is always with them. It was a time when Doors of Faith (Acts 14:27) were being opened to people all over the world. People of different ethnicities were being drawn in. However along with this growth in the church, they were suffering through frightful persecution from the Romans. According to some historians, Emperor Nero watched Rome burn while he played his fiddle. They say he hoped to get rid of 2/3rd of Rome so he could build a larger palace. We don't know this for a fact but it was a time of decadence. Nero blamed the Christians for the fire and he would indiscriminately crucify them and feed them to the lions.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it costly grace where one is called to follow Jesus Christ at the cost of ones own life. “Grace is costly because God gave his son for us” he said. Bonhoeffer himself was executed by Hitler for his faith and has been a beacon of light to the persecuted church with his life and witness from prison. The living sacrifices made by Peter and the early Christians for their faith are amazing. Many people were killed and tortured under the Roman rule. During this period in history Peter was also executed. Peter in his letter refers to, "The end being very near." (1 Peter 4:7) The Christians during that period under went intense persecution and were fervently looking forward to the second coming of Christ. This thought continues to be on the mind of many even today. My inclination is that we not be so consumed by this thought that we are unable to do our daily tasks with equal fervor. The truth is that all of us one day will pass through the valley of the shadow of death. It is not very far away, maybe soon or after a few decades. Are we prepared?
Peter says that our faith is being tested to make us pure and strong. Just as fire tests and purifies gold, so do persecution and suffering's fiery trials test our faith (1 Peter 1:7). It is this faith that is more precious than pure gold to God. Peter in the midst of mass persecution was encouraging fellow believers to hold fast to the words of Jesus. He was making them see what blessings they had in store if they continued to hold fast to their faith in God. He wanted them to see themselves as part of God's great plan of being part of a Spiritual temple which is made of living stones that cannot be seen by human eyes, but spiritual eyes. Peter like Paul, is asking us to look at Christ who is the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). It is through the life and suffering of Christ we have the strength to endure. We are convinced that if Christ suffered, so should we as His disciples learn from His life to endure patiently.
He further warns us to beware of slipping back into our old ways (1Peter 1:14). He refers to that period in our life when we had not heard the gospel message as one lived in ignorance. He encourages us to stay humble and obedient children of God. As living testimonies to His message of hope. He points out some of the areas where we trip - malice, deceit, pretence to be good, hypocrisy, jealousy and backstabbing (1 Peter 2:1). Then he goes on to describe our role in the church (1 Peter 2:9, 17). He describes our raison d'etre as God's own people, a chosen people, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. He says we should love and respect everyone. He further says we should revere God and our leaders. He exemplifies a Christian life as one lived in Christian unity, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds (1Peter 3:8-9.) What does Peter mean when he says we clothe ourselves with humility toward others (1 Peter 5:5)? He emphasizes that if we have a clear mind and self control we will be able to know exactly how to pray (1 Peter 4:7-8) . He goes on to speak of the potency of love. If our zeal for our fellowbeings is ardent and sincere their faults will be drowned in our genuine love for them.
How do you picture the church today ? Is it a fallible organization? If so why? Have you ever been hurt by the church and rejected it? How do forgiveness, reconciliation, restoration and healing affect our daily Christian lives? Who are those who are the weakest in the church today? Christ is calling us to serve the poor, homeless, mentally unstable, sick, suffering and the lost. They are the weakest in the church and the least in the world today. How much of our time do we spend with those in need? From Peter's letter we begin to see the church as a community of feeble people struggling to stay together by the power of love of Christ that is the center and dwells in us all. It is Christ the Son of the Living God who is our firm foundation, the rock on which we build our faith.
Peter asks who can really harm us if we do good? He says even if we suffer we are blessed. Jesus said, God will bless us greatly if we were to suffer unjustly (Matthew 5:10-12). Nothing can destroy our Souls, this is what Jesus said is most dear to God (Matthew 10:28). We humble ourselves before God by casting all our cares and concerns in our life upon him. We learn to trust in him to be our Shepherd. Paul says that even if we get into squabbles with others let us do so with gentleness and respect. If we are to suffer let it be for doing good and not evil. The greatest endorsement that anyone can give to Christian living is if we can live lives worthy of our calling.(1 Peter 2:12). If we set a special place for the Living Christ in our hearts we will always be prepared to explain to people who ask us our reason for hope for the world (1 Peter 3:13-15). Peter is asking us to be shepherds of the flock not because of certain human conditions or money, but because we are willing to eagerly serve our Savior. Let us always cherish in our hearts the consciousness of the earthly life of our Chief Shepherd. The best testimony that we as Christians can give the world is lives lived according to the will of God (1 Peter 5:1-4).
