Introduction
Briefly review the author and audience (MAP). Peter calls them "exiles" and "strangers" – not because they were physical immigrants/refugees, but because they were regarded as spiritual outsiders by their fellow-citizens, neighbors and families. They were not experiencing "hard" persecution (i.e., imprisonment, beatings, execution), but rather "soft" persecution – increasing suspicion, reviling, slander, maligning, etc. Some of this was because of widespread misinformation about Christianity (e.g., incest, cannibalism, atheism), but also because of things that were true about Christianity (e.g., anti-hedonism, anti-nationalism).
Does any of this sound familiar to you? It should, because that is where we are in our post-Christian, postmodern culture. Negative attitudes about biblical Christianity are increasing – not only because of misconceptions about Christianity (e.g., that it is politically conservative), but also because of what it actually teaches (e.g., its sexual ethics, salvific exclusivity). As a result (except in the Bible-belt parts of the South), allegiance to the Jesus of the Bible and vital involvement in a biblically-faithful church are now social liabilities rather than social assets.
How should we respond to this "alien" status? With shock and outrage? By becoming combatants in the culture wars? By withdrawing from our society and going underground? By compromising our faith in order to fit in and be accepted? Peter rejects all of these responses, and therefore so should we. Instead, he argues for a radically different response (read 2:4-10). Peter is saying here that we should expect and embrace societal rejection, and focus on in our privileged status with God.
Expect & embrace societal rejection
Read 2:4,5a. Jesus is the living stone who was rejected by people, but He is choice and precious in the sight of God. In speaking of Jesus as a stone, Peter is alluding to the cornerstone of the Jewish temple, which symbolized God's presence among the Jewish people. Ps. 118:22 prophetically referred to the Messiah as "the stone which the builders rejected" – Who would become the cornerstone for God's new temple. In fact, Jesus quoted this very passage (Matt. 21:42) to the Jewish leaders who were rejecting Him. He wasn't surprised by their rejection, and it didn't shake His conviction that He was indeed God's Son ("the world hates Me, but My Father loves Me").
Because we are united with Jesus through our faith in Him as our Savior, we are living stones – built on Him as God's temple, manifesting God's presence in this dark world. As Jesus said to Peter immediately after he stated his conviction that Jesus is the Messiah: "You are a little rock (petros), and upon this big slab (petra) I will build My church (Matt. 16:18). Through his faith in Jesus as Messiah, Peter became a living stone, a child in God's new family, one of Jesus' people. And Peter is saying here that this is true of all who entrust themselves to Jesus (2:5a – "you also").
But what is implied here and taught clearly elsewhere is that we will also share in Jesus' rejection by the world. Jesus warned us of this explicitly in Jn. 15:18-20 (read). Therefore, the leaders of the early church taught this clearly and often (read and explain Acts 14:22; 2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 4:12; Heb. 13:12,13). This is "situation normal" – and it has been the experience of true Christians for 20 centuries. What American Christians have experienced until fairly recently – being respected and even favored by society – is what is abnormal. Jesus taught us to be concerned not when our society rejects us, but when it approves of us (read and explain Lk. 6:26).
But there is more. The NT teaches us to not only accept social rejection as normal, but also to embrace it as a privilege. Our Lord was "despised and forsaken by people" (Isa. 53:3); He endured this for us – so it is an honor to endure the same treatment as His followers. This is what He taught (read Matt. 5:10-12) and this is what the leaders of the early church did and taught (read Acts 5:40,41; Phil. 1:29; Heb. 11:25,26; 1 Pet. 4:14,16). We don't live in shame because of human rejection; we flip their rejection into a privilege/badge of honor (like they did when called "Christians;" like Den & I did when our professor called us "Christers").
Focus on our privileged status with God
There is no denying that social rejection hurts. Especially when it becomes chronic, it can be depressing and discouraging. The main antidote for it is knowing and focusing on who God says we are, and appropriating the great privileges He has granted to us (re-read 2:7a). That's what Peter emphasizes in this passage.
We have 24-7 access to Jesus (re-read 2:4a). This is a present participle – not describing our one-time coming to Him at conversion, but rather emphasizing the ongoing privilege of drawing near to Him after conversion. Since He is our living Lord, we have access to Him anywhere and any time (vs. only on Sunday's at a church building). Since He has paid for all of our sins, we can know that we are just as welcome after our recent moral failures as after "being good." We can come to Him to enjoy His love and affirmation, and we can come to Him to pour out our needs to Him. What a privilege! How this outweighs all social rejection!
As we come to Him, He builds us up as His chosen priests (re-read 2:5,9). This may not sound very attractive (because of our experiences with church priests), but consider:
One function of OT priests was to offer animal sacrifices on behalf of the people's sins. This was just a picture of what Jesus would do when He offered up Himself as the Sacrifice for our sins. So now we offer living sacrifices – one of which is our praise and thanks for this priceless gift (Heb. 13:15). We don't need a human priest or church service to worship Jesus – we can do this in our own personal way.
Another function of OT priests was to teach the Jewish people about God. Now, as Jesus' priests, we have the privilege to announce (exaggelo) to non-Christians how awesomely excellent (aretas) God is because He has rescued us out of spiritual darkness and lostness and brought us into the light of His truth and love. We have tasted His kindness (2:3), and it is sweeter than the sweetest honey! Our testimonies of this don't require a seminary degree because we are the foremost expert of our own stories. So, we tell it with personal excitement whenever we get the opportunity. More on this in coming weeks . . .
We will never be disappointed that we trusted in Jesus (re-read 2:6). The Greek emphasizes this through a double-negative (ou me – "never – not ever"). What a tremendous promise! No one and nothing else can deliver on this promise. When have you ever been disappointed that you trusted in Him? Isn't it that all our disappointments are because we trusted in someone/something other than Him? What a privilege this is! How this outweighs all social rejection!
Re-read 2:7b,8. Here are two sobering but assuring promises concerning those who oppose us because they reject Jesus.
They cannot thwart God's purpose of building His church through His son Jesus. The religious leaders of Jesus' day rejected Him and had Him executed – but their rejection actually made Him the chief corner stone. As Jesus said to Peter: "On this Rock (referring to Himself) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). The early church not only survived persecution; it thrived through it (Acts pattern). Great Commission is being and will be fulfilled!
They will ultimately be defeated (unless they repent). Their refusal to bow to Jesus will end in the "doom" of righteous judgment by Jesus (Jn. 3:18-21). The Rock that they reject as the Foundation for their lives will ultimately fall on them. We don't rejoice in this; like Jesus (and Stephen) did, we pray for them and urge them to reconsider and repent.
We may be "aliens and strangers" to the world (2:11a), but we are the people of God – the recipients of His mercy (re-read 2:10). We belong to God's royal family – not because we are superior in any way – but because we have humbled ourselves to receive the mercy that He offers through Jesus. We enjoy a quality of community with one another that more than makes up for any social ostracism we may experience!
SUMMARIZE: We take our identity and value from what God says about us, not from what the world says about us. We expect unpopularity, rejection and even scorn from our culture, because it rejects and scorns Jesus. But what God says about us more than compensates for their rejection.
Conclusion
NEXT WEEK: 1 Pet. 2:11-25 – "Exiles with a Mission"
QUESTIONS & COMMENTS