Intro/Review

Christians have had a variety of experiences with governments, rulers, and politicians

• Some were thoroughly wicked and openly antagonistic like Roman Emperor Nero (54-68 AD)
  • Had his mother murdered
  • Exiled and then executed his first wife
  • Accused of kicking his pregnant second wife to death
  • Castrated and “married” a man
  • Strongly suspected of involvement in starting the Great Fire of Rome
  • Killed Christians by having them beheaded (Paul), crucified (Peter), thrown to wild dogs, and burned alive to light his garden parties
  • A man so evil that some Christians thought he might be the Antichrist

• Some claimed to be Christian and were a “mixed bag” like Emperor Constantine (306-337)
  • Converted to Christianity (details & exact beliefs a bit sketchy)
  • Put an end to official government persecution of Christians
  • Began (relatively mild) persecution of non-Christians and of Christians who the official government endorsed church considered to be heretics
  • Left a legacy of the church using government influence/power to persecute (and even execute) “heretics” who disagreed with official church dogma or doctrine

• Some were not Christians but did much to help Christians like Thomas Jefferson
  • A Deist (God is the largely unknowable “cosmic watchmaker”) who believed that the Bible was the best basis for morality and ethics
  • Used a razor and glue to make a literal cut-and paste version of the Gospels that removed most supernatural passages (the miracles, the resurrection, the deity of Christ)
  • Instrumental in establishing religious freedom in the US

So, how are Christians supposed to relate to those in authority?

• Peter’s original readers probably wondered about this
  • They were most likely living under the reign of Emperor Nero (a few years before he went on his Christian-killing rampage)
  • They may have wondered if their identity as God’s chosen people to some extent absolved them of responsibilities to merely human authority (especially wicked ones)

• We may have questions as well
  • Do authorities have to earn our respect and obedience by their righteous behavior?
  • How do we respond when treated unjustly by those in authority?
  • Basically: What attitudes and actions should characterize us in our interaction with people in authority over us (government, employer, family)?

• Warning: Our national history and popular culture is steeped in the glorification of rebellion and retaliation, so some of what Peter says here may not sit well with us at first
  • But this isn’t just Peter’s opinion, it is the Holy Spirit-inspired Word of God
  • These are the principles and values of God’s Kingdom – our true home
  • This is the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
  • This is what a life yielded to the indwelling Holy Spirit will look like

(13-17) Law-abiding & Respectful

(13-14) Obey everyone in government authority over you

• For the original readers this includes the Emperor as the supreme head of state
  • Most likely this was Nero (it may have been Claudius who was less blatantly evil but was regarded as foolish and had his own share of scandals and bloodshed)
  • Acknowledging and obeying government authority should not be dependent on whether the person filling the role is admirable or despicable

• Our obedience is expected because all government authorities are ultimately appointed by God to restrain evil and reward good
  • Romans 13:1-2 – Paul equates our obedience to government with obedience to God 
  • Even if they largely fail in their God-given responsibilities regarding good and evil, God has allowed them in office for a reason

• …and this is where we tend to start playing the “what about game” where we try to come up with exceptions because I don’t like the idea of having to obey the government
  • “What about laws that I think are stupid?”
    • Then work to change it within the bounds of our legal system…
    • …until it’s changed you need to be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human authority he has placed over you
  • “What about ungodly governing authorities?”
    • Maybe you can work to elect someone else next time around, but however bad they are, they’re not worse than Nero whom God directed these people to obey
    • …so be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human authority he has placed over you
  • “What about the fact that this is a Republic so ‘We the people’ are the government?”
    • The right to vote, run for office, petition for redress of grievances, etc. is great
    • …you still need to be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human authority he has placed over you
  • “What about when the governing authorities tell me to disobey God?”
    • This is the one biblical exception… because when God and human authority directly disagree in their demands upon us, we must obey the higher authority
    • In such instances, we see godly people in the Bible engaging in what people today might call non-violent civil disobedience

Rabbit Trail: non-violent civil disobedience

• Examples in the Bible:
  • Exodus 1:15-21 – Egyptian midwives ignore the command to kill Jewish babies
  • 1 Kings 18:3-4 – Obadiah hides God’s prophets from Queen Jezebel (directly working against government authority rather than stand by while innocents are killed)
  • Esther 4:13-15 – Queen Esther illegally comes to the king to plead for the Jews
  • Daniel 3 – Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego do not bow to a giant golden idol
  • Daniel 6 – Daniel does not stop praying to God
  • Acts 5:24-42 – The apostles continue preaching about Jesus

• When this course of action becomes necessary these godly people do what they have to…
  • …Without provoking unnecessary confrontation
  • …With continued respect in how they speak to those in authority
  • …With willingness to face the consequences of breaking the law of man

• In our country, a situation where your only choice is “obey the governing authorities or obey God” is relatively rare (though probably becoming less so), but keep these principles in mind
  • In all other cases our command is “be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution/authority.”
  • Most of the time, living out our identity as people of God doesn’t mean actively defying the government

(15-16) Do good in the community where you live

• We should be actively living out the second greatest commandment
  • We should be characterized by actions of kindness and compassion as we share the love of God with our community
  • Jeremiah 29:7 – Similar to the instructions to exiled Israel: this is where you are living now so do what you can to make it a better place (physically and spiritually)
  • We should live and serve in our society in such a way that if we are accused of being harmful/hateful, the people who know us will have a hard time finding it believable

• We must not use our freedom from our old sinful way of life as an excuse for sin
  • Not deliberately being unnecessarily offensive to society (a lack of love)
  • Not joining in sinful practices of our society (a lack of holiness)
  • Our freedom enables us to do what is truly good in service to God
    • The word translated servant is more literally slave
    • Roman slavery was a bit different than the slavery we think of from US history (e.g. it had nothing to do with skin color), but it did still have the idea of owing absolute obedience to your master who had absolute power over you
    • Our relationship with God includes this dimension of owing him absolute obedience, and we know that what he asks of us is for our good and his glory

(17) Submission to authority and good deeds must be accompanied by respect

• Honor everyone – our interaction with others treats them as having value
  • They are not a means to an end (“I’m serving them because it gets me brownie points”)
  • They are not enemies to be humiliated or put in their place if they disagree with us
  • They are human beings created in the image of God – every person you interact with (including online) is God’s image bearer and should be treated with due respect

• Love the brotherhood – I think it’s interesting that Peter feels a special need to point out love for our fellow-believers, but sometimes those closest to us are the easiest to treat poorly

• Fear God – Our ultimate reverence goes to God because we know how great he is and how small and dependent on him we are in comparison

• Honor the emperor – Just in case you think someone as bad as Nero can be excluded from the command to “honor everyone”
  • Not only must all people be treated with the respect due God’s image bearer…
  • Government authorities should be treated with the respect due their office
    • …whether they are personally respectable or not
    • This doesn’t mean that we never question/criticize their behavior, but it does mean that we talk about them (and to them) respectfully
    • The fact that they hold a public office does not give us the right to speak of them in cruel or dehumanizing terms (quite the opposite given what this passage says about our relationship to government authority)

(18-23) Nonviolent & Gracious

• Peter broadens this beyond government authority to include other people who are in authority over you…to make this point, he addresses household servants (most of whom were slaves)
  • This is not an endorsement of slavery, but it was a normal part of Peter’s society, so he is going to address people that find themselves in this position
  • He is going to make it clear that what he is saying here applies to all Christians
    • He has deliberately picked the person on the lowest rung of the social ladder to serve as an example of Christian experience as it relates to authority
    • This would apply to how we relate to government, employer, & family authority

• (18-20) Again, there is the admonition to be obedient to authorities even if they are not kind and righteous people
  • Sometimes this will include being treated unfairly by authorities…even painfully so
    • In our society this is usually going to be more along the lines of public shaming and/or financial or job loss rather than physical punishment
    • We need to be sure that if we are punished by authorities it is not because we have sinned…being punished for evildoing is a poor reflection on our great God
  • If we righteously suffer injustice because of our relationship with God and following his ways, it does not mean that God has turned his back on us…it is described as grace
    • It gives us an opportunity to show grace (undeserved favor) to those who mistreat us
    • God’s undeserved favor still rests on us and our Christ-likeness is pleasing to him

• (21) When we suffer injustice, it is an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of our Lord
  • Rather than coming as a shock to us, we should realize that enduring injustice is part and parcel of our divine calling to be followers of Jesus Christ
  • “ …one cannot step into the footsteps of Jesus and head off in any other direction than the direction he took, and his footsteps lead to the cross, through the grave, and onward to glory.” – Karen Jobes
  • Jesus is our example of how we should endure injustice
    • The word translated example usually referred to a pattern of letters traced over and over by children learning how to write
    • The suffering of Jesus is our pattern to follow

• (22-23) Peter emphasizes Jesus’ non-violence/non-retaliation – especially as it relates to controlled, holy speech
  • (22) His suffering was completely undeserved
    • As God the Son, his life was perfect. There was no legitimate accusation that could be brought against him. There is no doubt this was complete injustice.
    • Quoting from Isaiah 53, Peter emphasizes his truthfulness 
    • …just as Jesus emphasized to us that we must be people of our word who say what we mean rather than playing deceitful word games (Matthew 5:37)
  • (23a) Jesus did not use his words to tear down those who were mocking, insulting, and falsely accusing him
    • He could have absolutely ripped them apart, and everything he said would have been true…he knew people’s hearts – their darkest sins and deepest insecurities
    • During his arrest and trials, he calmly pointed out and objected to the injustice of the proceedings more than once (Luke 22:52, John 18:23) but not with insults
    • How do we talk to and about those who we feel have wronged us or fellow-Christians? All too often we engage in sinfully “fighting fire with fire”
    • Even if we don’t insult them ourselves what kind of disrespectful, insulting memes and videos do we share about them on social media?
  • (23b) Jesus did not threaten those who deliberately tortured him to death
    • As sovereign God he had every right to end the existence of those people who dared to raise their hand against him, but he did not so much as threaten it
    • In fact, he prayed “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34)
    • Yet how quick some of us are to engage in the threats of “cancel culture” and boycotts against those seen as disrespecting the faith (sometimes for something as insignificant as saying “Happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”)
  • (23c) Jesus patiently endured the mistreatment because he had placed himself in the hands of God the Father who ultimately judges all thing righteously
    • God is the one who knows the right time and measure for the punishment of sin
    • We must not burden ourselves and stain our conscience with attempts at retaliation because that belongs to God
    • We know that God ultimately works all things together for good for those who belong to him
    • …and so it was with Jesus’ suffering, because it was more than example for us

 (24-25) Redeemed & Holy

• Out of the incredible injustice of Jesus’ horrific execution came our salvation (quotes Isaiah 53)
  • He suffered not only the physical torment, but the guilt and punishment for our sins
    • He was the innocent one dying in the place of us guilty people and experiencing the wrath of God the Father so that we would not have to
    • His suffering meant our healing
  • This complete forgiveness and restored relationship with God is available to all who turn to him…trusting him to save you on the basis of his death and resurrection

• This restored relationship with God means that sin no longer has power over us
  • We are free from its eternal consequences
  • It is no longer the controlling aspect of our life
  • We are enabled to live righteously in the confidence that whatever happens in this lifetime we are guarded and kept by our great shepherd who overcame death itself
    • This hasn’t seemed much like a traditional Thanksgiving message, because those tend to focus on being thankful for the good things that are happening and this passage focuses more on bad things happening
    • Even when difficult, unfair things are happening how can we not be thankful that the best thing has already happened? We have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ and have a living hope that nothing can alter.

Applications

• Trust Jesus to save you and keep you
  • Talk to him about it now if you never have
  • Keep trusting in his love and grace even when faced with unfair treatment in this world

• Obey those God has placed in authority over you and treat them with respect
  • Includes government, employers, and (if you’re a child/teenager) parents
  • Includes authorities you don’t particularly like
  • If it comes down to an unavoidable choice between obeying human authorities and obeying God, obey God but maintain respect & be willing to accept the consequences

• Let your life overflow with loving good deeds for those around you
  • Do what you can to make your community a better place
  • Reflect the love of Christ so well that when you are falsely accused of being hateful/harmful those who actually know you will have a hard time believing it

• When treated unjustly, follow the example of Jesus
  • No deceit
  • No insults
  • No threats
  • Trust God’s righteous judgment
    • He will use this for your good and his glory
    • He knows the right time and measure for judging evil