[sunday meditations]

1 PETER 1.10-12

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Saint Peter has given us a telescopic look at the future of cosmic history. Thus far in his letter, he has wetted our appetites for eschatology, has given us glimpses and foretastes, yet doing so in a panoramic manner, so that he doesn’t delve into too much detail. We can assume that the Christians reading/hearing the letter didn’t need a point-by-point explanation of Christian eschatology: they would’ve already been quite familiar with it, and Peter’s purpose here isn’t so much that of a teacher, giving them information they didn’t yet have, but that of an encourager, putting before them what they already know, honing their focus and encouraging them through their future hope. The Christian hope—our future resurrection, glorification, and being part of the resurrection of the entire cosmos (our inheritance), which will be experienced at Jesus’ apocalypse—is to be a catalyst of endurance in the midst of difficulties. Peering into the future, and letting that future shape the way we think and live, is an all-too-often-forgotten practice; yet at the same time, the historian’s mantra that we cannot understand the present without understanding the past shouldn’t be dismissed. Indeed, having pointed Christians to the future, now St. Peter points Christians to the past, to the “prophets of old.”

Peter points to the Old Testament prophets who prophesied about God’s coming kingdom, a kingdom which would come on the wings of the Messiah. The Spirit of Christ (that is, the Holy Spirit) endowed them with the words to speak and the boldness to speak them; while the gift of the Holy Spirit is a New Covenant peculiarity, the Old Testament prophets experienced a sort of foretaste, as the Spirit empowered them without indwelling them. These prophets gave cryptic, confusing, bewildering prophecies; and though they were the bearers of the messages, they didn’t wholly understand them. One can imagine Jeremiah sitting beside a fire, scratching his beard (prophets always seem to have beards) and wondering just what in the world God had up his sleeve. Making it more confusing was the chaotic cesspool of both Suffering and Glory; somehow, in some way, suffering on behalf of Israel (or Israel’s Chosen One, her representative) would lead to subsequent Glory (a theme which Peter will come back to again and again). One can only imagine Isaiah’s anguish over The Suffering Servant, an anguish he took out on his beard, no doubt.

That which the prophets didn’t understand has now, in the present age, become clear. The death and resurrection of Jesus, and all it entails, not least the defeat of evil and the inauguration of God’s kingdom, has become a message that is preached. This message is preached by the Spirit. Spirit-filled preaching (which, in today’s evangelical climate, can often refer to esoteric, over-the-top, flamboyant preaching with a lot of huffing and puffing) isn’t about the extravagance or showiness, but the fact that when the gospel is preached, the Spirit is there: convicting, encouraging, swooning, calling. The Spirit is intimately involved in the gospel proclamation, and the preaching of the gospel is the manner by which God, through his Spirit, calls people to himself. The Spirit is God’s future breaking into the present; the Spirit is sent from Heaven, a foretaste and promise of what is to come in the future: the full restoration and renewal of the entire cosmos.

“Why does St. Peter bring all this talk of the prophets and prophecies to his hearers’ attention?” No doubt all of them were quite aware that the Jewish prophets had spoken of Jesus. This isn’t news to them, and that is, perhaps, why Peter doesn’t say anything more regarding this. He includes this to encourage the Christians as they face the possibility of intensifying persecution and even martyrdom. This is Peter’s way of saying, “You’re part of something monumentous, something extravagant, something huge! Don’t forget this! Stay the course!” Suffering, as we’ve seen, affects our character. The way we perceive things doesn’t exist in a vacuum outside our experiences but is informed and even orchestrated by these experiences; with the onset of suffering, it wouldn’t be difficult for the Christians in Asia Minor to rethink the legitimacy of their beliefs, even if they don’t realize such rethinking is happening. That this is certainly a risk can be seen in the Book of Hebrews: with persecution striking, the Jewish Christians start questioning their faith, and many begin returning to Judaism. Peter’s reminding the Christians in Asia Minor, “This is what the prophets spoke of; don’t become nearsighted, keep your perspective long-reaching rather than temporal!”

Even more-so, this is Peter bringing to the forefront of their minds a reality of the Christian experience: conforming to Christ involves not just behaving as he did, speaking as he did, etc.; it also involves conforming to his passion. Being like Christ involves suffering, and when Christians suffer, they are made more and more like Christ. This isn’t all doom-and-gloom, as we’ve seen; after all, the present suffering pales in comparison to the rewards and privileges to be bestowed upon God’s children who endure their trials. Just as Christ’s suffering was followed by glory, so Christians have the hope and the promise of experiencing glory following suffering. As Nero’s rampage reaches their ears, and as the threat of government-instituted persecution lumbers nearer, the mantra of “Suffering, Then Glory” would serve to strengthen the hearts and resolves of even the most frightened Christians.