1 Peter 3:17-22
17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
19 So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— 20those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. 21 And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
22 Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honour next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.
For someone that pulled a sword on a group of temple guards, and who said, “Jesus, they’ll get to you over my dead body”, thirty years on his themes are so humble and gentle. He has changed. Last week we heard him say, ‘Be of one mind, sympathise with each other, love each other, be tender-hearted, be humble, pay back insults with a blessing.
Then he quotes Psalm 34v12-16. This Psalm was written by a man who was being persecuted by his own king for no rational reason. A couple of attempts on his life had already been made. He fled the country and turned up at the gates of his nation’s enemy, the Philistines. You may remember that David had killed Goliath, the champion of the Philistines earlier in his life. David was desperate. He had Goliath’s sword with him. He pretended to be insane to seek refuge from his enemy but the King of the Philistines turned him away. It was this time that inspired David in writing Psalm 34 around 1,000 years before Jesus. Peter quotes it word-for-word.
Psalm 34v12-16
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Peter then said, Don’t be afraid. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Some Origins for Suffering:
- Because we love
- For being an idiot or culpable
- For making poor decisions, not holding onto boundaries, …
- For things beyond your control (health, environment, war)
- Self-imposed martyrdom – Forsaking all for the Kingdom – In order to say you are suffering
- Being in a wrong or abusive relationship
- We can attempt to endure all suffering, but not all suffering is to be endured?
- For doing what is right or for your beliefs
- You’re a Christian – year 3
- Palestinian Christian pastor and his wife in Bethlehem
Ultimately, good behaviour will lead to victory
Let’s keep going back to Jesus:
Peter asks, “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?”, but he as much as anyone is painfully aware that believers may still have to endure suffering. Keep looking to how Jesus did it. How Jesus managed suffering and persecution is our model.
Ultimately, Peter’s assurances are grounded in his final hope: God will eventually (even if not now) establish complete justice.
Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3v18)
Peter keeps coming back to Jesus, which I also want to do. Thankfully Matthew has written a bunch of Jesus teachings which you can see inform Peter’s stance.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5v10)
Peter’s exhortation to his readers is that when you have to endure suffering, do not fear the oppressors. You can see him drawing this from Jesus in Matt 10:26-33.
26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
Peter encourages us to constantly be willing to speak up for him, to confess our allegiance to him, and to witness fearlessly to his saving grace.
Defend in a humble and respectful manner:
Such a boldness, Peter warns, ought not to lead to a haughty, ugly defensiveness but to “gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” Instead of brash defensiveness which often stems from insecurity, Christians ought to defend the Lord in a humble and respectful manner. Such a manner can lead to people coming to know God (3:1-2) and to leniency when persecution strikes (3:13).
OK – Don’t get distracted:
Between the statement of Jesus’ suffering and his vindication Peter brings up some preaching of Jesus to spirits (3:19). There is so much uncertainty in what Peter is trying to say in these few verses. We do not often find a passage where its central ideas are so disputed; when we do, we need to acknowledge that there is great debate and hold our opinions loosely.
In fact, it is one of the most disputed passages in the Bible. Even Martin Luther was completely baffled and called the verse “a strange text and certainly a more obscure passage than any other passage in the New Testament”. Scot McKnight (an American New Testament scholar and author who has written widely on the historical Jesus, early Christianity, and Christian living.)
However, I want to ease up the tension for Peter. We have almost no record of what Jesus said in his 40 days on earth after his ascension, but I think it is safe to assume that Peter asked Jesus what happened during the couple of days his body was in the tomb? I suspect Jesus shared something about preaching to spirits and about people that disobeyed God long ago, about Noah, about the flood and about baptism of water. I do wonder if Peter was able to keep up with Jesus’ explanation? We can see from previous interactions between Jesus and Peter that Peter at times wasn’t able to keep up with Jesus… but let’s keep an open mind.
Here’s another interesting thing; we see the end of 1 Peter 3 appear in the Apostles Creed originating from around 200AD:
The Apostles Creed
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
The Nicene Creed originated around 100 years later which most denominations sign up to today. Notice that the Nicene Creed does not mention anything between Jesus burial and resurrection.
A Section of the Nicene Creed
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
These spirits are then subjected to further scrutiny as Peter identifies them with the spirits who were alive at the time of Noah. Peter then relates this to the delivery of God’s people during the Flood (through the ark) with the delivery of contemporary Christians through baptism.
Peter’s point being that Noah and his family were rescued from the waters by the Ark, and now, in a similar way we are rescued from certain destruction through our baptism in water.
Like Jesus, remain faithful and righteous to the tasks God has called you to
Peter is describing a triumphal proclamation of Jesus Christ after his death and prior to his resurrection. “he preached” describes the proclamation of victory that Jesus announced over the spirit world as he ascended to the right hand of God. Just as Jesus was vindicated before his opponents, we also will be, if we, like Jesus, remain faithful and righteous to the tasks God has called us to do.
Peter finishes this chapter with a classic, psalm-like finale.
Jesus now has all authority.
He is victorious.
Questions:
- What do you think about Peter quoting Psalm 34v12-16 in his letter? What do you think may have been his purpose?
- When Peter says it is “better to suffer for doing good” (1 Pet 3:17), how does this sit with our natural instinct for self‑protection or retaliation?
- What kinds of suffering in life should be endured for Christ, and what kinds should we wisely step away from?
- Have a go at giving a commentary on v19-20. What do you think Peter was communicating. Try and come up with several possible interpretations.
- How does the story of Noah and Peter’s link between the flood and baptism shape your understanding of God’s rescue, judgement, and the meaning of baptism today?