Born Anew with Imperishable Faith—Lectionary Reflection for Easter 2A (1 Peter 1:3-9)

1 Peter 1:3-9 New Revised Standard Version UpdatedEdition

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ⁴ and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, ⁷ so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Although you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

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                On the Sunday following Easter, what some call a “Low Sunday,” because the crowds that filled the churches on Easter Sunday have moved on to other things. Often, preachers will take that Sunday off, having spent all their energy during Holy Week. But the celebration of Easter continues, even without the crowds. The Gospel reading comes from John 20, where we read about Jesus’ appearances to his disciples following his resurrection. According to John, it was on the evening of the first day of the week, the very day that Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene (John 20:1-18), that he appeared to a frightened group of followers gathered in an upper room. During that visit, Jesus breathed on the gathered disciples the Holy Spirit. Of course, Thomas wasn’t with them at that moment, so Jesus must reveal himself to Thomas the following week. Why Thomas was absent from the previous gathering is not revealed, but he demands to touch Jesus if he’s going to believe. Seeing isn’t enough (John 20:19-31).  That’s the Gospel reading for the day. Our task here is to explore the Second Reading, taken from 1 Peter 1:3-9.

                The First Letter of Peter is an interesting letter. It is attributed to the apostle Peter, but it was likely written by someone other than the apostle. He writes to a community that is dispersed and perhaps suffering. As to the nature of that suffering, there are many questions and possibilities for us to consider. Since there is little evidence of widespread government-led persecution at the time (early 90s CE), something else seems to be affecting the community. But the message here, and one we find throughout the letter, involves a call to faithfulness to one’s confession of faith in Christ. This was necessary because these Gentile believers would have faced, at the very least, social pressures to conform to the attitudes expected of residents of the Roman empire, including participating in the civil religion of the empire.  It is important to remember that the Romans tolerated religious diversity. What they didn’t tolerate was challenging the government-sponsored religion, which was understood to be a pledge of allegiance to the empire. You know, like pledging allegiance to the flag (it took a Supreme Court case in 1943, brought by Jehovah’s Witnesses, to overturn rules that led to the expulsion of students, and fines and jail time for family members, for refusing to say the pledge of allegiance).

Throughout history, Christians have faced choices when it comes to social-cultural realities. Do we go along to get along, or do we stand apart? What cultural values are present in our context that might not reflect Jesus’ values? For example, is Pope Leo XIV correct when he declared that God doesn’t listen to violent war prayers? If the church stands against some of the cultural values, especially those that emphasize greed and self-centeredness, does that lead to living in exile?

                Our reading begins with the author of the letter (for our purposes, Peter) offering words of blessing to the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He then notes that it is by God’s great mercy that the readers have experienced new birth that leads to the living hope linked to the resurrection of Jesus. New birth or salvation is first and foremost a gift of God. It is not something we earn but rather receive because God is merciful. Therefore, as a result, we find the reason for the inclusion of this passage during the season of Easter. That is because our hope is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Therefore, we can continue singing the great hymns of Easter that we didn’t get to on Easter Sunday.  There is more good news. Because of the resurrection, we have an imperishable inheritance. Here is a reminder that we can’t take our “wealth” with us, unless it is that heavenly treasure. So, embrace the power of God, which I believe is rooted in love, and receive through faith the salvation that is revealed to us at the end of time (here is a bit of the eschatological nature of Peter’s letter).

                This is the good news brought to us by Peter. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we have received an imperishable inheritance, our salvation.  Therefore, we can rejoice despite what Peter says is temporary suffering. That temporary suffering, the various trials we endure, produces something more precious than gold, yes, more precious than gold, which is tested by fire. The kinds of suffering envisioned here is not the “suffering” claimed by some Christians today, who complain that they are suffering because they have lost power in a more pluralistic nation. Having been tested, praise, glory, and honor result when Jesus is revealed.  

                While Jesus has yet to be revealed, so the recipients of the letter have not yet seen Jesus, they still love him. We may not see him, and yet we believe in him. That is, faith is not based on seeing or touching, something Thomas demanded. It’s good that Mary saw the resurrected Jesus and Thomas got to touch his wounds. They are the witnesses who bring the message of the resurrection to us. Nevertheless, the rest of us who were not part of the crowd of witnesses must take this message by faith. Because we believe in him despite not seeing him, we can “rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.” Joy is a good thing. It can emerge even in times of difficulty because it is rooted in the affirmation of the risen Christ.

                The reading closes with a word about the salvation of our souls that comes as an outcome of our faith in God. Salvation involves the future state, but it is more complex than that. Salvation that is meaningful must have this-world impact. It must involve healing and liberation. Why is that? Well, that seems to be part of Jesus’ message. So, let’s not lose track of those implications. At the same time, Peter speaks of a promise of redemption and treasure that is stored in heaven. This is our imperishable inheritance that comes with the new birth. We can move through times of trial, knowing that God is faithful. Therefore, whatever we experience leads to growth as we move toward God’s future.