On St. Peter as the Apostle of Hope

On St. Peter as the Apostle of Hope.

“The Resurrection is, first and foremost, the act of infinite tenderness by which the Father, after the terrible suffering of the Passion, revived his Son from death by means of the Holy Spirit and made him Lord. It is the cry with which God, after holding back and putting up with violence for a long time, finally breaks his silence. The Father, to express it in human terms, drew near to Jesus in the tomb just as someone here would gently draw near the crib of a child who is sick or sleeping, and awoke him from the sleep of death. The gospel tells us that Jesus one day came upon the casket of a young man who had died and cried out, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” and the young man sat up, and Jesus returned him to his mother (Luke 7:14). Now it is the Father who comes near to the tomb of Jesus and cries out, “Son, I say to you, arise!” and Jesus sits up and arises. The Father is the one who resurrects, the Son is the resurrected one, and the Holy Spirit is the resurrection itself. The action of the Father is the source of the greatest hope for us, because it declares in advance what he will one day also do for us.” (from Contemplating the Trinity, by R. Cantalamessa).

A Fisherman-Wordsmith. The great St. Peter, close confidante of Jesus, the rock who yet stumbled in betrayal, the redeemed and undisputed leader of the early Jesus movement in Jerusalem, and the first apostle to preach to the Gentiles… From his perch in Rome soon before 65 AD, he wrote his two letters to the scattered Christ-followers around Asia Minor, addressing both Gentiles and Jewish believers. Peter and his scribe Silvanus were creative wordsmiths in the way they composed his two letters, devising 119 unique vocabulary words that are found nowhere else in the New Testament! Evidently, if Peter couldn’t find just the right word to express himself, he made one up! In his own unique way, Peter wanted to encourage these new believers in their trials and the persecution that was beginning to threaten them from the Roman empire. He urgently yearned to infuse hope into them in the midst of their difficulties, not only the hope of their eventual, final salvation, but also in their daily lives full of difficulty. Their hope was not only in their future glory with Jesus, but also in God’s promises to provide what was needed in trying circumstances as they matured in the Faith. So Peter focused intensely on hope, especially in his first letter. As he exclaimed in 1:6, Peter directed them to “greatly rejoice” in their hope, to exult in joy as they eagerly expected what was surely waiting for them, even if they had to endure various trials in the meantime.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who, according to His boundless, extravagant mercy, we are reborn into an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!” (1 Peter 1:3).

Lauren Daigle – In Christ Alone (Acoustic)

Our Triumphant Hope. These opening words of Peter have long been considered a quote from an early Christian baptismal liturgy, which in turn was directly taken from a traditional Jewish benediction that introduced their central worship prayer called the “Amidah.” Yes, we who were spiritually lifeless have now experienced the God-initiated act of His Fathering us into a new life, into the powerful life of the resurrected Christ! We are born into a new family, the royal family of Christ the King and so have a divine inheritance waiting for us in heaven, an inheritance that will never be contaminated, or stolen, will never fade away or become tarnished in any way. We have been born from above, spiritually delivered from the womb of Creator God on high. Our certain hope is based on the fact that it draws its life from the Jesus who rose from the dead. We can now live into the resurrection power of Jesus in our daily life as we trust in Him. God’s gracious act of birthing us anew, accomplished through His Son’s resurrection, has now established an eternal hope that rests in God’s enduring faithfulness. “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven – and the future starts now! (1 Peter 1:3-4, MSG)

“Gird the loins of your understanding; be mentally alert, sober-minded, self-controlled, focused. Fix your hope completely on God’s grace, His divine favor to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  (1 Peter 1:13).

Gird Your Loins. In the biblical era, men always wore flowing tunics, a robe that could have been knee-length or even down closer to the ankles. To “gird up” meant gathering the loose lower parts of the tunic, folding them up into the waist area, and tucking it into the waistcloth.  a belt-like article of clothing called a girdle. One’s loin was the waist area, the area between the hips and ribs. So “girding up” was done every day… hitch your tunic up and tuck it in, which is only common sense. If one didn’t gird their loins, one would not have the freedom of movement needed to take long strides, or run, or work, or fight. That was the whole purpose of that belt around your hips… to remove the hindrances of those long, restrictive tunics worn by everyone in those days. This very common practice turned into a sort of metaphor, an idiom used by everyone to say: prepare for action, get ready to move, do what you need to do in readiness for work and movement. The only time when one’s girdle was loosened was if that person was lazy, or apathetic, or was sleeping. An ill-prepared mind like that certainly does not have the freedom of movement needed to run the race of faith, labor for the Lord, or engage in spiritual warfare. Peter is compelling all of us to live in the spirit of the Passover, when Yahweh directed all those living under Egyptian slavery who trusted in Him to gird their loins and be ready to move at a moment’s notice.

In Other Words. Since men don’t wear tunics or girdle-belts these days, of course, this metaphor for readiness and preparation is often spoken in phrases like, Time to roll up your sleeves! Get your thinking caps on! Fasten your seatbelts! Get your rear in gear! Keep your eyes peeled! Get ready to rumble! Be on your toes! Get your head into the game! Get your game face on! Focus! So if St. Peter were speaking to us today, he might have said, “Roll up the sleeves of your mind and get yourself mentally prepared!” “Put on your thinking cap and snap out of your stupor!” “Fasten your mental seatbelt because something challenging is coming your way!” “Get your mind’s rear in gear and get yourself ready!” Get your thought-life ready to rumble!” “Be on your mental toes!” “Get your head into the game and focus!” “Keep your intellectual eyes peeled and ready to do some serious thinking!”

“Even though it has only recently become public knowledge, God always knew, even before the foundation of the world, He was going to do this for you. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. It’s because of this sacrificial Messiah, who God raised from the dead and glorified, that your trusting faithfulness and your hope are centered in God.”  (1 Peter 1:20-21).

The Father knew very well what He was going to do about sin before sin even entered the world. His plan to send His Son to rescue His beloved children was an age-old secret, a private thought eternally kept in God’s heart before the world even existed. This transcendent plan of God’s was predetermined and waiting for the right time to be revealed. God’s wisdom was to deliver all of us from the darkness of sin’s prison and lead us into the light of new life, to lift us into the glory of His presence. And that is why our hope is centered on God. “This is the wisdom that God destined for our glory before time began.” (1 Corinthians 2:7).

“Sanctify the Lord, set Him apart in your hearts! And always be ready to give a thoughtful answer, a logical defense, to everyone who asks you to explain the reason for the hope that is in you. Make sure you do this with the utmost courtesy, with humility, gentleness and respect, and with a clear conscience.” (1 Peter 3:15). 

Elevator Testimony. It appears that Peter wants all believers to be ready with their “elevator speech” when asked about why they trust and believe in Jesus. Since we are all wired differently, think from a variety of angles, have different life experiences, our little “defense” of our faith will not at all be the same as someone else’s. One person might use straight logic, another a poem or song or an imaginative story, another detailing a life experience. Some will explain their faith with a lot of emotion, others without any emotion at all. There is no one right way to do something like this that is an expression of each unique personality. The main thing is that it is genuine and true, it makes sense, and it’s authentically straight from the heart. But it’s not just what one says, it’s also how it is expressed. Followers of Jesus are not entitled to be obnoxious for Christ, or defensive, or disrespectful, or combative, or belligerent, or accusative, or shaming. Isn’t it interesting that the root Greek word for “reason” in this passage is “logos?” To me, that means that our explanation of our faith and trust needs to be in the same spirit as Jesus, the loving Logos, the gracious Reason and logical Explanation for the entire universe. Describing our faith in Christ is to do so in the spirit of Logos, our Reason for Being.

Salty Speech. St. Paul put an interesting spin on this important aspect of speaking with those who inquire about our faith.  “Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.”  (Colossians 4:6). Let our speech be wise and full of grace, Paul is advising. When we talk with others, let our speech be courteous, respectful, and patient. May our conversations be a pleasant experience for all concerned. Try not to be pushy or argumentative. Bring out the best of everyone involved, remaining pleasant and gracious and compassionate. Let love and truth be the guiding principles of every conversation, even those that are difficult or involve differences of opinion. But seasoned with salt? What does that mean? As it turns out, salt has been a symbol for many things that would add light to this thought of Paul’s:

1. Wisdom. Let your speech be seasoned with wisdom. Biblical scholarship refers to all the rabbinic literature which equates salt with wisdom. Salt, like wisdom, is something that can be tangibly applied in countless ways to everyday life. An application of salt, like wisdom, is usually helpful and practical and useful. Wise words in a conversation would helpfully guide the interaction, adding insight, understanding, and useful direction.  St. James describes a wise conversation seasoned with salt like this: “But the wisdom from above is always pure, filled with peace, considerate and teachable. It is filled with love and never displays prejudice or hypocrisy in any form; and it always bears the beautiful harvest of righteousness! (James 3:17, TPT).
2. Wit. Let your conversation be seasoned with wit. The translators of the New Jerusalem Bible point out that it was a common Greek cliche at that time to use the phrase “season with salt” when speaking of adding wit to a conversation. In a civilized discussion, season it with salt, make the interaction interesting, be witty, make it memorable with clever word play and turns of phrase. Spice up your conversation with nimble thinking, especially about the Faith. Unbelievers will appreciate and remember clever discourse when it comes to discussing your beliefs. In your conversation with outsiders, pretend you are offering a tasty meal with many flavors that would attract the unbeliever. “Winsome words spoken at just the right time are as appealing as apples gilded in gold and surrounded in silver.” (Proverbs 25:11).
3. Preservative.  Let your speech be seasoned with a preservative. In the ancient world, salt was useful as a preservative to keep fresh meat from rotting. Salt was ground into the meat to prevent spoiling. Conversations need to be seasoned with salt so as to apply fresh, life-giving words to the interaction. Sinful words have a way of rotting the mind and the spirit. Godly words and attitude in a discussion can preserve the life of Christ to someone dying because of the world’s tendency to rot and spoil. Words seasoned with salt can preserve goodness and health, and help the other person to flourish. Salty words with others prevent sin from having a rotting influence. “The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.” (Proverbs 10:21).
4. Healing. Let your conversation consist of words of healing. Salt has been used as a healing agent since ancient times, especially when mixed with water and applied to cuts and scrapes and open sores in the mouth. Sometimes conversations are in need of words of healing. A healing word of Christ can be included in any discussion with another, when a troubled or wounded person is your focus. Healing words promote wholeness that may lead to flourishing. Words seasoned with salt may sting, but when the truth is spoken with love, healing will come.  “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (Proverbs 16:24). “When you speak healing words, you offer others fruit from the tree of life.” (Proverbs 15:4).
5. Purity. Let your speech be seasoned with purity. In the Hebrew Bible, salt often  represented purity. When Yahweh instructed Moses with His special blend of fragrant spices for the holy incense, Moses was told to mix salt into the incense. “It is to be salted and pure and sacred.” (Ex. 30:35). A conversation seasoned with salt will enjoy an infusion of pure language that points to God’s character and goodness. Purity of speech reflects purity of heart, and impure language reflects a sullied heart.  “Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word, nor unwholesome or worthless talk ever come out of your mouth; but only such speech as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace to those who hear it.” (Ephesians 4:29).  “A good person’s mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom; a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.” (Proverbs 10:32).
6. Peace. Let your conversation be filled with words of peace.  In the Hebrew Bible, salt was a crucial aspect of the sacrificial system as established through Moses. In this process of establishing God’s covenant with His people, many offerings were to be heavily salted. Salt became the symbol for the promise of faithfulness in their divine agreement of peace, so much so that it was called the “salt of the covenant.” Since salt was often connected to the idea of permanence, the salt of the covenant came to emphasize the permanent nature of the peace between God and the people. Salt was also used in a typical peace-making ceremony between warring families or tribes. So salt came to be a seal of the promise of peace where there could be conflict. James referred to this meaning of salt in Mark 9:20, where he quoted Jesus as saying:  “Have salt within yourselves, and be at peace with one another.“