Easter 6 1999
Easter 6 1999
Living to Witness to the Hope
1 Peter 3:15-22
How do you look at events that happen in your life? An old Chinese parable about a poor man who lived with his son in an abandoned fort might give you a clue.
One day the only horse they owned and depended on to haul vegetables to town, which was their sole means of support, ran away. When the neighbors heard about it they went to the poor man and expressed their sympathy. “Too bad,” they said. “How do you know its bad?” the poor man responded. “The horse returned and brought back with him a dozen wild horses.” Then the neighbors said, “This is good!” “How do you know if its good?” the poor man asked. “When my son tried to tame the horses he broke his leg.” “Bad,” they said, “very bad.” “How do you know that?” the old man replied. “Shortly afterward a war broke out, but my son was laid up and did not have to go to the front.”
Isn’t it true that we tend to judge a thing as good or bad depending on immediate events? By themselves life events are often looked on as hopeless situations. But there is no setback, failure, loss, or suffering that ever stands alone. There is always another chapter to follow that can change the event from bad to good. This is especially true when we consider God’s truth. Romans 8:28 encourages us: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Throughout his epistle Peter calls attention to suffering, but in every instance it has a good outcome, a new chapter in the Christian life.
1. Hope Revisited. Because of the hope he has found in Christ, Peter urges his readers: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” He also reminds believers to pay attention to the Word of God, the “pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (2:2). Hope is kept alive as they meditate on the Word. Paul says it this way: “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom 15:4).
Apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead there would be no hope for any of us here today. But, because of his resurrection, and our connection to it in baptism, we also have hope, just like Peter and Paul and the many faithful people of God who have gone through life before us. When Christ is raised up in us, in our hearts, life events take on a whole new meaning. This is why our witness to the world is called a living witness. Living because Christ is alive in us who believe.
2. A Living Witness. Thus Peter says, “Always be prepared to give the reason for the hope” after which he adds, “with gentleness and respect.” Peter had apparently learned that harshly spoken words, even though they are true, can turn people off. Perhaps Paul is thinking the same thing when he admonishes the young pastor, Timothy: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” You see, it is this “Word of Truth” God’s Word, that makes people alive in Christ. James gives this witness, “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Beside the witness of our words, the witness of our lifestyle is also an effective and necessary means of living out our hope. One of the finest examples of this is Peter’s advice to Christian women who are married to unbelievers. “Be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives” (3:1-2).
Husbands are also urged to: “in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life” (3:7).
Peter also mentions being living witnesses to civil rulers. “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors. … For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men” (2:13-15). The point is this. Our hope rests in the benevolent heart and will of God in Christ.
3. The Reason for the Hope. Thus, Peter, says that “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous and the unrighteous.” And right here begins the reason for the hope that we confess in the ancient Christian Creeds. In death, Christ descended into hell, not to proclaim a second chance to the dead, but to proclaim victory over death; he rose triumphantly, just as he said he would; he ascended into heaven, glorified; and he sits at God’s right hand of power to rule over all things. In other words, his is the final authority. And on that divine authority our life rests.
Of course, we are talking about the exaltation of our Lord. I mean, we can relate to his humanity, but to his divinity we might find it difficult to relate because we tend to look at the immediate events of life without the hope of another chapter. But, there is another chapter that we will all one day experience. Remember, in baptism we have been united with Christ, not only in the likeness of his death, but also in the likeness of his resurrection. Thus, being raised with him we now look forward to the fulfillment of the promise, “you will be like him” sinless, and glorified. Therefore our witness is urgent; it may be the only witness of the Good News someone we know might receive. And that witness has God’s divine purpose in it. Isaiah 55:11 says, “[My Word] will not return to me empty, but will … achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
Because God works through his Word we can be effective witnesses to the hope we have because God will have the last word. Turmoil threatened the safety of Jesus’ disciples in their tiny boat on the sea of Galilee. That same kind of turmoil tested the faith of the early Christians in Peter’s day. It still threatens us today. But through it all comes the same voice heard by the disciples so long ago; the voice of him who conquers all: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Mt 14:27). You see! We have hope in Christ. Amen.