1 Peter 3
In 1979 County Music performer Kenny
Rogers released a song called Coward of
the County. The song is the story of a man named Tommy who grew up being
taught, “you don’t have to fight to be a man.”
However, when violence comes to his home, Tommy finds that the only way
to defeat violence is with violence. The song’s penultimate line says, “sometimes
you have to fight when you’re a man.” Coward of the County made it to number
one on the charts in several countries. The message of revenge, using power to
defeat power, and peace through strength apparently resonated with a lot of
people.
I am not advocating for vigilantism or
for violence. It is a sad reality of this world that human beings exert power
over one another: physically,
emotionally, intellectually, and any other way we can. This is the way our
world often works, because we live in a broken world.
1 Peter gives us an image of life that
urges us to relationships of love, respect, service, and submission. In the model
here wives look to their husbands’ needs as their primary concern. Husbands
treat their wives as precious treasure – I believe that is the right way to
understand the odd image of a “weaker vessel”; she is protected, not
endangered, held in honor, and greatly valued. Vengeance is not part of our
life, instead we overcome evil with good, trusting that God will sort out what
is just and unjust; even if that means suffering for us in this world. (This
does not mean that oppression is acceptable! Love and respect do not accept subjugation
and will even use earthly power to resist it.)
How counter cultural this way of life is!
How Christ-like it is, too. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous
for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the
flesh but made alive in the spirit ….” Jesus had (and has) real power and
authority in this world, but He chooses to deal with us from humility and
weakness. His salvation is won by suffering and dying, not by beating His
enemies into submission. He delivers that salvation to us by baptism, a washing
of water and the Word, not by requiring heroic deeds from us. So we make our
defense to this world with gentleness and respect, unperturbed, because Christ
the Lord is in heaven at the right hand of God, and He will see our salvation
completed.
Lord, help me to live counterculturally, resisting
the use of power to dominate others, but help me win people with Your love. Amen.
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