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Join Peter Englert, a pastor, and Dr. Ron Hall, professor and pastor, as they delve into the book of 1 Peter. This book helps readers cope with suffering in an antagonistic world by offering hope in Jesus. Whether you're exploring faith or a long-time follower of Jesus, read through the book of 1 Peter on your own or with a group of friends with insights to better understand this book of the Bible.
1 Peter 5:12-14 / Conclusion
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[00:00:00]
Peter Englert: Welcome to the Reading First Peter podcast. My name's Peter Englert.. I am here. We are on our last podcast of, um, this series. We might do more in the future, who knows? but I am here with my co-host friend, professor, pastor Ron Hall. Ron, are you ready for this?
Ron Hall: Let's go for it, Peter.
Peter Englert: All right, so what we're gonna do today is I'm gonna read, uh, verse Peter five, 12 through 14.
We're gonna talk about that passage, but we are gonna have just some closing thoughts, um, about this letter as we, uh, close off this series. And it says this verse 12 from one Peter five the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother. I've written to you briefly encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God.
Stand fast in it. She who is in Babylon chosen together with you, sends you her greeting and so does my son Mark, greet [00:01:00] one another with a kiss of love. to all of you who are in Christ. Um, so I've read letters, um, from my, uh, family, um, from World War II or earlier, and there's definitely inside jokes or kind of references that we don't know. And I, I think we see some of that. But let's start with what we do know, Ron, who is Silas.
Ron Hall: Well, there are different reflections. Some feel it's the S that was the traveling companion with the Apostle Paul. Some translations you'll see in S Venus, which could be a derivative. So the jury's out there. Is this the one actually connected with the Apostle Paul, or is this a, a unique individual? The good thing is that he's characterized as one who's faithful.
So he's a person that's secure in the faith and he's [00:02:00] exemplary and he's serving as technically biblically, we use the word emanu. But it's, it'll be like a secretary. So Peter is, is dictating the letter. So he says, with the help of Silas, we're, we're writing this down.
Peter Englert: So before we get to kind of the fun section, um, so there's a reference to my son Mark. And for those of you that don't know, most scholars believe. The Gospel of Mark is highly influenced by Peter, and I think that this would be a reference in a section, um, that they would point to.
Ron Hall: Yeah, absolutely. And we can see the pattern in the gospel of Mark. That is the pattern followed in the sermons of Peter. In Acts, so you, you lay the sermons of Acts and then the outline of Mark and the structure, and it's very similar [00:03:00] and it's the way that Peter is referred to within Mark. So, you know, Peter, Mark's source is Peter himself for that gospel and the influence, the impact upon him and some of the self-effacing, uh, items about Peter.
Uh, mark brings out, which we owe to Peter, is sharing that with him. And so here it is. It's interesting because you remember Mark ended up traveling with Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journey. He ended up jumping ship, going back home. We don't know all of the reasons, their speculation, but then the next time Barnabas wanted to bring Mark on the second missionary journey, and Paul said, no way.
At that time when there was that rejection of Mark traveling, Paul ends up going with Silas and then Mark goes with Barnabas who invest in him. But when Paul writes two [00:04:00] Timothy chapter four, bring Mark with you for, he is a much help to be in my ministry. There was a reconciliation between Paul and Mark as he saw the value of what Mark had to offer.
And then here we have Mark showing up. And with Peter, and you know, if we date Peter, uh, we gotta date before, uh, 65 AD because of the time of the martyrdom of, of Peter. But Mark is here, uh, with him and, uh, and that dear one to him, Peter was willing to, uh, take him under his wings and work with him. And here it is.
Peter Englert: Man, what a, what a great story. Now let's, um, you know, before we kinda close up this passage, uh, verse 13, uh, she who is in Babylon, what, what do you think Peter is getting at here? I.
Ron Hall: Well, we assume that it is a code word for Rome. [00:05:00] When he is referring to she. So it's the people of the faith and the idea of the church. This would be the, the best understanding of it. So the people of the faith that are in Babylon, that are actually in Rome are the ones that are, are as sending greetings.
So that's the imagery. So, uh, and I think there's a consensus amongst scholars that it, it's a code word Babylon considered to be a corrupt place from the Old Testament. Going back to the time of Nebuchadnezzar, so it's corrupt. The imagery is used in the Book of Revelation about Babylon the Great and how the might Dear Fallen.
And so it's probably an imagery of evil Yes. And also of Rome itself.
Peter Englert: And I think that that is an important fact to talk about the bookend, that the, the initial greeting is to the exile scattered, and then he closes with Babylon. And when we read the [00:06:00] Old Testament, major prophets like Jeremiah, especially that they talk about the exiles living in Babylon. So I think what we can see here is it. As much as it's an inside joke that we we're making some very, very good
Ron Hall: Mm-hmm.
Peter Englert: um, and maybe even some assertions. But you can see thematically, starts by talking about the exiles. Scattered, closes by saying she was in Babylon. He's making a point, which is the theme of the whole passage.
Ron Hall: Yeah.
Peter Englert: What does it look like to live in an antagonistic society in the time of following Jesus?
Ron Hall: And that's what's reinforced because within First Peter, we're seeing what the culture was like and. It's un canning. The parallels of the culture of our day and age with the things that were taking place within one Peter, the corruption, the demoralization, the rejection of the [00:07:00] faith, the sense of wanting power, uh, control and dominance.
Those themes of the culture in the first century, uh, parallel with today. And, uh, so it's amazing how the Bible is Peter. It's like reading current events, those of us listening. It's, uh, you, you read what's going on in your newsfeed and you look at the Bible and you realize the parallels are so uncanny.
Peter Englert: Hmm.
Ron Hall: So.
Peter Englert: that, that's kind of a good spot for us. is a beautiful closing. Um, you know, the peace to all of you who are in Christ. know, as you kind of thi sit and reflect on going through this whole book, in this last episode and in this greeting, what are some major themes that you want us to pause with one Peter five, 12 through 14.
Ron Hall: Well, we have to go back to chapter one that we have been born again unto a living hope through the resurrection of [00:08:00] Jesus Christ from the dead, and that hope is not wishful thinking that hope is Sure and steadfast. So right from the outset, Peter is trying to help us live out the Christian life. In an antagonistic world, what would that look like?
It has to look like a commitment and a surrender to Christ. And if you're listening today with understanding the reality of a need for a relationship with Christ, this is an ideal time to surrender and experience what is talked about in Chapter one. Born Again into a living home. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and that's what's going to help you to be productive as a person and with what God's design is.
I also wanna be sure we reinforce the theme of submission and we dealt with that, with the idea of what do we do and how we function with one another, and that Christ is our ultimate example At the end of [00:09:00] chapter two, Christ left us an example that we should follow in his footsteps. He was humble. He wasn't full of guile.
He wasn't reactionary. He functioned out of a sense of calmness and confidence that we can also have with our relationship with the Lord. And there's so many nuggets we can bring out, but, uh, one more outta chapter three. Now he is dealing with that what's called apologia apologetics a defense for our faith, we need to be ready always to give an answer to everyone who ask us.
A reason of the hope that is within us. So that is the idea of the gospel. When the gospel's in you, you can stand strong, uh, with confidence. And throughout every chapter of the letter, it deals with suffering. And how do we respond to the suffering we face? We wrestled with whether that suffering in chapter four is dealing with physical, whatever we [00:10:00] conclude.
These people are suffering and paying a dear price for their sake of the gospel. The Roman Empire was attacking Christians. Nero was the emperor at this time, burning Christians at the stake. They'd wrap them in animal skins, they'd throw them into the arena. The classics that you, you've seen happening, going back to the time of the gladiator, when you think of a movie like that, and those things really were happening, and Niro Niro was a.
Lunatic guy, but here is Peter writing to a group of people living in those difficult times and he is saying, Hey, stand strong in the faith. The devil is out to destroy you, but he is going to be defeated. Christ is victorious. Good.
Peter Englert: and I think the, the theme that I'm kind of picking up, um, and you've talked about, you know, the submission, um, you've talked about the suffering and um, you know, we've talked about the apia, [00:11:00] I think sometimes we, as 21st century Americans read this individualistically, I think that you and I have brought up this is. A community, this is a church. And so even I'm gonna point back to, um, you know, love, you know, covers a multitude of sins, love each other deeply. He's talking about relationships. What does it look like to have a relationship, you know, with your spouse, you know, submitting one to another in the last chapter that we just read about, the elders and the younger and. You know what a way for Peter to close is he's saying, Hey, I didn't write this on my own. saying, Hey, I want you to think about Silas, think about those Christians in the other part of Babylon slash
Ron Hall: Yes.
Peter Englert: and then also Mark. And um, you know, I think this is where we have to remember the Bible's written for us, not to us.
And this [00:12:00] idea of greet one another with
Ron Hall: So,
Peter Englert: of love, a very different kind of kiss. But again. that above those high picture topics and themes, there's a threat of we do this together as a
Ron Hall: yeah.
Peter Englert: That's why we write this to you.
Ron Hall: So it is community, and Peter is reminding them they need each other where he refers to them as the brothers that are undergoing the same type of suffering. That includes ladies too. So brothers and sisters going through the same type of suffering as you see,
Peter Englert: I.
Ron Hall: realizing we're not living out the Christian life in isolation.
It's not a solo journey.
Peter Englert: So. With the, this idea of peace to you, all of you who are in Christ. Um, I think it's really important because sometimes as modern readers, we think of the term peace as just the absence of conflict, that is not what. I think Peter's talking [00:13:00] about, I think in other places like Romans five, the idea of peace comes from the fact that Jesus brought those of us who are far near, um, because of the cross, because of the resurrection. These are not just, um, um, these are not just kinda passive ideas, but the peace that we have in Jesus has been accessed in Christ. I I what else would you add with the
Ron Hall: Yeah,
Peter Englert: of the book with that?
Ron Hall: well, I, I think that's an important parallel and we go back into the gospels then. You know, Jesus said, my peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, do I give unto you? So let not your hearts be troubled, neither. Let them be afraid. He's speaking to the disciples, he's speaking collectively to all of us.
And it's the, it's the, the Old Testament. Shalom is the image we have here of pronouncing blessing upon people. And that's the kind of blessing we wanna experience. All of [00:14:00] us, whatever it is you're going through today, you wanna experience the peace of God.
Peter Englert: Well, and even as you say that, you know, I think about parenting, uh, I would love to take away all the hardships that my daughters experience. But I, I think that actually teach them actually experience those hardships without deterring them, and that, that's what I think, Peter, that's the picture, is he's saying, Hey, y'all are gonna suffer. you know, even I, I keep going back to, I think one of his most brilliant passages is says, Hey, if you're suffering, 'cause you break the law, like you deserve every punishment you get. if you're suffering because you're doing exactly what Christ told you to, is this idea of resilience.
There is this idea of character forming that you can [00:15:00] experience peace even though everything outside of you tells you you can't.
Ron Hall: Yeah, and that's the balance. And it's good that you brought up the images that are found back in chapter two. Are we suffering for the right reasons? And in chapter three, suffering for the right reasons? Chapter four, as we've been reinforcing every chapter deals with suffering, but is it for the right things?
If we're doing it in the Lord, we can have a sense of God confidence, not confidence in ourselves. It's that humility referred to in our last session. It's confidence in what the Lord has done and to be secure in that.
Peter Englert: Mm-hmm.
Ron Hall: So.
Peter Englert: So before we kind of close out this whole series and, um, we hope you've all grown in this, uh, you know, I'll give you two things. What's what's your final thoughts on these last, uh, first Peter five, 12 through 14 and maybe some final thoughts on the book in general.
Ron Hall: [00:16:00] Well, first of all, we need to be appreciative that we have this letter. The New Testament would be incomplete. Uh, without it, we needed to hear from Peter, not just Peter in the Gospels, but what happened to his life all those years later, coming to the end of his journey. Of course, there's the second Peter to come after.
But here we are nearing the end of his life and the things that he's able to, uh, herald for us, the things that he's able to teach us and impart to us, uh, they're, they're just vital for a Christian life. He's not slowing down. He's strong to the end, decades of following after Christ. We're looking at 30 years later, and here he is strong and saying, stay true to the faith.
Doesn't matter what's going on in the world, our faith is not rooted in this world that's rooted in Christ. And so for him to pull it together and pronounce these blessings upon us, [00:17:00] that's, that's our privilege to be able to experience. So let's all be grateful that God has provided this letter in the New Testament.
Peter Englert: Yeah, and the only thing that I would add to that is, um, I loved what you said. Like it, it's beautiful and the New Testament's almost incomplete without hearing from Peter. And we get the full dynamic picture of Peter, he's not just. Um, the impetuous disciple. He's not just the, the vision with Cornelius and then the rebuke of Paul, but in some ways, one Peter shows the maturity.
And I, I think that that's hope for us because
Ron Hall: Oh
Peter Englert: becoming a follower of Jesus, growing in character, growing in the gospel doesn't happen overnight. think that that's, that's a small thread and theme that we can take with it from this book.
Ron Hall: Yeah, and he [00:18:00] carries the, the marks of those, those images of the dumb stupid things that he did, but it did deter him from the faith, you know, it did shipwreck him. And again, it's reinforcing then this, this perseverance right down to the end.
Peter Englert: Hmm. Well, Ron, I can think of no better way for us, uh, to end this series than, uh, to have you close in
Ron Hall: Now father, we're so, uh, aware of the difficulties that go on in the world around us, and we say, how do we respond? How do we handle it? And at times the world can look like an ugly place, but nevertheless, in the midst of all of it, there's beauty to be found and your work of grace and what you've created.
And what you've done within us, creating us in your image, and we're so grateful for the restoration you're bringing about in our lives as we dealt with in chapter one. We're born again through a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the [00:19:00] dead. It's an inheritance that won't fade, that won't flounder away, that is secure it.
Sure. And we build our faith in the reality of the work that you have done that we're grateful for. So I pray blessing upon everyone that's worked through this journey, those that are tuning in today, whatever suffering it is that they're facing, and the anguish they have in their life, difficulty in their circumstances, may they find a hope and a security that comes in you for all of us, in Jesus' name, amen.
Peter Englert: Thank you so much for joining us on this journey.