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May 9, l999
"Double Vision" 1 Peter
3:l3-22
Christians are privileged to have a double vision, or
a double take, on the most disturbing aspects of living:
matters such as suffering and death.We experience these
realities at the human level, naturally like everyone
else, but faith gives us a second vision, a double
vision, on them. This second vision arises because we are
privileged by faith to filter natural experiences through
the transcendent reality of Christ.
The letter called First Peter, traditionally
attributed to the Apostle Peter, but more likely written
by a person who was part of Peter's group of friends, is
full of double vision. Take the reference to the story of
Noah and the Flood from Genesis which is referenced in
the letter. Natural vision focuses on a charming tale
peopled by Noah and his family and all the animals
entering the ark. These characters adorn children's
books, and their pajamas and bedroom wall paper.
Seen from a second vision, the story of Noah is a
dark one featuring a flood so great that it wiped out an
entire civilization, a flood sent to do just that by an
angry and disappointed God. Noah and his family were
saved in the ark but everyone else perished., If you read
the bible and this story with any imagination you would
end up worrying about what kind of God would do such a
drastically sweeping thing. Christian double vision often
raises disturbing theological problems which natural
vision would not contemplate.
Our text of today puts issues of suffering, curses,
and death in the context of Christ and answers the
question of what kind of God we have, a perplexing God
who creates devastating floods and yet gives us rainbows
of hope. It says that we worship a God whose love for us
is so great that he is willing to suffer for us through
his gift of Christ. This Christ "was put to death in the
flesh" when he was crucified, "but made alive in the
spirit" when God raised him from the dead. The main
point, I believe, is that God went through death so that
we need not have any ultimate fear of death.
The teaching goes on to ask us to model our
suffering, our issues of conscience, and our need for
greater confidence in Godafter the way Christ handled
these matters. We are invited to sanctify Christ in our
hearts.
And then there is that odd addition, that we worship a
Christ who in the spirit "went and made a proclamation to
the spirits in prison, who in former times did not
obey."
The references to the suffering, death and the
resurrection of Christ are quite familiar, but the
reference to Christ preaching to the imprisoned spirits
from past times is most strange. What could it mean? Who
are these spirits in prison? The truth is we do not know?
There has been much speculation. Some Christians have
interpreted this reference to be to the fallen angels who
deserted God and rallied to Lucifer. Some believe it
refers to all those who died in the flood, (which might
by imagination be expanded as a metaphor to cover all of
humanity who lived before the coming of Christ.) Some,
the most inclusive of all, believe it is an assurance
that everyone who dies without knowledge of Christ is not
forgotten by God who has or will send Christ to them.
Varied though these interpretations are, they have
this one thing in common. They all make clear that
Christ's resurrection power benefits more than just us.
There are others, whose stories are not our story, but
who still somehow encounter the good news of the kingdom
of God in the person of the resurrected Jesus. We may
trust that God's compassion for those who died without
encountering Christ is much greater than our own concern
for them. The hint in 1 Peter is that God's grace is
bigger than our experience and that Christ's resurrection
power transcends all barriers of time and distance. Such
a grand affirmation from such a short letter!
*****
The text shifts from reminding us of Noah's story to
focusing on our stories. Just as Noah and his family were
saved by passing through deadly waters and emerging to
find a new life, so we participate in the death and the
resurrection of Christ. In our baptism we die to
ourselves and we are given new life, made into new
creatures. Baptism is for us what the ark was for Noah,
the vessel which keeps us safe as we pass through death
and baptism makes new life possible. The text says that
the function of baptism is not to clean dirt from our
bodies but to give us a good conscience and through
having a good conscience to grow in a good relationship
with God. And that relationship in turn will strengthen
our conscience and character and lead us into good,
moral, vital living.
The power behind baptism is our faith in the
resurrection of Christ and in this text that power has
very practical application. It makes it possible for us
to resist fear, to endure suffering, and to do good. Near
the beginning, the writer says "do not fear what they
fear." We are set free of the fears of non-believers.
Other people, non-believers, are afraid of pain, of
poverty, of loneliness, of being ridiculed, of failing in
ways that Christians can surmount by their faith in
Christ. All of these afflictions can happen to
Christians, but we don't fear them in the same way that
people of one vision only do . The only fear we have is
to be excluded from the sanctuary of God and thereby to
be denied God as our refuge and strength.
On occasion I pray with someone who is seriously ill.
I inquire if the sick person is baptized because the
state of being baptized influences my pastoral approach.
Terminally ill persons who are baptized can call upon
the resources of their faith to overcome whatever fear
they have of the pain and death waiting them. For
non-baptized my pastoral comfort is must be of a kind
both more general and more limited because when you have
no faith you cannot call upon the God whom we know
through faith in Christ.
1 Peter reminds us that our answer to inappropriate
fear, or suffering, is to sanctify Christ as Lord in our
heart. He is the only source of comfort, power, strength,
courage available to us when we are in duress. He is our
ark in the rough waters and our safe landing on the far
side.
I read an announcement in the SCMP a couple of weeks
ago which brings in focus the contrast between the
singular vision of persons who live only in the natural
life, that is the flesh, and Christian double vision
arising from our faith. "Remembering Robbie" It states:
"All of the friends of Robert Colin Neilson are invited
to a very special evening on Tuesday, 20th April 1999,
at Delaney's Wanchai and Joe Bananas from 7PM to
llPM…All kinds of events are being held in memory
of Robbie and in support of his children, Angel and
Alistair. Come along and have a great night, in support
of a great cause."
This advertisement did not appear on the Saturday
religion page because it was not a religious or faith
event. It appeared as a paid announcement on a general
page because it was a secular event. I respect the
persons who organized this benefit for the family of
Robert Colin Neilson and I trust a lot of money was
raised. In the Christian tradition we have the practice
of the wake which is a gathering of friends of the
deceased for food, drink and celebration of the dead. But
the wake is not all there is for Christians whereas for
natural people it all ends with a glass of ale at Joe
Bananas.
Faith gives Christians a double vision regarding all
adversities of life and our regard for death. 1 Peter
reminds us that Christ has passed through a real death in
order to spare us undue anxiety regarding our own deaths.
Probably most of us do not think too much of our own
deaths unless we are reminded by the surprise of a sudden
and unexpected death of a young person, like Robbie.
More naturally, we think little of death until we grow
so old that our very natural condition must remind us of
our approaching death. Being in that context myself in
these years, I was amused by a story told by the
theologian Miroslav Volf who was visiting a cemetery in
Tubingen, Germany, where he has studied and taught. He
often passed the tomb of the Goes family (GOES). And on
their tombs written in large letters were the names of
the deceased members of the Goes family buried there: :
'MARIANNE GOES, HEINRICH GOES, OTTO GOES,' And this
caused Volf to mutter to himself: "And eventually we all
go!"
The Christian is allowed a double vision on the matter
of life and death. Eventually we all go, and how we go
depends on how we have lived. Carrying Christ in our
hearts makes possible a clear conscience and a clear
conscience encourages the living of a good life and the
living of a good life is synonymous with doing good
works in our lives. Faith in Christ is what makes us
good. Being good and doing good becomes identical
attributes and benefits of sanctifying Christ in our
hearts.
Pastor Gene Preston
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