NOTES for Pe1 2:25

Speaking of the Christian life and of Christians, Peter compares the Savior to an overseer or guard who watches over the safety of those entrusted to Him. The corresponding Greek word can, of course, be translated differently, in a more “elevated” way, but its original meaning is exactly this: guard, overseer, watchman. In Gospel times, however, it also had another meaning.

In those days among the Jews there were religious brotherhoods of a special kind, whose members regularly gathered together for common meals, usually connected with one or another feast; the most frequent were the Sabbath meals, celebrated every week. In such brotherhoods there were special ministers who presided over the gatherings, called deacons in Greek, and there were special administrators responsible for organizing the meeting and maintaining order during it. This was especially important when the brotherhood was numerous, and such ministers were called bishops in Greek, that is, overseers.

It is precisely by this word that Peter calls Jesus in his epistle. At first glance such a title may seem strange. Indeed, in the terminology of that time it would have been more logical to call the Savior a deacon, a minister, the head of the fraternal community, and the early Christian Church in its form really did resemble a religious brotherhood. It was the minister-deacon who presided over the assembly, broke the bread, and recited the prayer of blessing over the bread and wine.

But the bishop had, among other things, another duty: he had to remember all the members of the brotherhood by name and take care of them. If, for example, one of the brothers did not appear at the assembly for a fairly long time, usually a month, it was the bishop who had to find out the reason. And if it turned out that this person was ill, for instance, or had some other problems, the bishop had to organize whatever help the brotherhood could provide. The bishop had to keep in mind not only the problems of the brotherhood as a whole, but also the problems of each individual person, caring for concrete people who needed help.

By calling the Savior a bishop, Peter evidently wants to emphasize what Jesus Himself said more than once when describing the meaning of His ministry: each person who can be saved matters to Him, each individual person with all his problems. For in the Kingdom there are no masses and collectives; there are concrete people who love Christ and are loved by Him.

Peter advises his brothers in faith to make a favorable impression on the pagans through good deeds, so as to enjoy a good reputation in their eyes. But why is this necessary if the pagans remain pagans and their moral notions are distorted in any case? Can they, steeped in sin, really appreciate the sinless lives of Christians?

Such reasoning, perhaps not always expressed so directly, can still be encountered today. Unfortunately, some Christians understand election to salvation as a pretext for Pharisaic snobbery and for exalting themselves above those around them. But Peter looks upon those around him with optimism and does not caricature them. He clearly sees that even in the souls of pagans there lives an understanding of true values that eludes them. Today, when many Christians are accustomed to mocking the notion of “universal human values” as opposed to Christian ones, it is worth remembering that genuinely universal human values—without quotation marks!—cannot be incompatible with Christian values. They are the values that give life to every soul created by God, even one that has fallen away from Him.

For this very reason, state laws and standards of social conduct must be observed, even if they come from pagans or from people far removed from any faith, provided that these laws and rules were established for the good.

Many are troubled by the apostle’s call to obey masters who are not only good and gentle, but also harsh. Is this an appeal to submit to evil? By no means. If a master has a difficult character, this does not necessarily mean that his instructions to his workers are intended to cause harm. What we have here is not an appeal to indulge evil, but a statement of reality: life is difficult, and the people around us are rarely perfect. We must therefore arm ourselves with fortitude and patience in order to make our way through life with dignity.