To The Dispersion

Scripture:

1Pet. 1:1   Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, 

 To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood: 

 May grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Observation:

We begin a new book of the Bible today and this epistle follows a traditional format where the author identifies himself at the very beginning. This letter is from Peter, who is well-known as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. He saw Jesus, spent time with Jesus, and was sent-out into ministry by Jesus. 

Peter’s ministry has developed throughout the following years, as he primarily ministers to Jews, but also to Gentiles. The exiles of the Dispersion include those Christians, both Jew and Gentile, who have found themselves exiled to the lands of Asia Minor, or modern-day Turkey. We hear of these places on the day of Pentecost when visitors from these places are present in Jerusalem. The good news of Jesus has spread to these communities and those who are now “chosen and destined” (or predestined) by God — are all those who are in Christ. The reality is that God chooses that everyone would come to know him and be a part of his church, but not all have responded. 

Peter’s understanding is that it is “normal” for all believers to be sanctified. This is also God’s intent for those who are a part of the church, made holy by the presence of the Spirit. This infilling of the Spirit leads to a life of obedience in following Christ and being continually sprinkled by the blood that helps us in this life of obedience. Notice that the Father, Spirit and Son are all mentioned in this one sentence, giving us a picture of Peter’s understanding of the Trinity. 

The final line about “grace and peace” is a typical part of the introduction in a letter, but is a play on the normal Greek greeting. The Greeks wouldn’t see the word “grace” but a word that sounds almost identical to it for “hello.” The Apostles took this greeting and Christianized it with the use of grace, intended to express God’s grace reaching out to the dispersion. 

Application:

Living as the dispersed people of God didn’t feel normal or comfortable for these people. More than likely they would claim Jerusalem as their home and the Temple as their place of worship. Today we are called to live as the dispersion. We have been sent to our homes and cannot gather together as the people of God in the way that we would like. 

I went out this morning and saw a woman walking her three-legged dog. I was struck by this odd sight, but also encouraged. The normal tendency would be to coddle the three-legged dog and maybe rig up some kind of carrier with wheels for the dog to enjoy the outdoors while his master walked. This wasn’t the case. The master was walking briskly, had the dog on a leash, and simply seemed to expect the dog to keep up. The dog looked happy and healthy, except for the missing leg. This dog had learned to adjust in the midst of adversity, and was going on with his life. I thought, “If the three-legged dog can do it, why can’t we?” 

The people of the first century learned to live as a people of the dispersion. Peter wasn’t coddling them but instead was encouraging them to live as God’s holy people, sanctified and living in obedience to Jesus, every day of their lives. This was possible because of the working presence of the Triune God in their midst, and because of God’s grace. Nothing’s changed since this first century letter. God is still the same God, and we are still the people of the dispersion. Life may not be the same but we came make it! We can go on. We can be God’s holy people in a foreign land — or situation. We go forward in God’s grace. 

Prayer:

Lord, your grace really is sufficient. Amen.