RSV ~ 1 Peter 2 Notes

1 Pet 2:2 | ISB Notes

newborn infants: The imagery of new birth is applied to new converts (1:3), who need the milk of sound instruction to grow and mature in their faith (Heb 5:12).

• The simple elements of faith can be sought from the breasts of Mother Church, that is, from the teachers of the Old and New Testaments (St. Bede, On the Seven Catholic Epistles at 1 Pet 2:1-2).

1 Pet 2:4-10 | ISB Notes

The Church is pictured as a spiritual temple under construction. Believers are like living stones built up securely on Christ, who is the cornerstone of the entire structure (Eph 2:1922). Since temples are not only dwelling places for God but also houses of worship and sacrifice, Peter can also describe Christians as a priestly people who make acceptable offerings to God through Christ. These truths are supported by a series of OT citations: 2:4 is elucidated by the quotations in 2:6-8, and 2:5 by references in 2:9-10 (CCC 901, 1141, 1179).

1 Pet 2:6-8 | ISB Notes

Three OT texts that make reference to a “stone”, which Peter interprets as an image of the Messiah.

• The first is Is 28:16, where the foundation stone of a new edifice is laid down by the Lord as an invitation to faith. The second is Ps 118:22, which refers to a stone that was rejected by some but is chosen by God to be the cornerstone of a new building. The third is Is 8:14, where the Lord describes himself both as a sanctuary to the faithful of Israel and as a stumbling stone to the unfaithful. Similar use of these passages is made by Jesus (Lk 20:17-18), Paul (Rom 9:33), and Peter himself in Acts (Acts 4:10-11) (CCC 756).

1 Pet 2:9 | ISB Notes

But you: Contrasts believers in Christ with those who reject the Messiah (2:8). The rest of the verse is a patchwork of expressions drawn from the Greek OT.

• Two come from Is 43:20-21, where Israel is the chosen race commissioned by Yahweh to declare his wonderful deeds to the nations. Another comes from Mal 3:17, where the faithful of Israel are called God’s own special people. Two more come from Ex 19:6, where Israel is gathered at Sinai and consecrated as a royal priesthood and a holy nation. These titles and privileges, once the exclusive prerogative of Israel, are now extended to the whole messianic people, who have come to share in the blessings of a covenant relationship with God (Rom 11:17-24; 15:27). One responsibility entailed in this relationship is the missionary vocation to announce God’s goodness and salvation to the world.

• Here we learn of the “priesthood of all believers”, the doctrine that Baptism makes every member of the Church a sharer in the priesthood of Christ (CCC 1268, 1546). This grace, which differs in kind and not merely degree from the grace of ministerial priesthood possessed by bishops and priests, enables every Christian to minister to the spiritual needs of others (1 Pet 4:10) and to offer sacrifices of love and praise to God in his daily life (2:5; Rom 12:1; Heb 13:15-16).

1 Pet 2:10 | ISB Notes

no people: An allusion to the Greek version of Hos 2:23.

• Hosea is speaking about the restoration of Israel, specifically the northern tribes, who had rejected the Lord’s covenant and had thereby reduced themselves to the status of the nations. Their return to covenant standing is thus equivalent to the conversion of Gentiles, which is now taking place through the preaching of the gospel and the ingathering of all nations into the Church (Rom 9:25).

1 Pet 2:11 | ISB Notes

aliens and exiles: Heaven is the fatherland of the believer, making life in this world a journey away from home.

See introduction: Destination.

wage war: The internal conflict that rages in fallen human nature (Gal 5:16-24; CCC 2516). See note on Rom 7:23.

1 Pet 2:12 | ISB Notes

see your good deeds: Echoes the teaching of Jesus in Mt 5:16.

the day of visitation: A biblical expression for the day of divine judgment, when God vindicates the righteous (Wis 3:7; Sir 18:20) and wreaks vengeance on the wicked (Is 10:3 LXX). Jesus spoke in these terms about the judgment of Jerusalem (Lk 19:44).

1 Pet 2:13-17 | ISB Notes

Peter urges the saints to be model citizens. Submission to civil authorities is part of one’s submission to God, by whose will earthly government is established (Wis 6:1-3). Justice demands that we give honor and taxes to these authorities in return for the benefits of a stable society that would not exist without them (Rom 13:1-7) (CCC 2238-42).

1 Pet 2:16 | ISB Notes

Live as free men: Christians are free from absolute servitude to the State because they are servants of the Lord (1 Cor 7:22; Gal 5:13). See note on Acts 5:29.

1 Pet 2:17 | ISB Notes

the brotherhood: The community of believers united as brothers and sisters in the Lord (5:9).

Honor the emperor: Caesar Nero, who reigned from A.D. 54 to 68 and who launched a savage persecution of Christians after a fire swept through Rome in A.D. 64 (Tacitus, Annals 15, 44). The fact that Peter exhorts readers to honor the emperor in this unqualified way is a strong indication that he is writing before the days of government-sponsored persecution against the Church, which began in the mid-60s and intensified toward the end of the first century. His words would certainly be susceptible to misunderstanding in the late first century when the public display of devotion to the emperor was a life-and-death issue for Christians.

1 Pet 2:18 | ISB Notes

Servants: Encouraged to bear unjust treatment with patience. Neither slavery nor physical abuse is thereby condoned; the point is only that innocent suffering can make one more like Christ (2:21). On slavery in NT times, see notes on 1 Cor 7:21 and Eph 6:5.

1 Pet 2:22-25 | ISB Notes

Peter reflects on the Passion of Jesus. His thoughts are dominated by Isaiah’s vision of the Suffering Servant (especially Is 53:5-11).

• The prophet foresees the rejection and agony of the Messiah. Though he is reviled, the lips of the Servant are silent and free from deceit (Is 53:7, 9). Though wounded, he brings healing and forgiveness to others (Is 53:5, 11). Though an innocent lamb led to the slaughter, he gives his life for other sheep who have strayed from the Lord’s pasture (Is 53:6-7) (CCC 601).

1 Pet 2:22 | ISB Notes

committed no sin: The sinlessness of Jesus is an established doctrine of the NT (Jn 8:46; Heb 4:15; 1 Jn 3:5; CCC 612).

1 Pet 2:24 | ISB Notes

the tree: The Cross, perhaps alluding to the words of Deut 21:22-23 (Acts 5:30; Gal 3:13).

1 Pet 2:25 | ISB Notes

Shepherd and Guardian: The terms are roughly synonymous, both expressing Jesus’ vigilant oversight of the Church (Jn 10:1-16; Heb 13:20).