TUESDAY
This week we are just going to cover the introduction of this letter. (I promise we will move more quickly in the coming weeks.) The introduction is important because it provides context for this letter that will deepen our understanding and appreciation for what Peter says in the rest of the letter.
1 Peter 1:1–2 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
The author addresses himself as Peter the apostle of Jesus Christ. We will talk more about Peter in a couple of days, but for today let’s focus on the recipients of the letter. Knowing who they are and the situation they are facing will add a lot of rich context to Peter writing this letter.
Peter addresses them as “elect exiles of the Dispersion” in various regions of central, eastern and northern Asia Minor. James also addresses his letter to the “twelve tribes of the Dispersion.” We can’t say for sure, as the letter itself doesn’t specifically state this, but it seems best to take this as a metaphor for the Christian life that is rooted in the actual exile of his audience. Exile is a strong translation of the Greek word, here as well. It connotes a temporary residence or sojourn in a foreign land. In Acts 8:4 we learn that many believers were “dispersed” (same word as in 1 Peter 1:1) throughout Judea and Samaria after Saul stoned Stephen and persecuted the church. The timeline here is far too early (Peter likely wrote around 60-62 AD) and the cities Peter mentions here are far beyond Judea and Samaria, but the precedent is set—persecution causes Christians to leave. Acts 8 tells us that wherever they went they proclaimed the gospel. Many who were dispersed likely settled in their new cities and stayed there, planting new church communities. This likely happened in these regions Peter is writing to.
Persecution in Jerusalem, then, may have caused many to disperse to cities in Asia Minor. There were other social factors that would have caused Christians to sojourn in these cities as well. In AD 49 Roman Emperor Claudius expelled a group of Jews (probably indistinguishable from Christians to the Romans at this point) for their arguments about Christ. Aquila (a native of Pontus, the first region mentioned above) and Priscilla were a part of this exile (Acts 18:2). The Romans would also move people loyal to Rome to new territories that they conquered in order to promote the Roman way of life in these new regions. Claudius conquered all of these regions mentioned in 1 Peter, so it’s likely he sent a large number of people to bring the Roman way of life into their culture.
All that said, it seems likely to me that Peter’s audience is a mix of formerly Jewish and formerly Gentile Christians who have literally been dispersed (by persecution, exile or voluntary relocation) to these regions. Therefore, this isn’t solely a reference to the Christian life—i.e., sojourners here when our true home is when we die and go to heaven (Heb. 11:13). That is of course true, but I don’t think that is Peter’s primary emphasis here. He is writing to literal sojourners in these regions. In the rest of the letter we will see that these sojourners are facing persecution and Peter’s charge to them is to remain resilient and faithful to Jesus in the midst of this persecution.
These folks have been displaced from their home and are being persecuted in their new home. This is a reminder that they don’t carry Roman citizenship and they aren’t wanted in their new place of residence either. In this situation Peter is going to emphasize that they are citizens in the kingdom of God. He calls them “elect exiles.” Although they have been displaced by Rome, they have been chosen by God. In her commentary on 1 Peter, Karen Jobes writes, “Peter uses the sociohistorical situation of his readers to explain their sociospiritual situation.” They don’t feel at home in their place of residence but they are residents in the kingdom of God. They are not wanted in their former home or their current home, but they are wanted by God. In fact it is because they are chosen by God that they are rejected by their communities.
As Christians we should feel this tension as well. We don’t feel fully at home in any culture, nor should we expect to. Our citizenship is in our election to the kingdom of God (This kingdom is here and now that will be fully realized in the new creation. Peter draws on this theme a good bit in the letter as well.) This challenges us to think through our dual citizenship. They didn’t feel at home anywhere, but in our culture we are tempted to feel too at home. If we feel too at home in our culture, that’s a problem. If we don’t feel as if we have a home in the kingdom, that is also a problem.
Reflection
Do you feel this tension of being an elect exile in our modern culture? Perhaps you feel too at home in our culture and haven’t been distinguished as a member in the kingdom of God. Perhaps you don’t feel at home at all in our culture and you’re wondering if something is wrong with you or if God is punishing you or the church more broadly. Perhaps you feel as if you have no home, neither in the culture or the kingdom of God. 1 Peter will have a lot to say to all of those feelings.