Seder 95: 1 Peter 2:5---Spiritual Sacrifices in a New Temple

 Peter probably wrote his first epistle in the early 60s AD, several years before his martyrdom and within a decade of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.  Peter must have known at that point that the temple soon would be destroyed, since Jesus had told him about 30 years before that this would happen within a generation (Mk 13:3, 30).  

Peter wrote to congregations in northern Asia Minor that would have included both Jewish and Gentile believers.  He encouraged them to live faithful lives in an environment that was often hostile to their counter-cultural beliefs and practices.  

In 1 Peter 2:4-10, he told these believers that they were "living stones" in a spiritual temple, a temple in which the resurrected Messiah is the chief cornerstone.  Furthermore, they constituted a holy priesthood whose purpose was to "offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

A spiritual sacrifice presumably is once carried out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Other passages in the New Testament epistles say more about these sacrifices.  Paul says in Romans 12:1-2 that our bodies should be "living sacrifice," transformed by the Holy Spirit to obey the will of God. Hebrews 13:15-16 adds that acceptable sacrifices include praising God, doing good, and sharing what we have.

Peter added in verse 9, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."  

Here Peter brought together two passages, Isaiah 43:20-21 and Exodus 19:6, which describe Israel's priestly mission to be a light to the nations.  He told these believers that their spiritual priesthood would be carrying on with that mission, representing God with their words and their lives.  They would not be replacing Israel but assisting Israel in that mission.  

First Fruits of Zion has a good way of describing the New Testament people of God with its proleptic radial ecclesiology.

Seder 16: Genesis 18---Abraham's Mysterious Visitors

Genesis 18 begins by mentioning an appearance of God to Abraham.  Historically there have been two main interpretations of Genesis 18:1.  In one reading, the verse speaks of God coming to see Abraham, perhaps to comfort him after his recent circumcision.  According to this interpretation, three men arrive while Abraham is communing with God.  In verse 3 Abraham says to God, in effect, "Don't go away.  I need to take care of these visitors, but I'll be back."  He treats the men with great respect and rushes to prepare a banquet for them (Gen 18:1-8).

We soon learn that these are not ordinary visitors During the meal God announces again that Abraham and Sarah would soon have a son (vv 10-15), even though Sarah is past menopause.

God has a second momentous announcement to share with Abraham.  It is time to deal with the great evil coming from the nearby towns of Sodom and Gomorrah (vv. 16-21).  After this announcement, "the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD" (v 22).

Chapter 19 then begins by noting, "The two angels came to Sodom in the evening."  So two of the men are, in fact, angels.  What about the third?  One possibility is that the third is also an angel but is not needed at Sodom.  Perhaps he goes to Gomorrah instead, or on to whatever his next assignment is.  

Another possibility is that the third is the Lord who had announced the coming birth of Isaac and stayed behind to talk with Abraham.  In this scenario, Genesis 18:1 is saying that the visit of the three men constitutes an appearance of God, and he addresses one of the three men in verse 3.  

In this second reading, the third visitor's coming might have been a Christophany, an advance appearance of the Messiah.  Many Christians through the centuries have affirmed this interpretation, going back at least to Justin Martyr (c. 150 AD), who proposed it in Chapter 56 of his Dialogue with Trypho.

Those who identify the third man as the Messiah often point to Gen 19:24:  "Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven."  This verse seems to mention two "Lords", one presumably on earth and the other one in heaven.

The text does not tell us when Abraham recognized the special nature of his two visitors.  If he did not realize this at first, then his lavish hospitality is all the more remarkable.  Heb 13:2 seems to be a reference to Abraham and his visitors:  "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

On the other hand, if he quickly picked up on the fact that his visitors were more than human, then he can be credited with excellent powers of spiritual discernment.

In a sermon on July 4, 2020, David Waddle reflected on Abraham's example in Genesis 18, both his remarkable hospitality and his faithful intercession for Sodom.