Redeeming the Ridicule
1 Peter 2:11-12
We’re in a series called Making Progress, talking about how we can actually be better people in
2016 than the people who woke up on January 1. We’re studying 1 Peter, and last week we saw God’s
plan to use us to change the world. I hope you found that as inspiring as I did. But even if you did, it’s
very likely you left here and pretty quickly saw and heard things that brought you back down to earth.
Let’s face it, outside the walls of a church, we don’t find much encouragement in our walk with Christ.
In fact, I think it’s safe to say we’re more likely to face ridicule for our faith now than at any time in our
nation’s history. America has always been a land where people were free to believe anything they
wanted; our founding fathers wanted to separate us from the old country, where state churches had the
power to dominate public life. But, culturally if not legally, the Christian faith always had a home-field
advantage in this country. Politicians knew that, in order to win election, they had to at least make a show
of religious piety. Movie studios often made big-budget, biblically based films. Major corporations
would refuse to advertise on a TV program that might offend Christian sensibilities. Of course, there has
been a long tradition of poking fun at religion in America, with people like Mark Twain and Sinclair
Lewis pointing out hypocrisy. When I was growing up, reporters and talk-show hosts loved to expose the
flaws of televangelists. But even as they did so, they were drawing a contrast between wing-nuts and con
men on the one hand, and sincere, devout believers on the other. We could all agree with them, to a
certain extent.
We’re in a new day now. More and more, we see people publicly ridiculing not hypocrites or
religious con men, but the very idea of faith in Christ. Perhaps you’ve encountered this through the
media. Recently, I saw the story of a policeman who pulled over a man who was speeding. He noticed
the man crying, asked him why, and found out the man’s daughter had cancer, which had recently taken a
turn for the worse. The policeman decided not to give the man a ticket. The man then asked, “Can you
pray for me?” Right by the side of the highway, the cop knelt on the pavement and prayed for this man,
then promised to have his entire church pray as well. It was a beautiful story that brought tears to my
eyes. Then I clicked on the public comments. Most were positive. They were from readers who were
touched just like I was. But I also saw comments like this: “Any cop who brings superstitious nonsense
to the workplace needs to be fired. This is disgusting and an effort to force his indefensible, cultish credo
on people who have no choice but listen.” And “It would (make me angry) if he tried to pray for me. I
don’t need an invisible sky fairy.” But for many of us, our encounter of this attitude is more personal.
We’ve met ridicule for our faith from someone close to us: A classmate, a co-worker, a neighbor, a
teacher, even a family member.
The people who first read this letter were in a similar situation. Like us, they weren’t yet
experiencing any physical persecution for their faith. But their beliefs were misunderstood and ridiculed
widely. Notice in v. 12, Peter writes…so that, in a case where they speak against you as those who do
what is evil… Christians were accused, for instance, of not being patriots because they didn’t worship
Caesar or the Roman gods. In Ephesus, a riot broke out led by people who made their living selling little
idols; they said if people turned to Jesus and away from polytheism, it would wreck the economy. For us
today, we tend to be accused of ignorance and intolerance, two of the few remaining sins our culture is
still willing to condemn. So what should be our response when we face ridicule? Conduct yourselves
honorably among the Gentiles, so that…they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day
of visitation. How do we do this?
Be different. In v. 11, he tells us abstain from fleshly desires that war against your souls.
Gentile culture--where the original readers lived--was all about indulging fleshly desires, doing whatever
your appetites demanded, but God’s people were supposed to set themselves apart. Actually, that’s the
consistent teaching of Scripture: We should be holy, which means set apart, distinct from other people.
When I was a young Christian, first really taking my faith seriously, I thought about that in purely
external terms. To me, it meant things like avoiding dirty movies and renouncing secular rock music. I
had this huge case of rock n roll cassettes, and one day, I gave them all to my brother. I am embarrassed
about that now. First of all, there was some good music in there. Second, if this music was bad for me,
why was I giving it to my brother? But most of all, I am ashamed at how shallow my understanding of
holiness was. Sure, it was good for me to start listening to Christian music. But that alone didn’t equal
holiness. Two weeks ago, we looked at 1 Peter 1:13-25, where Peter talked about being holy. He didn’t
say anything about technical moral rules. Instead, he said holiness was two things: Fearing God and
loving others. Remember, fearing God is similar to what happens when your mom walks into your
middle school classroom. You’re immediately aware that someone who loves you and has high standards
for you is watching, and you begin to act differently. When we fear God, we want to conform to His
standards, not to earn His love but because He loves us, and we want to please Him. And loving others
doesn’t mean feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. It means wanting good things for them, working to
improve their lives and show them the love of God.
Here’s another thing: When we read “abstain from fleshly desires,” we tend to think of things like
sexual immorality. Certainly, the Bible has plenty to say on that subject. But think about the context
here. He’s talking to people who are currently being ridiculed for their beliefs. So I think he’s also
saying, “Don’t respond to their ridicule in a fleshly way, the way your gut wants to fire back. Don’t
return insult for insult. Don’t become a victim.” Whenever we feel ridiculed or attacked, we immediately
want to respond in anger or self-pity. Peter is saying, “That’s how the rest of the world acts. Be different.
There is a better way.” And here it is…
Prove them wrong. In verse 12, he says our lives should be so distinctively honorable, even
those who ridicule us will be convinced, and will glorify God. Let me make it clear what Peter is saying:
God is absolutely and ultimately our audience in all we do. We live to please Him. But on a secondary,
but very important level, unbelievers are our audience. We must be careful to live in such a way that they
will see their misconceptions about our faith are untrue. He doesn’t just say this once, by the way. Verse
15 says, For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. 3:15-16 says,
Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are
accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame. We can actually silence our critics
and put them to shame, not by getting angry and offended, or whining about our treatment, but by living
godly lives. Peter isn’t the only one who says this. Paul in Colossians 4:5 says, Be wise in the way you
act toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity. And Jesus famously said in the Sermon on
the Mount (Matthew 5:16) Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify
your Father in Heaven.
We won’t cover the rest of chapter 2 or chapter 3, but if you read them, you might think they’re
just a random list of commandments. They are not. Each command is meant to address the criticism
Christians were receiving. They were accused of being bad citizens, so Peter commands them to obey the
governing authorities. Essentially, “be the best citizens you can be.” They were accused of trying to
destroy the institution of slavery. Here, Peter and the other apostles had a sticky situation. They could
have pushed for abolition of slavery, but that would have inevitably led to great bloodshed. So instead,
they told slaves to win their masters over by hard work and integrity, and told masters to love their slaves
and see them as equal partners. They knew this would eventually lead to the peaceful downfall of
slavery, and it did. Christians were accused of being against the traditional family, since they taught that
men and women are equal before God. So Peter commanded husbands and wives to love each other, to
essentially show that a Christian marriage was the best kind. He even tells them in chapter 3 they
shouldn’t be surprised if they suffer even if they’re doing everything right. It’s actually an honor to suffer
for the sake of Christ. We should recognize that when people ridicule us, our best defense is to prove
them wrong by the way we respond. If they say we are hateful and judgmental, love them in return. If
they say we are bigoted and intolerant, respond by being the most equal-minded people alive. If they call
us hypocrites, say, “You’re right. I’m nowhere near what I should be. But God forgave me, and with His
help, I am becoming more than I ever could have been.”
Nabeel Quareshi is the son of immigrants from Pakistan. He was raised in a devoutly Muslim
home. He was taught to defend his faith as an ambassador for Islam among unbelieving Americans. He
grew up believing that Christians were largely immoral and ignorant, that their beliefs were based on a
corrupted Bible. When he was in college, he met a devout Christian named David, who became his best
friend. No Christian had ever attempted to be his friend, and so he had never seen what real Christianity
was. David was a true friend. And he worked hard to counter Nabeel’s objections to Christian faith.
Because Nabeel could see David living an authentic Christian life, his words had enough credibility to
shake Nabeel’s absolute conviction that the Bible was untrue. Nabeel eventually believed in Jesus, and
has written a fantastic book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. I wonder how many people we know have
misconceptions about our God and our faith simply because no Christian has ever taken the time to prove
them wrong.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Why should we care about what people think about
us? It’s not our job to be popular, is it? No, it’s not. And frankly, we never will be. God’s Word is
quite clear on that. The Gospel will always be culturally controversial. The commands of God will make
us seem out of step. If you were ever hoping to be one of the cool kids, you need to give that up to follow
Jesus. But we should care what people think--not about us, but about our Savior. Note that phrase in v.
12, On the day of visitation. Someday, those who ridicule you will have to stand in Judgment before
Jesus. That should take away any desire for vengeance in us. On that day, if we have done nothing to try
to show them what Christ was really all about, I believe that--even with Heaven awaiting us--we will feel
the deepest regret imaginable.
So think of someone who ridicules your beliefs. It may be someone you’ve seen or read in the
media, or someone you know personally. Confess to God the fleshly desires you have regarding that
person. Maybe you feel anger and resentment. Or maybe you feel a temptation to compromise your faith
so they won’t judge you so harshly. This is going to be hard. We cling to the victim mentality. Now
think about your life, how you are representing Christianity to the watching world. In what ways do you
need to make progress?
Of course, you may also be thinking, “I can’t do this. I am not good enough to represent Christ
and win someone over, especially someone who ridicules me.” You’re right. On our own, none of us can
do it. But remember this: Jesus was ridiculed. His own people called Him a traitor and cried out for Him
to be crucified. The religious leaders slapped Him and spit in His face. Even while He was dying an
agonizing death, people mocked Him. His response was to say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do.” He proved them wrong by His life and words. Because He died for our sins, when we
come into His family, the same Spirit that gave Him this strength comes into us as well. And now we too
have the power to prove them wrong.