So We Are Exiles

Name the company that uses this advertising slogan: “When you care enough to send the very best.”

Hallmark. Greeting cards. Unfortunately, most Hallmark products are pretty bland, at least in my opinion. I’ll admit a prefab card is better than nothing, but if you’re going to send the very best, send something you wrote yourself. Something personal. Something meaningful. Something like Peter wrote in the greeting of his first letter:

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (1 Peter 1:1-2)

Peter’s opening lines are packed with power and grace. His greeting is essentially a benediction, a blessing. A benediction is a sort of prayer to God, spoken in faith to His people, declaring His favor over them. It’s more than a wish or even a prayer. It’s a pronouncement of favor echoing what God has already said He will do in His word. And it’s basically what Peter does in the opening lines of this letter. In this greeting/blessing, Peter gives the whole message of his letter in miniature. Three key words summarize his greeting: exile, election, endurance. I’ll deal with each in successive posts.

First, exile: “To those who are exiles . . .” (v 1). Exiles in the ancient world were people who did not hold citizenship in their place of residence and thus were deprived of the rights and privileges of citizens. Some English versions use the words “sojourner” or “traveler,” but these don’t quite convey the full connotation. It’s travail more than travel.

The term is meant in a spiritual sense, not a literal one. Peter is using the motif of exile to make a theological point, namely, this world is not our home. As citizens of a different kingdom and as journeyers to another realm, we should not expect to feel settled here. We are strangers and aliens on this earth. Our whole mindset is out of joint in this world. Our priorities, values, and allegiances are completely different from theirs. Our first principles are opposed to theirs, and as a result, nothing in our world fits in theirs; and nothing from their world really fits in ours.

Does this mean Christians attack or criticize the culture in which they live? No! Peter will later exhort us to be good citizens (2:13-17) and model workers (2:18-25). Respect whatever is respectable in the culture. Work and pray for the prosperity of the city in which you live. But don’t let your culture’s standards of behavior set the standard for you (2:11-12).

It’s not a comfortable posture to take, but we’ll do it better if we start by meditating on our Savior in this connection. Jesus Christ was the ultimate outsider, displaying a holiness that frightened people, a wisdom that confounded them, and a love that confused them. Ultimately, they killed Him for it. Everyone who has followed God – Abraham and Sarah, the nation of Israel, the Church – has found it to be the same.

See, being an alien isn’t just about our own felt sense of belonging. It also describes how others perceive and treat us. Our rights will not be upheld. Our interests will not be protected. Why? Because we have no interests or rights in this kingdom. God’s people are disenfranchised, discriminated against, and mistreated in this world.

We who follow a crucified Messiah should expect no less. If they killed our Champion, how should we expect them to treat us? For believers in much of the world today, suffering for Christ is the norm. And even in the Western world, the freedoms enjoyed by Christians seem to be receding. Christian friends, that’s OK! The Bible anticipates suffering for God’s people. In this book alone, suffering appears in each of Peter’s five chapters. In the very next verse, Peter gives us a brief preview of how he supports suffering saints.

So we are “exiles.” This word defines our relationship to the world in which we live. The next word defines our relationship to God. Coming next . . .

** Some Other Posts That May Be of Interest **