Representing Jesus well by bringing honor to husbands...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of 1 Peter. In 1 Peter 3:1-6, Peter is addressing how followers of Jesus, as a result of their new identity as part of God’s Kingdom community, were to operate within the culture’s most basic social unit, the home. Peter is addressing how a woman who was a follower of Jesus was to conduct herself in the situation where she was married to a man who was not a follower of Jesus.

Peter’s concern was that the behavior of a wife who was a follower of Jesus would be an apologetic for the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to the husband who was not a follower of Jesus. Peter recognized that as these early followers of Jesus lived as citizens of God’s kingdom community, that they would be watched closely by those around them as they lived distinctively different lives than those in the community around them. And nowhere would that dynamic be more evident than in relationship between a husband and a wife.

Peter recognized that husbands would be closely watching the behavior of their wives. And as husbands watched their wives conduct their lives according to the message and teachings of Jesus, there would be an exposure to the impact that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel would have as theses wives lived out their lives in a way that revealed and reflected Jesus.

Peter is concerned with the key question “Are followers of Jesus representing Jesus well? What is the reputation of followers of Jesus in the eyes of unbelievers?” And it is here, that we discover the timeless truth that living as part of God’s kingdom community should result in wives representing Jesus well in marriage.

Yesterday, we saw that wives represent Jesus well in marriage when they respect their husbands in a way that results in a win for God's kingdom community. Wives respect their husbands in a way that results in a win for God's kingdom community by exercising wisdom in their conversations about the kingdom. In addition, wives respect their husbands in a way that results in a win for God's kingdom community by exercising a lifestyle that reflects the kingdom in their relationship with their husbands. 

Today, we will see Peter reveal a second reason why living as part of God’s kingdom community should result in wives representing Jesus well in marriage in 1 Peter 3:3-4:

 Your adornment must not be merely external-- braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; ⁴ but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

Again, to fully understand what Peter is communicating in these verses, we need to understand the context and the culture in which Peter was making these statements. Now, in the Greco Roman culture of the first century, it was not unusual for people to worship a multitude of gods. As a matter of fact, what made Christianity distinctly different was the reality that early followers of Jesus refused to worship more than one God. And because of the polytheistic nature of the culture of the day, a husband would usually not have a problem with his wife going to worship a God without him.

In addition, in the Greco-Roman culture of the day, the prevailing belief was that a woman beautified the world around her by the daily practice of the virtues. Aristotle famously stated “A woman’s self control in all that she does and her inclination toward an honorable and well ordered life with patience and gentleness are her true beauty”. Conversely, in the culture of the day, outward adornments were often perceived as instruments of seduction and a woman’s use of cosmetics was viewed as an attempt to deceive.

Of course, both outward adornments and cosmetics were unnecessary if a woman stayed at home. However, in this case, the wife was going out in public without her husband, to another home. So if a woman in the Greco Roman culture of the first century was seen without her husband in the community dressed up in fancy clothes, with all kinds of bling on, and with her face all hooked up with makeup, the culture would view the woman to be engaged in questionable or shady behavior that would shame both the husband and the wife. However, if a woman who was a follower of Jesus went to worship without her husband who did not believe, by leaving her home unadorned, her intent to attend worship and not to engage in questionable or shady behavior would be all the more clear.

You see, Peter is not commanding woman to dress unattractively and to reject wearing jewelry or makeup. That is not Peter’s point here. Again, Peter was concerned with the key question “Are followers of Jesus representing Jesus well? What is the reputation of followers of Jesus in the eyes of unbelievers?” And that reputation, according to Peter, was not to be jeopardized by doing something that would be viewed by the culture with suspicion.

Instead of braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses, which would be fine when accompanied by their husbands in public, but would be viewed in a questionable or shady way when not with their husbands, Peter explained that the wives were to demonstrate an adornment of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. Peter was concerned that the behavior of wives in public, without the accompaniment of their husbands, would demonstrate the moral character of a gentle and quiet spirit.

What is so interesting is that the word gentle here, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self importance. In addition, the word quiet conveys the sense of a well ordered disposition or temperament. Peter here is revealing for us the reality that what is precious in God’s sight is a wife who conducts herself in the public arena apart from her husband in a way that is marked by well ordered disposition or temperament that is not overly impressed with themselves or that draws attention to themselves in a way that would lead people to believe that something questionable or shady was going on.

Peter wanted to make sure that the wife who was a follower of Jesus would honor her husband by honoring a cultural convention of the day in a way that would represent Jesus well. And it is here that we see Peter reveal for us the reality that wives represent Jesus well in marriage when they live in a way that brings honor to Jesus and their husbands. Wives bring honor to Jesus and their husband by rejecting the beauty that comes from a life that is marked by a sense of self importance.

You see, just as it was in Peter’s day, a life that is marked by self importance will draw attention in the community a way that could bring suspicion by the community and dishonor to the husband. Instead of living in a way that is overly impressed by a sense of self importance and in drawing attention to oneself in a way that could draw the suspicion of the community, wives bring honor to Jesus and their husbands by embracing the beauty that comes from a life that is marked by an inward transformation.

An inward transformation that produces a life that is not overly impressed by a sense of one's self importance and a well ordered disposition and temperament that produces a life that is of great value and worth in the sight of God and that brings honor to their husband. Peter then reveals a third reason why living as part of God’s kingdom community should result in wives representing Jesus well in marriage in verse 5-6.

 

We will discover that reason on Friday...