In Peter’s first letter and verse 18 we now come to what are sometimes called the “household codes” we find in some New Testament letters. These are typical of apostolic texts that are properly interpreted today only by understanding first centry Roman Empire contexts. These first-Christians lived within these social and domestic limits. They were urged to follow these codes within their overall commitments to following Christ.
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
Today we Christians do not have to be subject to codes like these. As we saw in the last post, verse 16 we are to “live as free men . . .”. Yes, we have the laws of our country which we are to follow. The whole intent of Peter writing is for his hearers to present an excellent presence in their world. We should do and be the same! That’s the whole tenor of Peter’s letter. As we saw last time Peter reminds us that Jesus “is your example, and you must follow in his steps.”(1 Peter 2:21)
Although today we do not have any similar structures, we can be guided by the Christian values that Peter promoted. He (like Paul in his letters) was not requiring anything new but addressing an existing social system in the Roman world.
Peter’s aim was to strengthen the importance of imitating Christ in household relationships, in spite of Roman culture. These passages can point us to Jesus.
It is essential to read these household codes together and not individually. When Peter writes “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands” (3:1) we must notice the context to understand what Peter meant by “in the same way.” there’s zero in the the preceding paragraph about men and women—it’s about masters and slaves. Paul put it similarly in his letters.
We must not impose modern-day marital dynamics using ancient social constructs. Wives in the Roman world, under pater familias, were regarded as chatels of their husbands and could be disposed of by the head.
s Gordon Fee explains in his “The Cultural Context of Ephesians 5:18-6:9:
“In this kind of household, the idea that men and women might be equal partners in marriage simply did not exist. Evidence for this can be seen in meals, which in all cultures serve as the great equalizer. In the Greek world, a woman scarcely ever joined her husband and his friends at meals; if she did, she did not recline at table (only the courtesans did that), but she sat on a bench at the end. And she was expected to leave after eating, when the conversation took a more public turn.”
In their day, we can see just how radical Peter and Paul must have sounded when they instructed husbands to love their wives as much as Christ loved the church and to be willing to give their lives for them! Or to remember that they too are slaves to Christ and have a master in heaven. Or not to provoke their children, but to be patient with them.
How sad that words that would have sounded so liberating to those who first heard them are today so often used to oppress and silence. The teachings of Peter and Paul under the Gospel encouraged multitudes of women into Christian communities.
So once again, our central question: Is the point of the household codes to declare pater familias the only godly household structure for all of time, or is the point of the household codes to declare Jesus Christ as the example to be followed no matter the societal norms?
Let’s talk more next time.
Ian Thomson 