Scripture Study for

In concluding his Pentecost speech, Peter points out to the  Jerusalem crowd that Jesus, whom he has just shown to be Lord and Messiah, was the same Jesus they had crucified. Realizing that they have committed such a grievous crime, the crowd wonders what is next for them. Peter’s response comes as a relief: God has not condemned for crucifying Jesus. Rather, they are offered the gift of repentance, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit. The promises God made to them as Abraham’s children are now fulfilled in Christ. Rather than chastisement, Peter holds out the promise of life, if they will allow themselves to be saved by the same Christ they condemned to death. 

In his letter, Peter continues to develop the implications of being  Christian. He reminds his persecuted audience that in his own suffering, Christ showed them how to remain faithful as “aliens and sojourners” (2:11) in a hostile world. Jesus did not respond to insults with insults, or to threats with threats of his own. The death  of Christ was part of God’s mysterious plan to free Christ’s followers  from their sins and equip them to “live for righteousness.” Jesus’  followers have been healed not only of the wounds of past sins, but also from sinful inclinations to hurt those who hurt them, “worldly desires that wage war against the soul” (2:11). Jesus shows them a better way and guards those very souls against which the world (and worldly desires) wage war.

The image of the people of God as God’s flock is a venerable biblical metaphor. In Jesus’ figure of speech, the “thieves and robbers” who have illicitly entered the sheepfold are the Pharisees and other opponents, who do not have the people’s best interests at heart. Although he will soon call himself the good shepherd, here  Jesus refers to himself as the gate for the sheep, an image that focuses on his role as the one who gives access to God, the source of life.  Whereas others who claim to shepherd the people in fact only lead them to destruction, Jesus alone guides God’s flock to abundant life and salvation.