The Sixth Sunday of Easter (NT)

1 Peter 3:8-22

⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. ⁹ Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. ¹⁰ For

       “Whoever desires to love life

and see good days,

       let him keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from speaking deceit;

¹¹    let him turn away from evil and do good;

let him seek peace and pursue it.

¹²    For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their prayer.

       But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

¹³ Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

St Peter tells us to always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in us. He follows this by talking about suffering. It is better if we suffer for no reason than for a good reason. Because Christ suffered for no reason. Or maybe a better way is saying we should suffer when we do good, because Christ suffered for doing good. Christ even went to proclaim to those who have died on account of their sins. He proclaimed to unrepentant sinners who are now suffering that he has won forgiveness for others. 

The St Peter gets to Noah. After saying we need to give a defense for our faith, he confesses his belief in Noah, and a global flood. He then sets the Flood as the foundation for Baptism. Eight souls delivered through water. This water does not remove dirt, but really just puts it in different spots. Baptism, Noah and his Family, suffering for righteousness, Christ's death and resurrection, and defending the faith is all connected.

If we leave out our suffering we don't get to Christ. If we leave out Baptism, we destroy the resurrection. And if we leave out Noah, we lose sight of Baptism. Christ has truly connected us all together, with all his saints through all time.