8-9: Once again, we are to be sober minded. That is, we must think about things. We must consider what is going on around us. But we must do so in light of what we know to be true about the future. The fact that we know the end of the story is the very basis for our sobriety. Sobriety here does not mean subdued sullenness. Rather Peter is calling us to simply be alert, don't live like you are drunk with wine. Be a people who see and understand what is happening around you. The man who is drunk has no clue about his surroundings. And we can be drunk with more than just wine. Drunk with money, sex, worldly pleasures, accumulation of stuff, power over others. Even the officers of the church are not immune. They can be drunk with the right liturgy, the right confessional standard, the right translation. All good things to think through, but when they fill the horizon of one's thought to the exclusion of what it all points to, then they become the means to drunkenness. The key word is perspective. Liturgy is great. It is inescapable, really. But if we become so consumed with the liturgy that we forget that we are supposed to be worshipping God, then we have fallen into this trap. We become like the Pharisees who sought salvation in the Scriptures themselves, instead of seeing Who the Scriptures pointed to. They were too drunk with their own codes and laws to see when Salvation came and poked them in the eye.
Therefore live life now, propped up and supported by what happened 2000 years ago on a Roman cross on the hills outside a Jewish city in the middle east. God put the climax of history smack in the middle of the book. We live in the denouement. We live in the time of resolution. The Son of Man has been lifted up, and He is in the process of drawing all men to Himself. This is the bedrock of our sobriety. And it is why our sobriety cannot be sour. It must laugh. It must belly laugh. For the power of the world is crumbling. We see it happen every time the Spirit brings a soul to repentance. The kings of the earth have set themselves against the Lord and against His anointed. But what does the Almighty one do? Does He freak out, thinking, "What's going to happen now?" No. He holds them in derision. He sets His face against theirs and laughs. The kings are not strong enough for this. Anger they could have dealt with. Fearfulness would have been ideal. But laughter? Being made ridiculous? This they cannot abide. We become like what we worship. The God we worship is a God who laughs. Therefore we must be a laughing people. But this takes great sobriety. It takes watchfulness. And it takes true discernment. We still must mourn with those who mourn, and weep with those who weep. But we do not weep as those who have no hope. Our weeping finds joy at the bottom of the tears. However, when the devil tries to sit on the throne we get to be the giggling boy in the crowd who points and cries out, "But he's naked!" It is our duty to get the townsfolk laughing at the ridiculous prince who was trying to take us all in with his show of power. He is not the king. Why do we tremble at him? For Lo, his doom is sure. One Word has fallen upon Him, and is crushing his head.
But those who do not watch are prone to fear the roaring of lions. Those who forget the chain around the lion's neck are susceptible to fear and doubt. Peter's words to them are clear. Resist him. Remain firm in your faith. Remember his end. Remember that though kings set themselves up, the Lord has set His King on His holy hill, where He reigns with a rod of strength. The prowling lion is just a big defeated cat.
We must be careful, though, for this defeated cat still has the ability to shake our faith. If we are not sober minded, if we are not watchful, the purring lies of this great puss can catch us off guard. One of his favorite lies to whisper in the middle of the night is this: If God is so good and loving, why are you suffering? The correct response is to laugh in his face because we play that game of chess, and know that we will say, "Checkmate," in only just a few moves. But if we do not know where the pieces are on the board, then we will be easily deceived and begin to fear. Peter's encouragement in light of this particular tactic is to remind the saint that everyone suffers. You have not be singled out of the crowd to endure pain and hardship while everyone else watches and sniggers. Not only are you not alone in your suffering, the very kind of pain you experience is not unique. The same kinds of suffering you are subjected to are experienced by your brothers and sisters around the globe. Suffering is simply a reality in this fallen world. So when the devil tempts you to disbelieve the goodness of God on the grounds that you are suffering, give him the raspberry. Remind him of the cross. Remind him that the worst of all sufferings was endured, not by us, but by the very God whose goodness we rest in. Remind him that that very act of pain made our own pain endurable and infused it with meaning. A servant is not greater than his master. So if our God has suffered and felt pain, how can we expect less? Has God ever promised that we will not pass through fire and water? No. But He has promised that the fire will not burn, and the water will not overcome. So tell that stupid devil that it is in the very midst of suffering that we see the goodness of our God most clearly. It is as if suffering is the window cleaner that removes the smudges and grime, giving us a clearer glimpse of the Lord's Anointed.
We live in the warming rays of a late winter sun. It is still very brisk, yes. But snow is melting on the ground. Bare branches are preparing for new buds. Birds are huddled in their nests, doing vocal exercises. And waiting. All of the thawing creation is waiting. The silent air is thick with anticipation. Spring is coming.
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