From Peter to Luther
Throughout this year, Lutherans around the world are observing the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s historic act of stating his opposition to many of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church, which set in motion events that led to the Protestant Reformation. Luther was well educated, a religious scholar and priest, and a man of considerable intellect and insight. The more he studied the Bible, the more he came to see that many practices of the current church had no basis in scripture. Many of Luther’s teachings and insights direct us to writings in the New Testament in which it is made clear that each and every believer is an essential component of God’s church on earth.
The lesson for Sunday, May 14, is I Peter 2:2-10, and the writer speaks to the building of a church. These are his encouraging words in verses 4-5: “Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, …” If you’ve seen pictures of buildings in many parts of the Holy Land, you’ve probably noticed they are built of the most available material — stone. Shaping, forming, and fitting together stones into buildings was a valuable skill, and to describe church members in such terms would give them a clear visual of how to form a congregation. As they came together, they were to find ways to function and fit into a strong, well-built structure, making Christ the cornerstone on which they could depend.
The writer goes on to address the responsibilities of church members, and in verses 9 and 10, Luther found this key concept: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” The hierarchy of the Jewish faith, with priests and elders as the authorities on God’s Law, was swept away by the freedom brought by Christ.
The Lutheran Study Bible offers a helpful commentary, explaining that the “priesthood of all believers” is a key concept for Martin Luther, as he taught that proclaiming God’s mighty acts is not a job reserved for only a few. God calls all believers to share the gospel and serve their neighbors so that others will come to know Christ. For some reason, these verses touch me on a deep level that is difficult to put into words. But there’s something about these words — to be called a holy nation, God’s own people — what a stunning, powerful way to describe who we are as Christians! We have truly been given the greatest of all gifts, the assurance of life eternal in the presence of our Lord, and the only way for us to respond to this gift is to share it.
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers