March 5, 2017
All Scripture from NIV unless otherwise documented
Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.
You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” 1 Peter 3: 1 – 7 Last week we looked at submission to leaders of human institutions or governmental officials, and to submission to individuals who are in authority over us, in Peter’s day slaves and masters, today primarily in the work force.
As we come to chapter 3 let us be reminded of the context in which Peter was writing before we try and make application to our lives today. Peter was writing to new Gentile believers who were scattered all over Asia. These Gentile believers lived in time of history when most women had few if any rights. Author Sue Bohlin has written about the status of Greek, Roman and Jewish women: “In ancient Greece, a respectable woman was not allowed to leave the house unless she was accompanied by a trustworthy male escort. A wife was not permitted to eat or interact with male guests in her husband’s home; she had to retire to her woman’s quarters. Men kept their wives under lock and key, and women had the social status of a slave.
Girls were not allowed to go to school, and when they grew up they were not allowed to speak in public. Women were considered inferior to men. The Greek poets equated women with evil. Remember Pandora and her box? Woman was responsible for unleashing evil on the world.{4} The status of Roman women was also very low. Roman law placed a wife under the absolute control of her husband, who had ownership of her and all her possessions. He could divorce her if she went out in public without a veil. A husband had the power of life and death over his wife, just as he did his children. As with the Greeks, women were not allowed to speak in public.
Jewish women, as well, were barred from public speaking. The oral law prohibited women from reading the Torah out loud. Synagogue worship was segregated, with women never allowed to be heard.” https://bible.org/article/christianity-best-thing-ever-happened-women To get an idea of how women were treated in Biblical days all you must do is look at how many women are treated in the middle east today and you will get an idea of the situation in which Peter was addressing the submission of women to their husbands in this passage this morning. John MacArthur wrote in a sermon on this text said: “these verses in chapter 3 are not a discourse on male and female status. They are not a discourse on Christian marriage. This is not even a discussion of Christian marriage. This is a discussion of a mixed marriage, where you have a Christian partner and a non-Christian partner. . . How does a Christian live with a non-Christian partner?
That’s the whole context of this passage. . .” Peter is addressing a new situation that many Gentile women now found themselves in as believers. As Christians, they were being taught: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3: 28 Contrary to the claims of many women in today’s world, Christianity didn’t depress the status of women, rather it elevated the status of women. But just as Peter didn’t say to revolt against government authorities but to honor them, and he didn’t tell slaves to rebel against their masters but to treat them with all respect, here Peter doesn’t instruct women to not obey their husbands, but instead to be submissive to them.
Why? Because through their submissiveness to their husbands they might win them over to Christ. Peter said, “they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” In other words, their submissive behavior because of their faith in Jesus Christ, might cause their husbands to also become Christians.
Wikipedia states that “Both the apostles Paul and Peter held women in high regard and worthy of prominent positions in the church, though they were careful not to encourage anyone to disregard for the New Testament household codes, also known as New Testament Domestic Codes. . . They were efforts by the apostles Paul and Peter to encourage the brand-new first Century Christians how to obey the Patria Potestas (literally., “Rule of the Fathers) of Greco-Roman law.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Christianity Peter went on to cite Sarah as an example to them as one who obeyed her husband Abraham and called him master.
When you think of Sarah and her relationship to Abraham, how many of you see Sarah as what Peter goes on to describe, as a weaker vessel? Let’s stop and look at that idea for a moment. Who was afraid for their life when Sarah and Abraham got to Egypt and asked his wife to say she was his sister? Abraham. Who once again lied about Sarah saying she was his sister when Abimelech wanted to take Sarah for a wife? Abraham. Who was it that forced Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away after Isaac had been weaned?
Sarah. Although Abraham is considered the father of Jewish people, Sarah wasn’t simply a doormat, she was a strong woman who was used by God to fulfill His promise to Abraham that through his seed, all nations would be blessed. And further, what does Peter mean here when he calls the wife the weaker vessel or partner? Some believe that Peter is talking about woman’s physical and emotional makeup. Let’s face it, in general women are physically weaker than men are. But that is not true of all women.
There are women athletes that are stronger physically than a lot of men. There are women in the military and women in the workforce who are stronger than many of their male counterparts. As a matter of fact, there are women who are physically stronger than men, emotionally stronger than men, spiritually stronger than men, and a whole lot smarter than men. Women were not allowed to develop these traits in the first century under the patriarchal system in which they lived, but it is true today.
But let us once again look at the context in which Peter is writing this letter. He is writing to women who were living in a society where women were considered the weaker partner in a marriage. Dr. Eddie Hyatt in an article titled, “Why the ‘Woman as the Weaker Vessel’ Teaching is Wrong” wrote: “careful examination of this passage will reveal that Peter is not referring to a weaker frame or constitution of the woman, but to a weaker status in the culture of the day.
A closer look will also reveal that Peter is not affirming a male hierarchy in marriage but is calling for mutual respect and partnership. Peter is thus referring to a cultural weakness wherein the wife/woman is marginalized and not given the opportunities to fully express her gifts and abilities. In fact, in first century Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures, women were often treated like slaves and children and considered the possession of their husbands. That this is the meaning Peter has in mind is confirmed by the instruction he gives to husbands in the latter part of the verse. Since the wife is, culturally speaking, the “weaker vessel,” Peter instructs the husband to give special “honor” to her.
The word “honor” that Peter tells husbands to give their wives uses a translation of the Greek word timē that Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon defines as “to honor, revere, venerate,” and as “the honor of one who outranks others.” Peter is here telling the husbands to treat their wives the very opposite of how the pagan culture treats their wives.
Whereas the wives are treated as property and children in pagan homes, Peter tells the Christian husbands to treat their wives with the honor and respect they would show a boss or supervisor at work. They are to minister the opposite spirit. In an article written by Eric Pazdziora, the author gives us insight into the meaning of the phrase “Show her honor as a weaker vessel.” The central word is honor, a term of value, worth, and respect.
The illustrative word, vessel, is a term for pottery, often used as a metaphor for people since God is compared to a potter (see Romans 9:20-23). What’s the connection between honor and pottery? We tend to think of weakness in terms of inferiority. But in pottery, the finer a vessel is, the more valuable it is. Anyone can make a bulky old piece of stoneware for everyday use, but a piece of fine china — a Grecian urn — a Ming vase — a Tiffany lamp — Waterford crystal — that’s the work of a master. You handle that with respect and care. You put it in a special place where people can admire it. You make sure nobody does anything to break it. In a word, you honor it.
Its weakness doesn’t mean it’s more dependent. It means it’s more valuable. The point of the verse (according to Pasdziora) is not, “Remember that your wife is weak, like a piece of china.” It’s, “Treat your wife with honor, just as you would treat the fine work of a master craftsman.” “Peter’s exhortation brings a levelling and mutuality to the Christian home in the midst of a pagan culture where the woman was treated as a slave or a child, and where Christian women might tend to despise their “unspiritual” husbands.” http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nolongerquivering/2012/02/the-myth-of-the-weaker-vessel/ Although written to women who lived in a very different culture, one in which women were oppressed and suppressed, the value of Peter’s words to his target audience then are still valuable for us today.
Submission doesn’t have to be a dirty word. Women who live their lives in submission to their husbands with purity and reverence are beautiful women and wives. Men who treat their wives as women of great value make good husbands. And if you take the time to study the New Testament Scriptures and realize that mutual submission, as Paul commends in Ephesians 5:21 is the goal of every marriage, every Christian couple can have the fulfilling marriage that God intends for them to have.