Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander; 2 like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation, 3 for you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, 5 and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it says in scripture: “Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.” 7 Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone that will make people stumble, and a rock that will make them fall.” They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny. 9 But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were “no people” but now you are God’s people; you “had not received mercy” but now you have received mercy.
Peter exhorts the newly converted Christians to discard all vices, everything that turns them away from God, and to be like newborn infants longing for spiritual nourishment that will lead them to salvation (Col. 3:8-9). In the early Church, Catechumens, converts who were about to be baptized, took off their clothes before being immersed in the waters of baptism. Peter quotes Psalms, “Taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:9).”
Peter draws from both the OT and the NT as he explains that Christ is the cornerstone of the Church (Is. 28:16; Ps. 118:22) a new spiritual house, and if they share in the life of the crucified and risen Lord they will become “living stones” in that spiritual community formed by the Holy Spirit (vv. 4-5; 1 Cor. 3:9). They will be a holy priesthood offering their lives as sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:19-22; Rom. 12:1). They were chosen by God, redeemed through the risen Lord, and molded into a living temple. Those who do not believe in Christ crucified and obey the word of God (the pagans who persecute Christians) will stumble and fall as they were destined to do (Rom. 9:33; Is. 8:14). The covenant blessings given to ancient Israel (Is. 43:20-21) are now conferred upon the new spiritual community, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation (Ex. 19:6; Rev. 1:6) which has become, “a people of his own” by the blood of Christ (1 Pt. 1:19). God called them from paganism into “his wonderful light”. Through God’s grace, they have received mercy (Hos. 2:25)
Almighty God, you call us to be members of a holy nation by
sharing in the life of the risen Lord.
In your mercy give us the spiritual nourishment that will sustain us and
lead us to salvation. This we pray through
Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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