Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. 9 Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing. 10 For: “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep the tongue from evil and the lips from speaking deceit, 11 must turn from evil and do good, seek peace and follow after it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears turned to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers. 13 Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, 16 but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.
This epistle, assumed written by Peter, was addressed to pagan converts to Christianity living in the pagan world facing pagan hostility. Peter described the ideal life a Christian should live even in a pagan environment. Through fraternal love, Christians should be humble, share the same viewpoint, and share in each other’s joys and sorrows. They should not retaliate against hostile pagans but patiently bear their evil and invoke God’s blessing upon them; “Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all. Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord (Rom. 12:17-19).” In that way, they may be blessed by God because He sees the man who does what is right and listens to his prayers but He wipes out the memory of evildoers from the earth (Ps. 34:13-17).
God will protect those who do good so they should not lose faith because no one can harm them. If (when) they suffer for the faith for doing good, God will bless them (MT. 5:10-12). They should sanctify Christ as Lord in their hearts and not be afraid to bear witness to Christ even when persecuted or forced to confess their faith and the reason for their hope in the resurrection of Christ from the dead (1 Pt. 1:3, 21). You must explain your hope with gentleness and humility being aware of your responsibility as a Christian (cf. v. 9). It is better to suffer harm for doing what is right and good than for doing evil.
Almighty God, grant that we may humbly serve you with unwavering commitment, and through your abundant mercy let the Holy Spirit purify our hearts and fill them with love and compassion for all. 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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