Although its authorship is constantly questioned, the epistle of 1 Peter was unquestioned by first-century Christians as an example of apostolic faithfulness. Its focus on the relationship between a minority Christian population and an aggressively pagan culture in Asia Minor was designed to give strength and encouragement to neophyte believers and help them build up a genuine sense of Christian community. 1 Peter recognizes how difficult the status of the cultural outsider is. This epistle acknowledges the possibility of harassment and persecution as looming threats to these new churches.

The text read today focuses on the status as exiles these Asia Minor, apparently Gentile Christians faced as a community of believers within a culture of disbelief. In verse 17, two images are invoked. …