The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 76

eervice of the sonctlflod reoson ns oppose<l to passes first to the figure of labomers on tha the mcchonical obsorvonce of formal rites. land, anrl then to that of builders upon th., It is explained by Chrysostom as oboiv one foundation "which is Jesus Cbri.<it." lxovcrav uwµaT<1<~v, oM~v ,rax~, obli~v al,r917- 'fhis, like so many other coincidences, indi- 11&11. Thus it seems nearly to correspond with cates St. Peter's knowledge of St. Paul's the nse of the word ,rveuµaTuc&r, spirituol, Epistles. St. Peter may have been thinkina by St. Peter in ver. 5 of this chapter, and of his own name, the name which Christ aav~ by St. Pnul iu 1 Cor. x. 3, 4. St. l'aul also him when Andrew brought him to the L~rd; speuks of milk as the proper food of babes though the Greek word here is not ,,.frpa or in Christ (l Cor. iii. 2; comp. also lleb. v. ,rfrpos, but >.i0or-not the solid native rock 12), though the thought is somewhat on which the temple is built, nor a piece of different; for St. Peter's "'orde do not rock, an unbewn stone, but a stone shaped convey uny reproof for want of progress. and wrought, chosen for a chief corner-stone. This spiritual milk is ltlio>.ov, pnre, un- But the apostle does not mention himself; ndulterated (comp. 2 Cor. ii. 17; iv. 2). he omits ull reference to bis own position in That ye may grow thereby; literully, therein, the spiritual builcling; he wishes to direct in the use of it. All the most ancient Ids readers only to Christ. He is plainly manuscripts add the words," unto salvation." referring to the Lord's own words in Matt. The soul which feeds upon the pure milk of xxi. 42, where Christ applies to himself the the Word groweth continually unto salva- language of Ps. cxviii. He described him- tion. self as a Stone; St. Peter adds the epithet Ver. 3.-lf eo be ye have tasted that the "living" (>.(0ov (o,v,,.a). The figure of a stone Lord is graoious ; rather, if ye tasted. If ye is inadequate, a.II figures are inadequate, to once tasted the good Word of God (Heb. vi. represent heavenly mysteries. This stone 4, 5), if ye tasted of the heavenly gift ia not, like the stones of earth, on inert which comes through that Word (eh. i. 23), mass; it is living, full of life; nay, it gives long after it thut ye may grow therein. The life, as well as strength and coherence, to "if" does not imply doubt; the apostle the ~tones which are built npon it: for the supposes that they have once tasted, and Lord bath life in himself-be is risen from urges them, on the ground of that first the dead, and is alive for evermore. Dis- taste, to loug for more. The first experiences allowed indeed of men. St. Peter slightly of the Christian life stimulate God's people varies the quotation, and attributes to men to further efforts. The words are a. quota- in general the rejection a.scribed in tho tion from Ps. xxxiv. 8, "Oh taste and see psalm and in the Gospel to the "build ere." that the Lord is goo<l. l" This makes it less "He wns despised and rejected of men." In probable that St. Peter is intentionally play- his speech before the Sanhedrin (Acts iv. ing, as some have thought, on the similarity 11), he bnd directly applied the prophecy to of the words XPf/CTTOr and Xpc<rTor. The con- the chief priests. But ohosen of God, anJ fusion was common among the heathen; and precious; rather, o.a the Revised Version, Cl11isti11n writers, as Tertullian, sometimes ivith God elect, pi·ecious, or perhaps better, adopted it ; ChriBtus, they said, wos ch1·estuB, h011oured ; o. reference to Isa, xxviii. 16. " Christ was good; " and Christians, He was rejected of the builclers, but chosen followers of the good Master, followed after of God ; despised of men, but with God held tlmt which is good. But St. Peter is simply in honour. The adjective is not the ,mme quoting the words of the psolm, and apply- as that rendered ''precious" in eh. i. 19: ing them to the metaphor of milk. It is Tlµ,or there marks the preciousness of the possible that there may be an uncler-current blood of Christ in itself; fv,,.,µos here, the of allusion to the Lord's teaching in John honour with which God "ho.th highly vi. The Lord himself is the Bread of life, exl\lted him." the food of the soul. The epithet XP11<TTOs Ver. 5.-Ye also, as lively stones; rather, is not uufrequently used of food (see Luke lit>ing stones. The word is the same ns tbu-t V, 89). used in ver. 4. Christians are living stones Ver. 4.-To whom ooming as unto a living in virtuo of their union with the one li"\'ing stone. Omit the words, "as unto," which Stone: " Because I Ii rn, ye shall live ubo." are not in the Greek, and weuken the sense. Are built up a spiritual house; r,itl.ier, be ye 'l'be parliciplo is present; the Christian built up. 'l'he imperative rendering seems must be ever coming to Christ, not ouly more suitable tho.n the indicative, and the once for nil, but alw[lys, every day. 'l'be passive than the mid,llo. The Christian "living Stone" is Chtist; the "Lord" of oomes; Gou builds him up on the 0110 Ps. xxxiv. 8 is Jehovah. St. Peter passes Fonudation. 'l'he iipostle says," Come t0 L,e from the figure of milk to that of a chief built up; come tlrnt ye mny be built cornor-stone. So St. Paul, in 1 Cor. iii., up." The pnmllel passage in Jude 20, after eaying th11t he hnd fed his Corinthian "But ye, beloved, building up yourselve1 converts " with milk, o.nd not with meat," on your most holy faith," might seem 70 'l'IIE .Fll~ST EPISTLE GENERAL OF l'ETER. [en. tt. l-25,