Don't be an Animal

But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. (2 Peter 2:12-16) Yesterday, Pastor Michael covered Peter's defence of God's judgement.  Now Peters turns to speak of the deeds done by the false teachers for which that judgement comes. I skipped a few verses (10b-11) here which speak of how these false teachers slander celestial beings—like demons or the devil, perhaps.  Then Peter condemns them for speaking boastfully and blasphemously about things they don't understand.  He condemns them for adultery, greed, and seductions—all while joining in the regular Christian feasts and fellowship.   There is a deceitfulness underneath all of this which Peter is attempting to reveal.  Something which places spot and blemish on the church which, through the Spirit, is supposed to be cleansed from its spots and blemishes.  So Peter makes a distinction between this group of false teachers and the rest of the community who their behaviour tempts.  A distinction as clear as that between animals and humans. The main principle used is that of "harm for harm."  Even as yesterday's theme was that God's justice demands a judgement that separates the righteous from sinners, today's theme suggests that God's justice is just—that it is fitting, reciprocal in such a way that the punishment fits the crime.   These false teachers have done harm, and so will be paid back for the harm they have done.  They act as unreasoning creatures of instinct, no better than animals—worse even, because even the unreasoning creature that was Balaam's donkey knew better than to do what these people do!  Balaam too was one who loved "the wages of wickedness," which in Greek is exactly the same phrase as used earlier in the phrase "paid back for the harm they have done." The picture is of those who follow their most base desires and influence others to do the same, rather than receive the far better "wages" of God's everything-we-need gifts that conform us to the likeness of Christ.  Instead of following animal instincts that make us less than human, the invitation is to become ever more fully human in Christ. What base behaviours do we condone by going along with them in our own community?  Greed and alcohol abuse, for instance, have long been overlooked or tolerated as relatively harmless sins.  From Christian high school onward—a silent agreement of "we're all good Christians here" has allowed us to collude with one another in parties and shrewd, anything-to-get-ahead practices of greed.  Do we count the cost of the harms this behaviour does across a lifetime to those swallowed up by substance abuse (and their loved ones)?  Or the impact to our witness to Christ when Christians are more ruthless and rude in their workplace practices than non-Christians? Peter invites us to rise up to the fullness of the stature of Christ, rather than collude with others under the influence of costly base animal desires like these.  If even a donkey knows better—we should too.  To put Peter's point bluntly: don't be an ass (donkey!).  Grow up and live like a human, fully alive in Christ! As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master. Grow in the grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Glory to the Master, now and forever! Amen! (2 Peter 1:2; 3:18 MSG).