Fleshly Desires & Despising Authority (part 2 of 3)

Further, it is said that “in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words” (2 Peter 2:3a).  What was it for which they might be greedy?  Power?  Money?  Absolutely.  The deceptive words that Jesus was not the Messiah, coupled with a play on the emotions of people in conjunction with the promises of their God, would make it relatively easy to exploit the people to band together and to rise up to achieve the ends desired by these false teachers. 

What is said of such people who deny the Master with destructive heresies, slander the way of truth, who indulge in fleshly desires for power and human glory, who despise authority (as one considers Paul’s repeated insistence upon respecting governmental authority, while seemingly working to subvert empire at every turn), and lead God’s people into debauched lifestyles that are not in accordance with God’s intentions for His people and the kingdom model established through Jesus?  “Their condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting idly by; their destruction is not asleep” (2:3b).      

“Those who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority” (2:10a) are despising “kuriotes,” which has the root of “kurios,” or “Lord.”  This was an official title for Caesar, and would not be far from the mind of the reader if governmental authorities are actually being referenced.  They are also said to be “Brazen and insolent” (2:10b).  This insolence is demonstrated in that “they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones” (2:10c).  Other translations render these “glorious ones” as “dignitaries,” or “those in exalted positions.” 

If these translations are accurate, then placing these words in the historical setting of the ongoing desire for rebellion against Rome is not terribly far-fetched.  To this is added that “even angels, who are much more powerful, do not bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord” (2:11).  “Them” being the dignitaries.  Why does this occur?  What is the root of these insults?  It is the rejection and denial of Jesus as the Messiah.  It is the rejection of the Gospel’s proclamation that Jesus is Lord and King of all.  Because of this rejection, which leads to a continual desire to find and support a messiah that can fulfill the fleshly desires of the exaltation of national Israel, a great time of destruction will come.  Ironically, rejecting Jesus’ as King leads to the desire to overthrow Rome, whereas accepting Jesus as King leads to appropriate submission to human governmental power, while also acknowledging its limitations.

Moving on, one reads that “these men, like irrational animals---creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed---do not understand whom they are insulting, and consequently in their destruction they will be destroyed” (2:12).  Now, having just determined that insults were being cast against dignitaries and those of exalted position, it might be reasonable to think that this refers solely to such individuals.  It seems possible, though, that there is a double meaning here, in that while they are insulting authority that Paul has said has been established by God (with national Israel under the curse of Rome’s oppression as a result of the Creator God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises to them), they are truly insulting their God Himself, through the far more grave rejection of the One that He showed to be the Son of God (King) and Messiah (King) by raising Him from the dead.