Whose Opinion Matters?
Awlwyn Balnave
(British Columbia, Canada)
You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people. - 1 Peter 2:9 (NRSVUE)
During my childhood in Ireland there was a man who would visit our neighborhood every few weeks. I remember hearing the sound of his horse’s hooves plodding on the roadway as he approached our street. His loud proclamation, “Any old iron!” alerted us to his coming. We called him “the rag and bone man,” and his purpose was to collect items others did not want and no longer valued. You could bring him your broken kettle or pot or some old cast-off clothes, and he would give you a small item in return. He valued what others considered to be of no value.
In a similar way, Jesus gathered people around him who were disregarded by others. Jesus received them even when others criticized him for doing so. No matter what opinions others have of us, we know that God loved us enough to send Jesus to live and die so that we might be forgiven and reconciled to the Father. Even when others may not value us, God — whose love is unfailing — does.
First Peter 2:9 reminds us that we are “God’s own people.” This is who Jesus has called us to be. Like the “rag and bone man,” God often values what others do not. Even when we feel devalued by others, we can trust in God’s unending love for us.
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