Peter is famous in the Gospels for the unfortunate part where he denies Christ three times before a chicken disrupted everyone’s peace.

Yet Jesus recommissions him.

In John 21, after Jesus has been brought back to life, the Messiah asks Peter three times whether he loves him. After that effective verbal reversal of the three denials, Jesus gives him a pastoral role (“feed my sheep”) in church leadership.

At the same time, Jesus alludes to the sort of death that Peter would end up experiencing – crucifixion.

It is with that in the background that I come to 1 Peter 3. In the middle, it contains an instruction to be willing to testify about Jesus. It’s something Peter had personal experience, initially, of flunking. But soon after, in Acts, he was jailed for his Christianity. Peter writes:

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

We may have heard amazing testimonies of people whose lives were transforming from terrorists or gang leaders or cat burglars into law-abiding Christians. And our own lives might seem positively mundane.

But God’s spirit has worked on the hearts of each of us and what Peter is saying is that we should be ready to explain why we are Christians. In fact, we should “be prepared”.

OK, so some might interpret “be prepared” in the NIV as meaning be willing rather than be organised in advance. But that’s not what it means. I note that the Authorised Version translates this phrase as “be ready”. And going back to the Greek, BibleHub writes:

“Always” indicates a continuous state of readiness, while “be prepared” translates from the Greek “hetoimos,” meaning to be ready or equipped. This suggests a proactive approach to faith, where believers are encouraged to be constantly ready to articulate their beliefs. In the early church, this readiness was crucial as Christians often faced challenges and questions about their faith in a predominantly pagan society.

1 Peter 3 reminds me of the hymn I will sing the wondrous story by the American Baptist minister Francis H. Rowley. Jesus’s love for looking after the flock in emphasised in the lyrics, which major on the role of individual Christians telling the story of what Jesus has done for them.