START WITH SCRIPTURE:
1 Peter 2:19-25
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OBSERVE:
Peter reflects on the example of Christ as a model for those who suffer unjustly because of persecution. This suggests that the Christians to whom he writes are beginning to suffer discrimination and worse because of their faith.
First, Peter commends those who suffer pain unjustly because of conscience toward God. He points out that suffering for sin or crimes committed is no virtue — but to suffer for the sake of God is commendable. We are reminded that Peter heard these teachings first from Jesus himself:
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:10-12).
The key is that those who are commended are those who suffer unjustly for righteousness’ sake.
Second, Peter reminds his readers of the example of Christ:
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps…
Of course, Jesus is unique. He is the sinless one, the Messiah, who is able to commit himself completely to his Father. Peter tells us that Jesus:
did not sin, “neither was deceit found in his mouth.” Who, when he was cursed, didn’t curse back. When he suffered, didn’t threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously; who his own self bore our sins in his body on the tree…
Peter is referencing the famous Suffering Servant passage of Isaiah 53 as he describes the sufferings of Jesus. This illustrates the direct connection that the apostles believed existed between the Hebrew Scriptures and their fulfillment in Jesus. He quotes Isaiah 53:9 directly. The full text says:
They made his grave with the wicked,
and with a rich man in his death;
although he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
In addition, Peter’s allusion to Isaiah 53 includes his reference to the stripes, or scourging, of Jesus. This is the paradox of Christ’s atonement — that by his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53 also says that the sinners:
were going astray like sheep.
Peter has no doubt about the continuity of the Hebrew Scriptures with the Gospel.
And he applies Jesus’ suffering directly to himself and his readers — Jesus has borne our sins in his body on the tree, meaning that Jesus’ death is vicarious for those who believe in him.
And because of this vicarious death, there are superlative benefits to those who believe:
that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed. For you were going astray like sheep; but now have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
These benefits are multi-layered. Death to sin means that sin has been overcome by Jesus’ death on the cross. Living to righteousness suggests that the believer begins to experience the grace of sanctification. There is healing from sin, but also from other maladies. And Peter uses a metaphor very common in Scripture — the sheep who were wandering have now returned to the Shepherd, who is Jesus.
APPLY:
There are some passages of Scripture that Christians in the Western church struggle to understand. 1 Peter 2:19-25 is one of those passages.
Christians in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, the Philippines, China, North Korea, India, and many other nations understand this passage perfectly well. They, like our predecessors in the early church, know what it is to suffer unjustly because of conscience toward God.
In the West, we do profess our faith in Christ who suffered for us and bore our sins in his body on the tree with supreme gratitude. And we know what it is to be delivered from our sins, and to be healed by his stripes. All of us who claim the name of Christ are called upon to die to sins, live to righteousness and return to our Shepherd and Overseer.
RESPOND:
Peter calls upon us to follow Christ’s example, and follow his steps. For those of us who live in relative safety and security, the cross that we take up may take the form of service.
Always, we are to remember that our salvation and righteousness are the gift of God. Although I am not a Roman Catholic, I find Pope Francis’ example to be edifying. According to Cardinal Cupich, in Francis’s first interview after being elected Pope, he said “I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech.” The Cardinal goes on to say that before hearing confessions in St. Peter’s Basilica, he kneels in confession himself.
All of us as Christians can see ourselves in Peter’s words:
For you were going astray like sheep; but now have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Incidentally, the word Overseer in Greek is episkopos, which can also be translated as guardian, superintendent, or bishop. Jesus is always ultimately our true Bishop.
Lord, suffering is bound to come in our lives. Deliver me from committing evil that deserves to be punished. If I suffer unjustly, deliver me from resentment and grudges, but help me to forgive instead of seeking to retaliate. Help me to look to your example as my guide. Amen.
PHOTOS:
“Follow in His Steps” by Amydeanne is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.
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