Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you noticed an increase in anger, slander, aggression and even violence in our world, no matter where you live? Do you see there seems to be a matching rapid decline in mutual respect, civility and kindness toward others? What guidance can God give us for living well in such an environment?
Evidently it was much the same in the first century for as we continue our journey with Peter as he writes his first letter, today we’ll look at a very powerful statement Peter makes to help us deal with this growing problem in almost every society, especially if the anger is leveled at you simply because you are believed to be a Christian.
I think it’s safe to say Peter, the braggard fisherman, was probably someone with a short temper and when Peter got worked up, he likely put few restrictions on what he said or the emotions with which he said it! Yet Jesus and Peter developed very special relationship, and Peter, under the strong influence of the Holy Spirit of God, became a powerful leader of the Christian movement all across the Roman empire. So much so, that he was likely writing this first letter from a Roman prison cell as Rome tried to keep him under control.
Look, Peter is rolling out the parchments again, ready to write. He is remembering what he learned as he watched Jesus in His most difficult days when He was opposed and ridiculed and actually arrested, beaten and crucified by those who should have recognized and welcomed Him as their Messiah!
Peter speaks the words as he writes them: “…Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at Jesus, He did not retaliate; when Jesus suffered, He made no threats. Instead, Jesus entrusted Himself to God who judges justly…” (1 Peter 2:21-23)
If you know the story of Jesus Christ, and particularly His sufferings on that Passover weekend when He was confronted verbally several times by religious leaders in Jerusalem, and then gruffly arrested by an angry mob in the garden of Gethsemane where He was praying with His disciples. Then Jesus was taken to the High Priest’s home and a late-night mock trial was held, and Jesus was humiliated, beaten and sent to Pilate for trial where Jesus was flogged by Roman soldiers.
Finally, Jesus was condemned to carry His own cross through the streets of Jerusalem and be crucified, flanked by two criminals given the death penalty. We see Peter’s commentary here on the lessons he learned as he watched what is described in the four Gospel accounts: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
These key words or phrases jump off the parchment at me: “Christ suffered for you…”! Jesus chose to allow the horrific persecution, torture and death because it was the ONLY way He could earn God’s forgiveness for those of us who will believe the death of Jesus is enough to pay our full sin debt before Holy God! His suffering earned our deliverance from sin condemnation and sin bondage! Can you imagine how it affects the risen Jesus, now in heaven with God the Father, when some people say, “no thank you” and turn away from God’s offer of salvation at the expense of the life of His Son Jesus?
“…leaving you and example that you should follow in His steps” might be a little confusing. No, this does not mean you or I can suffer and give our life as payment to God for the sins of another person. We each are guilty and must make payment to God for our own sin! What then does it mean? It means Jesus modeled for us HOW to suffer in a God honoring way!
The next phrases Peter wrote explain what that is…‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.’ is actually a quote from Isaiah 53 where an entire chapter, written 650 years before Jesus was born, describes in graphic detail HOW Jesus would suffer that Passover weekend and WHAT it could mean for any person who trusted in Jesus for their Salvation! Reaction, retribution, getting even are natural human responses to someone slandering or attacking or harming us, right? Jesus did NOT do any of that!
“When they hurled their insults at Jesus, He did not retaliate; when Jesus suffered, He made no threats…” As you read the accounts of that Passover weekend and all that was done to Jesus, this statement is very true and very powerful. In fact, as Peter was writing this, I’m sure he remembered that moment when he drew his knife and swung wildly at those trying to take Jesus by force in the garden of Gethsemane. Peter struck one of the guards and sliced off his ear! (Matt. 26:51) In that moment Jesus did two amazing things. First, Jesus said to Peter: “Put your knife back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on My Father for help and He will at once send more than 12 legions of angels to defend Me? But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?” Not only did Jesus not retaliate but He instructed His friends to do the same, knowing that if He wanted to, Jesus could have unleashed all His mighty power and strike those arresting Him blind or even dead with simply a word. Also knowing that if He chose to not use any of His own power, if He asked God His Father, He’d have thousands of angels ready to fight for Him in an instant. While you and I don’t have the divine, miraculous power of Jesus, do you believe God loves you so much that He could send angels to help you at any time, in any situation?
I’m sure Peter remembered how stunned he was when then Jesus did the unthinkable to help the bleeding guard who had come to arrest him! Dr. Luke writes: “Jesus touched the man’s ear and healed him!” (Luke 22:51) Yes, I think that means Jesus picked up off the ground this man’s lopped off ear and put it back onto the side of his head and the bleeding stopped and his ear was normal! My guess is, for the rest of his life, that guard told that story over and over whenever he had the chance! The man he’d come to arrest, healed his severed ear!
Now let’s ponder that a moment friends and think about retaliation threats you’ve heard, or retaliation plans you’ve made in your mind against someone who has hurt you. Can we begin to comprehend the extreme challenge we are receiving from Peter about how to follow the example of Jesus in responding to people who persecute us for being Christians?
Now here’s the key my friends. Peter writes: “Instead Jesus entrusted Himself to God who judges justly…” In His omniscience Jesus was able, in those horrifically painful days, to look forward in time to the judgment day when God will judge justly, every person who has ever lived, including those who were torturing Jesus. I think, rather than a sense of gratification that these people would then be punished by God, Jesus was nearly overwhelmed by the picture He saw of what these men would be suffering as the justice judgment of God would be unleashed on them…not just for an hour or two but for all eternity!
That’s why Peter continued writing with these words: “Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; ‘by His wounds you have been healed.'” (1 Peter 2:24) Peter is saying that we also have the ability, like Jesus, to extend Mercy rather than Retaliation when we are being persecuted. Both because yes, there will a day of justice judgment with God for our persecutors, but also because the stranglehold of sin which motivates people to retaliation has been broken in the life of every person who authentically, genuinely has been born again to a new life in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, when God does His life transforming work of deliverance in us!
And again, do you see, Peter quoted from Isaiah 53 and have you experienced the healing power of Jesus in your life, healing you from the wounds of your childhood or a failed marriage or a dishonest employer or even a church wound? Oh, my friends, there is so much healing available to us in a powerful, Holy Spirit filled relationship with Jesus! Let’s pause right here and really think deeply about how Jesus has modeled, for you and me, the way we can honor God when we are persecuted. What did the Holy Spirit teach you today? Maybe some prayer time is needed right now my friends. Have you been thinking lately about retaliation against someone who has hurt you?
Today’s Scripture is 1 Peter 2:21-24.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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