THE PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

O great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, by whose wounds we are healed: speak to us, we pray, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we may not wander and stray from You, but be ever-guided in the way of truth by Your word. Teach us now, O gracious Lord, what it means to follow in Your steps and to share in Your suffering; that, by Your grace and mercy, we may share in Your victory and overcome all evil with good; to the glory of God the Father, forever and ever. Amen.

THE READING OF 1^st PETER 2:18-25

THE ASCRIPTION OF PRAISE

Now to Him who loves us, and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father — to Jesus Christ be all glory and dominion, forever and ever. Amen.

     “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Are you wondering what in the world this has to  do with the passage from First Peter? Has your pastor lost his mind? Well, here it is: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” is a sentence which contains every letter of the alphabet.^[1] (Don’t let that distract you; trust me: I checked it). And if you were going to teach a child how to write the letters of the alphabet, you might have him or her copy that sentence over and over again. Or, if you’re old enough, you might remember the days of tracing paper: that see-through, onion-skin thin paper which would be placed over another piece of paper so that you could trace over — copy — what was printed on the paper underneath. Some of you may have learned how to form the letters of the alphabet using tracing paper. And maybe you wrote that sentence, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

            But, you’re still wondering what this has to do with First Peter 2:18-25. I’ll tell you. In verse 21, which is central to this passage, and central to the life of discipleship, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” the word translated “example,” in the Greek is a compound word which literally means “under-letter” or “under-writing.” In other words, the example of Jesus’ life is like a sentence containing all the letters of the alphabet, which we, as children, are to trace-over, carefully training ourselves to form the “alphabet” of our lives like the “alphabet” of His life. We are to trace our lives — form our lives — according to the shape of His life, so that our lives more and more take shape in conformity with His. This is what it means to “follow in His steps.”

            We do a good deal of talking about becoming more and more like Christ. That’s what this passage is all about; but are we, indeed, really ready to apply this passage to our lives, to do what Jesus did when He endured rejection, ridicule, and unjust suffering? Do we really want to trace our lives —  every letter of the alphabet of our lives, so-to-speak —  according to the pattern of His life? May God, by His Holy Spirit, help us to do so.

            This passage, in its original context, is addressed specifically to “house servants,”(that’s the more precise translation of the Greek), a particular class of slaves. Although there is not time to digress into the subject, let me point out quickly and clearly that there was a vast difference between the institution of slavery in the ancient Greco-Roman world and that of slavery in the New World of America up until the nineteenth-century. New Testament passages exhorting slaves to be submissive to their masters provide no justification for the institution of slavery as manifested in Europe and America in the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries.^[2] Slavery in the first-century Roman empire was not necessarily an altogether bad thing, was often entered into voluntarily, was not always permanent, and often brought with it many privileges for the slave. Among the first-century slaves were those who today would be considered professionals: managers of estates, physicians, teachers, and tutors.^[3] And because slaves made up such a substantial portion of the population, and played such a vital role in the general society of the Roman Empire, they as a particular group of people were in a position to have great influence for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

            Therefore, following from the previous passage urging all Christians to live exemplary lives of good deeds in a pagan culture, and to be submissive to the governmental authorities, and to show proper respect to all people, Peter now specifically addresses the house-servants along the same lines. Their walk is to be their witness. Submissive obedience to their masters is the primary way in which they are to show their submission to, and faith in, The Master, Jesus.

            Though we live in a completely different social-political-economic system, the principles of this passage remain the same and are practically applicable to us today. First of all, the house-servants are instructed to “submit with all respect” (the Greek word is “fear,” meaning, reverential respect — which shows that, from a Christian perspective, respect for human masters (those in positions over us) is an expression of respect for God, because it is God who in His sovereign providence has placed us in our particular situation serving under those above us). This respect is to be shown not only to those masters who are “good and considerate” but also to those who are “harsh” (the Greek word is skoliois, from which we get the word, scoliosis, “crooked”). Peter is exhorting Christian house-servants to submit and to show all respect to “crooked” masters — masters who do not deserve their respect. But this is not merely practical counsel about how to “get along” with mean masters. This is spiritual counsel rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ; this is how those slaves were to form the letters of the alphabet of their lives according to the under-written pattern of the life of Jesus. And note carefully that it all has to do with the glory of God and living as a disciple of Jesus Christ. The Scripture says,

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God (or, for the sake of conscience toward God; i.e., doing the right thing in submissive obedience to God for the sake of a clean conscience before God, despite the injustice and pain of the experience. And, at this point, we are really getting down to a very deep level of what Christian character is all about. Listen as the passage continues). But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong, and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called (“called out of darkness into his marvelous light” – 1^st Ptr. 2:9) because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example (“an under-writing”) that you should follow in his steps (1^st Ptr.2:19-21).

     Here we begin to see the theology of the cross practically applied to real-life situations. The reason that these house-servants were instructed to submit to crooked masters and even endure unjust punishments was for the sake of imitating Jesus, showing forth their faith in Him, their devotion to Him, and their submission to Him, because He suffered unjustly for them. The Scripture calls us to be willing to suffer unjustly, for the sake of identifying with Jesus Christ in His sufferings for us. This is one example of the paradox of the power of Christ in us, the paradox of the power of the cross at work in us as believers. We live abundantly by dying to self. We attain self-fulfillment by self-denial. We overcome evil by doing good. We gain all by losing all. That’s what Jesus did. And that’s what He did for you and me. And to this we have been called — to trace the letters of the alphabet of our lives according to the pattern of the alphabet of His life. Are we willing to follow in His steps, the steps of suffering, for His sake and His glory?            

            Let’s take this passage addressed to house-servants and apply it to ourselves today. You may feel like a slave at work. You may have a rude, crude, overly-demanding, insensitive, crooked, cut-throat jerk for a boss. He or she may simply be a surly person, with a miserable marriage, a meaningless life, and a lot of bad baggage from childhood. Or, your work environment may indeed be hostile to the gospel. In fact, you may feel as though your boss or supervisor “has it in for you” because you are Christian. Perhaps that is because your good example as a Christian is used by the Lord to bring that person under great conviction of his or her own sins and rebellion against God. A guilty conscience hates to be in the presence of those who are at peace with God. And so your boss or supervisor or fellow-employee may “take it out” on you. And on the surface it may seem to have nothing at all to do with your faith in Christ; the hostility and incivility and belittlement and lack of appreciation and unfairness may all emanate forth from the unbeliever’s heart from a much deeper subconscious level, without him or her even consciously realizing it. Or, it might be very consciously directed against you because you are a Christian and, therefore, your boss or supervisor,  for very personal ideological or political or philosophical reasons, takes great delight in giving you a hard time.

            What do you do? You remember Jesus, who suffered unjustly for you. You give thanks that you have been called “out of darkness into His marvelous light,” so that your life might be shaped, formed, after the pattern of His life; and you accept, from Him, the fact that this shaping and forming of your life according to His likeness inevitably involves suffering the rejection and ridicule and injustice of this world. We walk the pathway to glory by following in His steps; and so, in order to be “with Him,” we must willingly suffer submissively for Him. And in your work environment, you trace the letters of the alphabet of your life according to the letters of the alphabet of Jesus’ life; and that means,

... love your enemies, and do good to them ...bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse ... do not repay anyone evil for evil ... be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody ... and, if it is possible, as far as it depends upon you, live at peace with everyone ... do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Luke 6:35; Romans 12:14, 17-18, 21).

And, keep on doing your job, unto the Lord, to the absolute best of your ability, because you are serving the Lord in your workplace, and He will not forget your reward (Colossians 3:23-24).

            Now, just one clarifying comment here in terms of practical application: this passage does not mean that Christians living today in a free society should always suffer illegal injustice without taking legal recourse. One way that we “honor the emperor” (the established authorities) is to appeal to the laws of the land for the sake of our well-being and the well-being of our neighbor. If we suffer an illegal injustice in the workplace, or if we are the object of blatantly immoral conduct, it may well be our Christian responsibility to bring that to public light for the sake of protecting others in similar situations — not for the sake of our personal benefit, not for the sake of personal revenge, but for the sake of protecting our neighbor (loving our neighbor) in the workplace. Secondly, this passage certainly does not instruct Christians to submit to employers in doing something which is illegal or immoral. Our ultimate and absolute submission is to the Lord Jesus Christ, and we must never stray from His word in order to follow the illegal or immoral orders of a human “master.” And, in that situation, whatever the consequence, remember that Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).

            But the primary application, and enduring principle, of this passage is that our lives are to conform to the example of Jesus, and we are to follow in His steps, whenever and wherever we experience the ridicule and rejection of this world. For, at verse 22, Peter reminds us that Jesus Himself was a “ suffering servant,” quoting Isaiah 53:9. This is a remarkable way, a beautiful way, in which Peter makes the connection between the “house-servants” whom he was addressing and Jesus Himself, who was “the suffering servant” prophesied in Isaiah 53. This is Peter’s way of saying to the house-servants, Jesus identified Himself with you, for He Himself was a servant who suffered injustice. Have you been beaten unjustly? So was He! But unlike you, He was absolutely sinless: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (quoting Isaiah 53:9).

            In His suffering for us, Jesus set the example for us. And think about this — Peter himself had the eye-witness memory of this — Peter having denied our Lord three times, had this memory emblazoned upon his heart and mind, and he saw it: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself (He committed Himself, He delivered Himself) to him who judges justly” (and that verse could also be read to mean that Jesus committed or entrusted those who wronged Him into the judgment of God, who judges justly; so that the meaning is that Jesus sought no revenge, but left it to God His Father to judge justly). This is the “example” — the under-writing — on which we are to trace the letters of the alphabet of our lives. We follow in His steps when we endure the scorn and suffering this world hurls against us for Jesus’ sake, without retaliation.

            But Jesus was not only our example. If Jesus were only our example, then our salvation would depend upon us, and our salvation would depend upon the perfection of our imitation of Christ, which means that our salvation would be lost forever. And, if Jesus were only our example, then His suffering and death would ultimately have been in vain, for no one would be saved because no one could follow His example perfectly and sinlessly. But Jesus is more than our example, and this is Peter’s point in the concluding verses. Jesus is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Great High Priest who offered up the sacrifice of Himself for our sins in our place. “He himself bore our sins ...” —  literally, “He himself carried up our sins ... .” The imagery here is that of the High Priest “carrying up” the sacrifice and laying it upon the altar, with the sins of the people, as it were, laid upon that sacrifice. Jesus Himself bore our sins, “carried up” our sins in His own body up on to the altar of the cross — the tree of accursedness.

            In this hideous imagery of accursedness and blood-sacrifice, we see the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This picture — of Christ bearing, carrying up, our sins in His own body on the altar of the cross — is a picture of His union with us and our union with Him in His sacrificial death for us. “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” If your sins have been laid upon Him, if you are in union with Christ through faith, you were there! Your sins, with your name written upon them, on His body, were carried up and laid upon the altar of the cross, and there, you died with Him; so that, in union with Him in His resurrection, you might rise with Him and live by the power of His Spirit in newness of life, born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

            It was, indeed, our sins — your sins, my sins, specific sins, particular sins —  which nailed Jesus to the cross! Don’t think about His death on the cross as being for just “everybody” in general; no, He died for you, and for me. It was for our sins, yours and mine — specifically and particularly — that Christ suffered and died as a cursed man on the tree. Thus spoke Isaiah the prophet:

He was pierced for our transgressions,

            he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

            and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

            each of us has turned to his own way;

and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:5-7).

            We hear the echo of Isaiah 53 in the concluding verses of this passage. It is clear that Peter wants us to follow Jesus as our example, but not merely as our example but as our Redeemer, our Savior. Ultimately, our sufferings in this world cannot be compared to the sufferings of Christ, because even though we may suffer the wrath of hateful men, only Christ has suffered the wrath of God for our salvation. He died on the cross that our sins might be nailed there with Him and our sinful nature might be put to death there with Him, so that there on the cross the power of sin over our lives might be broken. And He rose from the dead so that we, in union with Him, “dying to sin,” or, “ceasing to be” with respect to that old sinful nature, might live to righteousness, following in His steps; and, therefore, you see, Christ is not only our Savior from sin but also our Victor over sin and our Liberator from the power of sin, so that we might set free from the power of sin to live this new life by the power of His Spirit. His substitutionary sacrificial death on the cross not only cleanses us of the guilt of our sins but also sets us free from the power of our sins so that we might have a new life in Him!

            This is the healing of our souls to which Peter refers, quoting Isaiah 53:5, “...by his wounds you have been healed” (and in the Greek it is in the singular, “by His wound,” because in the punishment He suffered for us, His body became one, big, grotesque wound). And it is only through the healing of our souls by the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls that we will receive the eternal healing of our bodies at the Day of Resurrection.

            Today, this gospel of Jesus Christ is for you all: Christ suffered for you, took your sins and your wounds upon Himself, and submitted Himself to death on a cross, to endure the agonies of body and torment of soul, to heal you and make you whole. Your salvation is found completely in Him.

            “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” That’s a silly sentence. But there’s nothing silly about following Jesus, because there’s nothing silly about the sufferings of Jesus; and there’s nothing silly about the salvation from the guilt and power of sin which He has purchased for us by His own precious blood. Lay your life upon Him, so as to trace your life on His, so that the letters of the alphabet of your life are formed according to the shape of the letters of the alphabet of His life.“Follow in His Steps.”

            To God be the glory. Let us pray: