1 Peter 2:21-23—Leaving an example to follow

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously… 1 Peter 2:21-23

For you have been called for this purpose… leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps…

The calling to which you and I have been called is not to merely accomplish a particular goal or hold a specific position. The call of Jesus Christ is that you be His disciple and follow Him wherever He leads—every minute, every day—for the rest of your life.

And as you follow Him, you are not groping in the darkness—He Himself is your Light. When you follow Him, you won’t walk in darkness, but you will have the Light of life.

You are His sheep, so you hear His voice, and the voice of a stranger you will not follow.

He has also poured out His Spirit upon you; this Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance all that He has said, and He will show you things to come.

And of course, He has left His example for you to emulate. A man or woman asking, “What would Jesus do?” can access the Book and view all that was written about His behavior, attitudes, and choices.

… since Christ also suffered for you…

The bottom line of Christianity is this: Jesus suffered for you. He bore your sins and the punishment that you deserved—and He did it completely of His own free will. A profession of faith which minimizes the suffering that the Lord endured in an attempt to “humanize” Christianity or to make it more “palatable”, has virtually humanized the power of God right out of their religion! This “cleaned-up” version of Christianity is as palatable as a piece of cold, day-old toast.

…who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth…

Central to Christianity is that Jesus was sinless in His earth walk. He was tempted as we all are, but He never yielded; He never once sinned. To paint Him any other way (as some do who seek to justify their favorite lifestyle sin) reveals ignorance at best, and more likely exposes a blatant contempt for the Holy One who died for them.

… and while being reviled, He did not revile in return…

Jesus embodied what He taught. Early in His ministry, when He enjoyed popularity and physical safety, He preached, “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28). When those who hated Him finally had their way with Him, He practiced what He preached: He did not revile in return but prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

… while suffering, He uttered no threats…

Isaiah prophesied of this One, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7, emphasis added). What a contrast this is to the mindset which characterizes many in our time: “I don’t get mad; I get even.”

Jesus had the power, authority, and rank to call upon the hosts of Heaven to rally to His aid. He declared to Peter when He was first arrested in Gethsemane, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53) Jesus had the whereabouts to deal a deathblow to those who wrongfully abused Him—but instead, He uttered no threats; He let them do their worst. And by so doing, they played right into the plan of God established before the foundation of the earth.

… but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.

Entrusting Himself to God and submitting to His will was more important to Jesus throughout His earth walk than even food: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work” (John 4:34).

He lived with this conviction: “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is just, for I seek not to please Myself but Him who sent Me” (John 5:30).

He lived this creed: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).

Therefore, at the end of His  earth life, it is not surprising to know that He accomplished this final grim act—death on the cross—by entrusting Himself to the One who judges righteously. Every torturous step of the way.

He despised every bit of the shame He experienced, but He endured it all for the joy that was set before Him—you and me, delivered from darkness, born again as sons and daughters of God, bearing His name, and carrying His healing presence into the world.

This is the example He has left for us to follow—and for this purpose we have been called.

Dorothy

© 2015, Dorothy Frick