‘THAT YOU SHOULD FOLLOW HIS STEPS’ – 1 Peter 2:22-25

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on May 26, 2013 under 2013 |

Preached Sunday, May 26, 2013 from 1 Peter 2:22-25

Theme: Jesus Himself is the example of how to walk for Him while suffering affliction.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

About 135 years ago, a work of Christian fiction was published that told a story set in a small railroad town in Illinois—just outside of Chicago. Specifically, it told of with what happened in a church within that town. The pastor of that church was confronted and deeply broken-hearted one Sunday morning by some of the inconsistencies in his own personal Christian life and in the life of his church family. At church the very next Sunday, he felt led to offer the believers in his congregation a remarkable challenge. He urged everyone in the church not to do anything for a whole year without first asking the question: “What Would Jesus Do?”

That novel became an instant best-seller. It’s still popular today. A few years ago, it inspired a whole popular Christian movement—characterized by arm-bracelets and bumper-stickers that simply read “WWJD?” (“What would Jesus do?”). That book was Charles Sheldon’s Christian classic, In His Steps.

This morning, I’d like to as you to turn with me to 1 Peter 2; and to a passage that makes us ask the same kind of question—”What would Jesus do?” This passage, however, presents this question to us in a very specific context. It calls us to consider the example that our Lord’s set for us on those occasions in which He suffered unjustly at the hands of unrighteous men. We might phrase the question of this passage in this way: “How did Jesus endure unjust treatment? What would Jesus do in such a case?”

And it instructs us, very directly, to follow in His steps and do just as He did in our own times of suffering affliction.

* * * * * * * * * *

We began looking at this passage last Sunday. It’s a part of the apostle Peter’s larger call for us, as believers, to make sure that we live as we should in the sight of the unbelieving people of this world; so that we’ll properly present the truth of the gospel to them. In 1 Peter 2:11-12, Peter wrote;

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation (1 Peter 2:11-12).

That’s something that we constantly need to be reminded of, isn’t it? The unbelieving world is watching us. They are evaluating our message—and our Lord as well—by what they see in our lives. And so, we need to live in a manner that is consistent with our message. One of the ways that this consistency is to be exhibited is in our submission to God-appointed relationships of authority. In verses 18-20—as an example of this—Peter wrote;

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God (vv. 18-20).

In any kind of relationship in which we are under the authority of someone else and in which we are called upon to perform a task or fulfill an obligation—whether it’s at our job, or in a classroom in school, or when we’re working under the supervision of others in a volunteer task—out of a sense of reverence and consciousness toward God, we are to be submissive toward those over us. We are to subordinate ourselves respectfully under their legitimate position of authority.

Peter says that this is to always be true of us, not just in those situations in which our supervisor or boss is a reasonable person for whom it is easy to work; but even in those situations in which our supervisor or boss is difficult—someone who is unreasonable and harsh. Like we mentioned in our last time together; Peter certainly isn’t telling us to passively allow ourselves to be physically beaten or abused. But in those cases in which we are under someone’s authority who is unreasonable, or harsh, or who causes us grief—so long as we’re in the proper bounds of that relationship; and so long as we can do so without in any way disobeying God—we are to be submissive to their authority. We’re not to fuss against them, or rebel against them, or bad-mouth them, or try to ‘pay them back’ or make them look foolish in some way for some injustice they do to us. We’re to behave reasonably; even while under unreasonable treatment.

And look at what Peter says in verse 21;

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps . . . (v. 21).

The “this” to which we are called is not the unjust treatment, but rather the conformity to our Lord’s example while under it.

Some of you know that I have worked as a graphic artist and illustrator. One of my earliest memories of drawing as a child was the day I discovered—pretty much on my own—that I could lay a piece of thin, white paper over a picture in a magazine or over the headline of a newspaper, and trace the picture or the shape of the letters. I spent a whole summer day once playing around with this newly discovered ‘technique’. I remember my father coming home from work that day, and how I showed him the things I had been drawing. He was amazed; and called to my mother and said, “Look at these drawings! Where did this kid learn to draw like that?” I didn’t want to tell him, at first, how I cheated. But I eventually did. (And by the way, that’s how most graphic designers and illustrators work. Most of them just learn to be good ‘tracers’.)

When Peter wrote that Jesus left us an “example” to follow, the word he used means something like that. It means to “copy after” or “write after” something. It was the word that was used by scribes who followed guidelines in making copies of texts, or the guide that children traced by as they learned to write. And Peter is telling us that—in times of suffering affliction or unjust treatment—Jesus Himself has gone the way before us and has left us a pattern of behavior to imitate. He has left us “an example”, that we “should follow His steps” in those times when we experience unfair treatment. Peter’s words encourage us to learn to—as it were—lay our own times of suffering over Him and “trace” His example out in our own behavior. This is all so that the watching world would see how we live, perceive the influence of the Lord Jesus in our lives, and become inclined to hear more from us about His love for them.

This morning’s passage, then, presents Jesus to us as the example of how we are to walk for Him while suffering affliction. As Peter goes on to say, Jesus is He,

“Who committed no sin,

Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (vv. 22-25).

Many Bible commentators believe that Peter is quoting from an ancient church hymn. That’s an interesting thought. And if it’s true, then it might have been a hymn that was particularly meaningful and familiar to Christians who were suffering under the pressures of persecution. It would have reminded them of the behavior of their Lord whenever they sang it; and would have helped them to conform their behavior to His own in difficult situations.

We, of course, wouldn’t know the tune of that song; but we do here have the lyrics. Perhaps that would make this a good passage to memorize—so we can call upon it in our own times of suffering.

* * * * * * * * *

So; how does Peter tell us that Jesus endure in times of unjust treatment? What would it mean to follow in His steps? Notice first that Peter shows us how . . .

1. JESUS LIVED IN PURITY (v. 22).

Peter writes that Jesus, “committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth . . .” And I don’t believe Peter means for us to understand this only in regard to how Jesus responded to unfair treatment. Rather, I believe he means for us to understand this in terms of the whole pattern of Jesus life. He always lived in purity. There was not one bit of sin in Him. He never did wrong. He never disobeyed the Father.

Whether or not this was an ancient church hymn, the words were definitely drawn from a very important Old Testament passage. In fact, all four verses of our passage this morning are drawn from it. That Old Testament passage is Isaiah 53—a much-loved passage that spoke of the atoning sacrifice that our Lord Jesus would make for us on the cross. And in Isaiah 53:9, we’re told this:

And they made His grave with the wicked—

But with the rich at His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was any deceit in His mouth (Isaiah 53:9).

Those words are very much like the words that Peter wrote; aren’t they? And think about what they tell us. They affirm that Jesus lived in perfect holiness and purity. Peter—along with the other disciples—lived with Jesus in a very close and personal way for three-and-a-half years; and he could testify as an eyewitness to the truth of that Old Testament prophecy—that there was nothing of sin or unrighteousness in our Savor as He walked upon this earth.

Peter tells us that Jesus “committed no sin”—which speaks of His outward conduct. There was no disobedience to God’s commandments in His behavior. He obeyed the will of the Father perfectly, and did harm or injustice to no one. Jesus once asked those who opposed Him which of them accused Him of sin; and the only thing they could accuse Him of was that He—being a mere man (as they had supposed)—made Himself equal with God. They certainly had their opportunity to accuse Him of sin . . . if there had been any sin at all in His life. And yet, even they couldn’t find anything in Him to condemn.

Peter also tells us, “nor was deceit found in His mouth . . .”—which spoke both of His words and of the condition of the heart from which those words came. Not only did our Lord live perfectly before God in His actions, but He spoke perfectly before God in His words. There was nothing deceitful or false in what He uttered. He never spoke anything that the Father would disapprove of. When His opponents confronted Him, He was able to affirm before them, “My witness is true” (John 8:14). He was perfect in both word and deed. As the Bible tells us, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

And our call, dear brothers and sisters, is to lay our lives over the example He has set for us, and trace His holy character onto our own experience in times of suffering. We are to seek to live holy, just as He was holy. When we encounter those occasions in life in which we suffer unjustly and are treated harshly, we will be best able to honor our Lord while in the midst them if we will have made sure that we—like Jesus Himself—will have been careful to committed no sin in our behavior or taken deceit to our lips.

* * * * * * * * * *

Another thing that Peter tells us is that . . .

2. JESUS DID NOT AVENGE HIMSELF (v. 23).

It’s very natural and very human to try to avenge ourselves when we’re treated unjustly or spoken of wrongly. But that’s not the pattern that Peter says that Jesus set for us; “. . . who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously . . . (v. 23).

Once again, Peter is drawing what he says from that Old Testament passage in Isaiah 53. In Isaiah 53:7, we’re told this about Jesus;

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth;

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth (Isaiah 53:7).

This wasn’t because Jesus was weak or incapable of putting people in their place if He had chosen to. Do you remember how the Pharisees and scribes would try to trap Him in His words; and how He always answered in such wisdom that He left them silent? Do you remember in the garden, when the soldiers who came to arrest Him, how He had asked who they sought?—and how when they said, “Jesus of Nazareth”?—and how He simply said, “I am He”?—and how, at those words, they all drew back and fell to the ground? If Jesus had chosen to do so, He could have called down the armies of heaven to come to His rescue. But He didn’t.

In the face of oppression and affliction, “He opened not His mouth”. As He hung on the cross and was reviled and mocked, He didn’t revile or mock in return. When He suffered the terrible pain of the cross, He didn’t threaten those who crucified Him. He was God in human flesh. He could have destroyed all His murderers with but a word. As the all-knowing Christ, He could have publicly humiliated them all by declaring all their sins and personal failures publicly—exposing them to horrible shame. But He didn’t. Instead—as Peter tells us—He “committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” He knew that God His Father—the righteous judge—looked down upon His situation and would—at the right time—vindicate His name. He didn’t have to try to defend Himself. He knew that His Father was able to do so in His due time—even if it was not until heavenly glory. As it says in Isaiah 50:7,

“For the Lord God will help Me;

Therefore I will not be disgraced;

Therefore I have set My face like a flint,

And I know that I will not be ashamed” (Isaiah 50:7).

And in our own times of suffering, we are to lay our lives over Him and trace His example on to our own experience. We are called to imitate His patience—not answering evil for evil, or slander for slander. When called upon to answer for ourselves, we’re to do so honestly; and we will have nothing to fear in doing so if we have walk in a holy manner as our Lord did. But when we are accused unjustly, or slandered falsely, we don’t have to try to justify ourselves in a desperate or angry way. We don’t have to try to look for someone else to lay blame on—as so many people do. Instead, we are to be patient as our Lord was; keeping still, and trusting that God will justly judge everything that concerns us in His time.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; verses 22-23 describe the things that Jesus did that we can actually imitate. He walked a holy life, and so can we. He didn’t avenge Himself but trusted God, and we’re called to do the same.

But we need to treat the things in the next couple of verses differently. They speak of things that Jesus did that we ourselves could never do. They are things that He did for us that we cannot do for ourselves. But when we receive them as we should, they—nevertheless—influence our behavior and give us a pattern of Christ-like conduct to follow.

Note how Peter goes on to tells us that . . .

3. JESUS BORE THE BLAME FOR US (v. 24a).

The things that Jesus suffered on the cross were truly “unjust” because He suffered them in our place. He Himself knew no sin, and yet He willingly allowed others to crucify Him; who, as Peter puts it, “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed” (v. 24).

Once again, Peter is drawing what he says from Isaiah 53. In Isaiah 53:4-5, we read these wonderful words;

Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5).

This is an act of our Lord’s that we can in no way imitate. We cannot pay for our own sins or bear them for our own redemption. We cannot heal ourselves by being wounded and struck and beaten for our own transgressions. Nor can we take the sins of others upon ourselves and pay for them on their behalf; because we ourselves are sinners. Our redemption can only be brought about by Jesus—the Son of God in human flesh, who knew no sins of His own—taking our sins upon Himself and paying the death penalty for them on our behalf.

Nevertheless, this does give an example to follow. We can still, as it were, lay our own selves over Him, and trace on to our own experience the pattern of His great humility. Rather than declaring that He was too righteous and too glorious to bear our guilt, He humbled Himself as our servant and took the punishment of sin on our behalf. And in doing this for us, He teaches us how to behave with humility whenever we suffer times of injustice.

The apostle Paul put it this way in Philippians 2:5-11;

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5-11).

We follow the example of our Lord’s humility in laying down His life for us when we don’t demand respect from people; when we don’t insist on our rights; when we humble ourselves in obedience to God’s call on our lives in order to help the burdens of others; and when we are even willing to be brought low in order that someone else may be lifted high—trusting God to look upon us, have mercy on us, and lift us as well in His own good time.

* * * * * * * * * *

And another thing that Peter mentions that we ourselves cannot do is that . . .

4. JESUS RESTORED US TO HIS OWN CARE (vv. 24b-25).

As sinners, just as we cannot wash our own sins away, neither can we restore ourselves to God. As sheep who had wandered away from the Shepherd, we cannot restore ourselves to the Shepherd’s care—to have Him heal our sinful wounds healed and make us well again. But Peter tells us that this is something that Jesus Himself does for us, “. . . by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (vv. 24b-25).

In the original language of Peter’s letter, it’s not by His “stripes” in the plural sense that we are healed, but by only one in the singular sense—the one great wound of His that heals us. And that one great wound—that one great healing “blow” that He received for us—was His death on the cross. His one great wound on the cross completely heals all our wounds from sin. And what’s more, in the original language, it’s not we ourselves who “now return” to the Shepherd—as if it was we ourselves who did the work. Literally, it says that we “have now been returned” or “brought back”—as if the work was done for us by the grace of Another.

Again, Peter is taking this from Isaiah 53. In Isaiah 53:6, it says;

All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

This is not something that we can imitate. Just as we can’t heal ourselves, neither can we restore ourselves to the care of the good Shepherd from whom we have strayed. He does this for us. He looks down on us in mercy, washes our sins away, and brings us into fellowship with Himself. He picks up the pieces of our lives that had been broken by sin, puts us back together again, and affirms to us that we are His own. He even puts His Holy Spirit in us as a guarantee that we are His; who Himself affirms to us that we are the children of God, and who Himself secures us for the day of glory.

But even though this also is not something we can imitate, it nevertheless gives us a pattern to follow in our own experience. When we lay our lives upon our Savior’s example of restoration and care—right in the midst of those times when we are suffering affliction and are treated unjustly; no matter what the people of this world say about us—we can trace-out absolute confidence. We are absolutely loved by Him, absolutely accepted by Him, being continually conformed to His image; and are as certain to share in His heavenly glory as if we were already there. As the apostle Paul put it;

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:31-39).

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; I don’t know if you noticed, but in all this, we have been given the gospel. Jesus lived in purity. He had no sin of His own. And He did not avenge Himself, but willingly gave Himself to those who crucified Him. He bore the blame for our sins on Himself—paying the debt that we owe to a holy God. And now—having fully paid that debt, and having washed our sins away—the resurrected Lord Jesus draws us to Himself, heals all our wounds, and leads us in His way. It’s by everything that Peter tells us about Jesus that we are saved.

I hope you have trusted Him as your Savior in all these things. And if you have, I hope that you will begin to habitually lay yourself upon Him and trace the example of His life upon your own experience in the midst of your own times of suffering and affliction. He gives us the perfect pattern of holiness, patience, humility and confidence.

And as a result, may the people around us—even those who mistreat us— see Jesus in our lives.