PILGRIMS AND UNJUST SUFFERING

Introduction

-{1 Peter 2}

-Foxe’s Book of Martyrs tells us many astonishing stories of Christians who suffered for the faith and did so with courage and strength. In a section that describes what happened under Emperor Marcus Aurelius about AD 162 and after, he recorded these tales:

Foxe's Book of Martyrs (The Fourth Persecution, under Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, AD 162)

The cruelties used in this persecution were such that many of the spectators shuddered with horror at the sight, and were astonished at the [bravery] of the sufferers. Some of the martyrs were obliged to pass, with their already wounded feet, over thorns, nails, sharp shells...upon their points, others were scourged until their sinews and veins lay bare, and after suffering the most excruciating tortures that could be devised, they were destroyed by the most terrible deaths....

Polycarp, the venerable bishop of Smyrna, hearing that persons were seeking for him, escaped, but was discovered by a child. [Before trial] he desired an hour in prayer, which being allowed, he prayed with such fervency, that his guards repented that they had been instrumental in taking him. He was, however, carried before the proconsul, condemned, and burnt in the market place.

The proconsul then urged him, saying, “Swear, and I will release thee;—reproach Christ.”

Polycarp answered, “Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?” At the stake, to which he was only tied, but not nailed as usual, as he assured them he should stand immovable, the flames, on their kindling... encircled his body, like an arch, without touching him, and the executioner, on seeing this, was ordered to pierce him with a sword...

Felicitatis, an illustrious Roman lady, of a considerable family, and the most shining virtues, was a devout Christian. She had seven sons, whom she had educated with the most exemplary piety.

Januarius, the eldest, was scourged, and pressed to death with weights, Felix and Philip, the two next had their brains dashed out with clubs, Silvanus, the fourth, was murdered by being thrown from a precipice, and the three younger sons, Alexander, Vitalis, and Martial, were beheaded. The mother was [then] beheaded with the same sword.

-You read or hear these stories, and they seem so foreign to us, and yet this is the reality for most Christians in history, as well as a good portion of our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world. Courageous men and women of faith who suffered for their Lord, and did so gladly.

-And here we are as 21st century western Christians with our comforts and amenities, who get annoyed at every minor inconvenience, and somehow think that those inconveniences are equated to suffering. But here’s the thing, suffering is real, and some of us have gone through real suffering, and at the rate our nation is going, many of us will go through some real hardship related to the faith. Too often we grasp to the lie that God wants us happy and wealthy on this earth all the time. But read the Bible and read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs and see what the reality is. We will suffer while on this earth. The question is, how will we live when it comes?

-As I continue my study of 1 Peter, what we find in today’s passage is that a Christian pilgrim is blessed of God when they endure unjust suffering in the right way for the right reasons.

-{Before we read our passage, I just wanted to note that I will be using a different translation than what I have normally used in the past. While I appreciate the ESV, I found it’s sentence structure frustrating, especially for Scripture memory. I have come to appreciate the New English Translation (aka the NET bible) for its accuracy in translating the original languages as well as its readability. I have thoroughly studied and vetted its background, and it was translated by a committee of academics that include several scholars that I know to be solid and respect highly. Now, don’t get this mixed up with the New World Translation which is from the Jehovah’s Witnesses—that’s a translation you want to stay away from. But the NET Bible is a trustworthy translation, I hope it is a good complement with the translation that you prefer to use and study.}

1 Peter 2:18–25 NET 2nd ed.

18 Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse. 19 For this finds God’s favor, if because of conscience toward God someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it? But if you do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God. 21 For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened no retaliation, but committed himself to God who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed. 25 For you were going astray like sheep but now you have turned back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

-{pray}

-Peter reminds us in his letter that for Christians the world is now merely a place that we are passing through until we get to our final destination. We are pilgrims…we are sojourners. In Christ, we have been given a new life that gives us hope and the promise of eternal treasure. So, while we are on our journey as pilgrims in this world, we are to live like like pilgrims who have been given a new life—living a life of holiness and reverence toward God.

-Part of living in holiness to God is to live in right relationship to the authorities that are over us. In the passage before this one, Peter tells us to be subject (submit) to the government’s authority. God has ordained that while the earth is the way it is, governmental institutions will be tools to bring order out of chaos and to hold back sin that is inherent in humanity within its limited ability to do so.

-But now Peter talks about another role that comes with an authority, and the way that people relate to that authority is reflective of their new life in Christ. Peter talks about the relationship of slaves/servants to that of their masters/lords. Some scholars believe that 30+% of people within the Roman Empire were slaves/servants. People became slaves because of war or because they born into it or they gave themselves over to it for financial reasons. The specific word here is used of domestic household servants, and while it was different from the slavery that we know from American history, that in no ways denies the wrongness of the institution.

-Although this was not an institution approved or instituted by God, it was a reality in a fallen world. Sin brought such a relationship about. The fledgling church at the time wouldn’t have the power or influence to overturn this institution, but God’s law gives very specific detail on how to treat all people rightly no matter their level of freedom or economic status.

-But, in the meantime, Christian slaves/servants were to live and act a certain way toward their masters. The master was still an authority (whether legitimate or not) and so slaves/servants were to submit to that authority, and Peter says to do so whether the masters were good or bad (perverse, crooked). Peter then uses this idea of serving under a bad master to teach about how to handle suffering under an authority that is bad. And so, with three quick lessons, we first see that Peter tells us that...

1) Suffering for what’s right is never wrong (vv. 18-20)

-In v. 19, Peter tells us that when we suffer hardships unjustly because of conscience toward God (when we suffer because of our faith in Christ and live accordingly) this find’s God’s favor. When you suffer because you stand strong in your faith, you find favor with God. When you suffer because you do what is right in God’s eyes, God sees that, takes pleasure in your faith and endurance, and will bless you with spiritual blessings.

-It is so hard for us to grasp this, because we have this unbiblical concept that God does not want us to suffer on this earth, and will do everything He can to prevent it. And when we do the right thing (that is, we live biblically and make choices biblically) we expect that everything in life will go smoothly. There is never a promise of that. I read but one tiny snippet from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, when there is page after page of people who lived right for the Lord, they stayed strong in the faith, and they were tortured and killed for it. And here we see that to endure that suffering on this earth finds God’s favor.

-Why in the world would God allow that to happen to the faithful? It’s hard for our minds to grasp because we too often we narrowly focus on the here and now, whereas God sees things in the perspective of the heavenly and the eternal. God may allow suffering as a witness against the evils of this world. God may allow suffering as a witness that softens the heart of an unbeliever for their conversion. God may allow suffering as a tool of discipline for a stubborn believer. God may allow suffering as a means of pruning and shaping a believer for something greater in the future. Within the context of the passage here, if a slave endures hardship under a mean master, God may allow it for any of those reasons—for the master’s conversion, for a testimony against the master on the day of judgment, to prepare the slave to be an even greater witness.

-But, the suffering that finds God’s favor is the unjust suffering you receive because of you living with a conscience toward God—you live a holy life in reverence to God. Peter warns that not all suffering falls into this category. He says in v. 20 what credit is it to you if you are suffering because of your sin? You won’t find God’s favor when you suffer for your own bad choices. When you decide as a believer to live in a way that goes against God and His Word, and then you suffer the consequences for it, what good is that?

-I just have to shake my head when somebody starts whining and complaining about how hard their life is and how mistreated they feel, but what led them to that point was their own bad choices, their own bad attitude, their own rebellion against the Word of God. You act that way, and then want sympathy from me? The reason you are where you are is because you’ve been acting the fool. Now, thankfully God shows grace toward us when we go down that road, but it doesn’t take away the consequences.

-But, Peter says if you suffer for doing right…when you suffer unjustly because you have aligned yourself with the Word of God and have aligned yourself under the authorities that are in your life…that finds God’s favor. You can never go wrong in the eyes of God by suffering for what is right. And Peter then gives us some encouragement when we go through that unjust suffering. He points us to the fact that...

2) Christ set the standard for faithful endurance of suffering (vv. 21-23)

-In 1896 Charles M. Sheldon wrote the book entitled IN HIS STEPS. The plot revolves around a pastor who challenged the members of his church not to do anything for a year without first asking, “What would Jesus do?” One of Sheldon’s great-grandsons did a contemporary retelling of the book, giving it the same title, but just updated for modern times. It started the craze of the ‘90s for all the What would Jesus do memorabilia. While that craze has come and gone, the question still remains valid for any situation…even here.

-So, let’s ask the question: What would Jesus do if He were to suffer unjustly? There doesn’t need to be a whole lot of imagination here, because that is exactly what happened. Peter reminds us in v. 21 that Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example to follow in His footsteps. And then in v. 22 he reminds us that Jesus committed no sin nor was there deceit found in His mouth. Jesus did nothing to deserve the treatment He received. To be honest, Jesus is the only truly innocent person to have ever walked this earth. He came to His own creation and came to His own people and they did not recognize Him or receive Him for who He was, and with utter hostility they crucified Him, treated Him as a criminal.

-There are times that we suffer unjustly, but by no means are we innocent. We might not deserve (from a human perspective) what it is we receive, but such grace is shown towards us that we do not receive a lot of what we actually do deserve. Jesus deserved nothing but honor and glory and devotion. He received a cross. He suffered unjustly. And what did Jesus do? What example did He set for us when we suffer unjustly?

-We can look back at v. 22 and look at the first part from a different angle. It says that Jesus committed no sin. Now, it means that He did not commit sin to deserve the suffering He received, but then we can read it right back into the situation—when Jesus suffered unjustly, He didn’t commit sin in response to the suffering. When Jesus suffered at the hands of wicked men, Jesus did not turn around and commit some sin against those people. In fact, He did the opposite—He cried out to the Father to forgive them because they didn’t know what they were doing. Jesus did not return sin for sin. Jesus didn’t let His suffering be an excuse to step outside of the will of God.

-We also see at the end of v. 22 into v. 23 that deceit was not found in His mouth, and even when He was maligned/verbally abused, He didn’t answer back. As you may have noticed in this passage, Peter quotes Isaiah 53 a lot, and even here there is in the background what Isaiah says:

Isaiah 53:7 NET 2nd ed.

7 He was treated harshly and afflicted, but he did not even open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block, like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not even open his mouth.

-Even when Jesus was lied about, He didn’t turn around and start lying about the people who caused His suffering. And when people verbally attacked Him, He didn’t verbally attack them back. As the passage also says, He didn’t seek any retaliation. Jesus didn’t go around and start doing what He could to ruin the reputation of the people who caused the suffering. This goes hand in hand with not sinning in the midst of suffering.

-Now, there are lots of different ways that we suffer, but if we suffer for doing good and we suffer for living for Christ and we suffer for living biblically, somehow that suffering does not exempt us from continuing to live that way. Yet, what is our natural reaction—I want to go around and tell anybody and everybody who will listen what happened to me, and if I can’t verbally dress down these people to their face, you better believe that I am going to do it by texting my friends and pasting all over social media. But Peter says Christ is our example, and that is the opposite of what He did. He took the suffering and did nothing in return. He did not seek revenge. He did not sin against His persecutors. But what did He do?

-At the end of v. 23: He committed Himself to God who judges justly. Jesus handed the whole situation over to His Father whom He knew would take care of it eventually. He trusted God would handle it. He knew for a fact what Paul would eventually write:

Romans 12:19 NET 2nd ed.

19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

-As one author stated the matter:

It’s as if Jesus said, “I will not carry the burden of revenge, I will not carry the burden of sorting out motives, I will not carry the burden of self-pity, I will not carry the burden of bitterness, I will hand all that over to God who will settle it all in a perfectly just way.”

-What would Jesus do? He would NOT sin against His persecutors. He would NOT verbally abuse them back. But He would entrust the whole situation to the God who loves His children. Because, here’s the thing…God can turn suffering into something beautiful. How do I know? Because Peter tells us that is what He did with Christ’s suffering. The last lesson we see is that...

3) Christ’s suffering saved us so we can live our lives for Him (vv. 24-25)

-In the last two verses of the passage, Peter tells us that Christ’s suffering entailed that He bore our sins in His body on the tree/cross, and by those wounds we are spiritually and eternally healed. Christ suffered on our behalf, so we would not actually suffer the things we do deserve. Christ suffered and died to save us, and all who believe in Him have eternal life.

-There was this Rabbi named Harold Kushner who wrongly tried to explain suffering by saying God too is pained by death [and suffering] but cannot do anything about it. (Elie Wiesel once wrongly said in response to Kushner, “If that’s who God is, he should resign and let someone competent take over.”) They completely missed it. God saw the suffering of humanity in their sin, and He DID do something about it. He sent His Son so that we could have eternal life, where there would no longer be any suffering. This is the means of our overcoming suffering. We don’t overcome suffering here and now, but we overcome suffering later. And we know that because of who God is and what He did. Peter tells us at the end of the passage that our bodies may suffer, but our souls are in the hands of the Shepherd and Guardian of our soul. Here is our assurance—our souls are in the hands of the One who suffered for us.

-But we don’t just believe it, we live it. Peter says in v. 24 that Jesus bore our sins in His body on the tree so that we may cease from sinning (or die to sin) so that we would live in righteousness. Christ saved us through His suffering, not just to get us to heaven, but that we would live for Him in the here and now. And therein is the great divide between our profession of faith and our practice of faith. How many of us are theologically conservative, but practical atheists. Christ suffered so we would live for Him even in the midst of our own suffering.

Conclusion

-And because of Christ’s suffering for us, He is worth every bit of suffering we do for Him.

-That’s what one Nigerian woman believed. She shared her Christian faith with some Nigerian youth, seeking their salvation. It is illegal to speak against Muhammad so she was arrested and brought to the police station. An angry Muslim mob surrounded the station demanding the woman be released to them. The police refused. They threatened to kill the police and burn the place down. The police tried to sneak her out the back door, but the mob had cut off all escape routes. In fear, the officers fled, leaving the woman who was clubbed and beaten to death. And the woman thought Christ was worth the suffering. She believed Paul’s words:

Romans 8:18 NET 2nd ed.

18 For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the coming glory that will be revealed to us.

-I wonder if we believe the same?

-It’s interesting, Peter began this passage by saying slaves ought to be subject to their masters. Suffering does not exempt a slave from serving the master. Jesus is our Master and Lord. The question is, does your life reflect that you are submitted to Him? If not, Christian come to the altar and submit. Or maybe you are suffering, come and find your strength and healing in the God who did not spare His only Son for you.

-But if you have never believed in Jesus, He suffered to save you. Honor His suffering by becoming His servant....