Easter 4 April 25

Easter 4 April 25, 1999

Living Through Unjust Suffering

1 Peter 2:19-25

            I brought a picture with me today. It probably doesn’t look like a picture to anyone because it’s hidden design. This is what is called an autostereogram? The way to find the picture is to get your eyes to focus just right. After a moment it suddenly appears and you can see the 3-D images in it! What’s the point? Well, doesn’t life sometimes seem to be a confusing picture that makes no sense? The hidden design and purpose of our life is only discovered when our eyes focus on the creator and Lord of life, Jesus Christ. And he can be seen only when the Holy Spirit helps us set our focus just right. The Christian life is hidden with Christ in God. Because this is true, the child of God has a completely different view of life than the world around him sees.

            Let me give you a quick, biblical example. I think most every Sunday school child has heard about Daniel and his life-threatening experience in the lions’ den. What might have been missed is why the king ordered Daniel to be treated in this way. It was out of jealousy that Daniel’s fellow rulers persuaded King Darius to issue a decree forbidding prayers to anyone except the king. Violators would be thrown into the lions’ den. In spite of this, Daniel continued to pray to the Lord God. Finally, Darius, compelled by his own decree, had to carry out the punishment on his friend Daniel. Of course we know that Daniel was saved from harm. But for doing a good thing—praying—he suffered. Sometimes, life just doesn’t make sense until we see it hidden in Jesus Christ.

            Bad Results from Doing Good? Peter says, “if you suffer for doing good … this is commendable before God.” I can’t help but wonder what his words must have sounded like to the Christian slaves he was writing to. Several times in his epistle he states that painful treatment is bound to happen at the hands of just about anyone.

            It just doesn’t seem right, even to us today. It seems only reasonable that being good and doing good should result in blessing and reward. The great historian and story-writer, H. G. Wells complained that Christians were basically selfish, forever looking for God’s favor. They serve him, but not for nothing. Those words sound so similar to the ones used by Satan when referring to a man God called, “blameless and upright; a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). Listen to Satan’s wicked response. “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?” As the story unfolds Satan is permitted to separate the goodness of Job from the prosperity that resulted from it, and that, only to show the Tempter how wrong he was. Can you imagine how confusing life must have seemed to Job when he is told that his servants are dead, his animals stolen or burned, his children killed in a freakish accident, and his own health removed? A contemporary response might well go something like this: “Boy, would I like to get my hands on the sucker who did this!” But Job maintains his focus on God, because God did not allow Satan to touch his soul.

            Sweet Revenge?  To take revenge into our own hands is only natural to our sinful nature. The temptation to lie in wait and plot revenge could hardly be absent when unjustly attacked. Peter knew all about that. The scene in Gethsemane where he drew his sword was all too familiar to him. But Peter also learned from his error. Here, he reminds us of another way. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. … When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate” (2:21, 23).

            Thus Peter introduces the example of Jesus Christ to the mistreated slaves he wrote to. Not only are they called to stifle threats of retaliation, they are to take positive steps in dealing with their tormentors (read 3:9-12).  9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." {[12] Psalm 34:12-16}

            Indeed, there is A Better Way. Remember that “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree." What does this mean? As we step back from the picture for just a moment and set our focus on the cross, the picture of God’s inestimable love begins to appear.

            Jesus went to the cross as a substitute to pay the full price for our sins. It is by his precious blood, and his very life, that we are blessed. By that blood and life we are no longer slaves to sin and the fear of death. That means Satan cannot touch our soul. We are free! (read Heb 2:14-15).  14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-- that is, the devil-- 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. In other words, sin and death no longer have any claim on us, because of who Jesus Christ is and what he has done in the flesh.

            Conclusion:  Having been released from the guilt and burden of sin and all its consequences, we are still living in a world hostile toward God’s people. That makes life look pretty confusing. But, because of the inheritance for which we wait, we will, having been raised with Christ, set our “minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col 3:2). “Since Christ suffered in his body, [we can] arm [ourselves] with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, [we do] not live the rest of [our] earthly [lives] for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God” (4:1-2).  Amen.