READ: 1 Peter 2:21-24
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

REFLECT
In reflecting on Mark 14:43 - 65, Jesus’ arrest and trial before the Sanhedrin, I couldn’t help but think of these verses. Jesus certainly was innocent: He committed “no sin.” And those Jewish religious leaders certainly falsely accused of Jesus, yet, Jesus “did not retaliate.” Instead, he “entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” I take great comfort from this passage that whenever we are suffering truly “in Jesus’ Name”,when we have not done anything wrong and we are being persecuted for righteousness, we can trust the one who judges justly. We need not take revenge. We can, as Paul says in Romans, “leave room for God‘s wrath” and trust as the Psalmist prays for God to be our vindicator.

But pastorally, I am uncomfortable with these verses unless I give a few caveats along with them. Over my years of pastoral ministry, I’ve seen many people subject themselves to all kinds of awful things in the name of “following Christ’s example.” Whether it was the woman being beaten by her husband who felt she needed to stay in the marriage in obedience to Christ, or the missionary who haphazardly stayed in a dangerous situation despite the better judgment of those on the ground, both were citing Jesus’ example and these verses as their guide. And while I fully agree Jesus is always our example in life, there are a couple of things we need to remember when weighing these difficult decisions.

First, Jesus had confirmation time and time again through the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit that this was indeed what he was to do. In fact, in the garden, he resisted this plan. He was not a masochist. If we are going to stay in a difficult situation and suffer, it had better be very clear in scripture and by the Holy Spirit that that is what God wants. Second, Jesus endured this suffering because he was and is the Messiah. He had to suffer in this way in order to fill his role. But the role of Messiah has already been taken by one far more able than us. So while we can follow his example, we should not be so arrogant as to believe suffering in these ways is always necessary. Jesus’ purpose could not have been fulfilled without walking in this way. So while we can take comfort in the one who is over all, let us use caution in assuming a martyr or Messiah complex. Our Messiah has already come...Thanks be to God.

RESPOND

1. What are some examples of people who might be mis-applying these verses in unhealthy ways?
2. What are some occasions in which you do think we can entrust ourselves to the one who judges justly and comfort in the fact that He will be our Vindicator?