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. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
“ 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.
Dear Girls,
Many of the early believers were servants...we are all, however, servants/employees of someone and ultimately if you are a believer...a servant of the Lord Himself. That is the emphasis here. Our demeanor in this world reflects on our Father in Heaven. Our testimony as a Christian should be above reproach. All we do should be to please Him. We should submit to our employers or masters whether they are considerate or harsh, for in so doing we may win some of them to Christ. (See Matthew 5:46, Luke 6:32-36, Ephesians 6:5-9)
Peter is teaching Isaiah 53 here. In our flesh we respond to offenses against us by surprise surprise...getting offended. Jesus taught and commanded something so different. The beautiful thing about Jesus is that He just didn't tell us what to do or what not to do...He demonstrated it to us by His example. He showed us the way. That is why He said in John..."I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me. It is all about Him. If you want to know how to behave in a way that glorifies your Father in Heaven, in the many different situations you will find yourself confronted with in this life, look to Jesus'. Whatever you might be facing, He has left you an example to follow. I loved what the Believer's Bible Commentary said about the meaning of the word example in verse 21.
"The word used here for example carries the idea of a copybook that contains flawless penmanship. The pupil seeks to reproduce the original as closely as possible. When he copies the model carefully, his writing is quite good. But the further he moves away from it, the more the copy worsens. Our safety is in staying close to the Original."
God is kind to the unthankful and the evil. He blesses people who don't deserve it, (me) and He pours out His kindness on all. This is the kind of love that God wants us to demonstrate to the people around us. SIGH! He wants us to be so conscious of our relationship with Him that we endure wrongdoing and pain without fighting back. He wants us to step out of the way and allow Him to deal with all that comes our way. The battle is truly His. Suffering patiently for doing good is so unnatural, so supernatural, that it shocks people into conviction of sin and, hopefully, into salvation.
We cannot do this unless the God of the Universe dwells in our hearts...it is when we surrender our will to His that this kind of love even becomes possible. When we do surrender, however, what a testimony we are. So unlike the people of the world around us.
Isaiah 53:10-11 "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities."
Isaiah tells us it pleased the Lord to bruise Him and put Him to grief. He made His soul an offering for sin. Why? He "saw His seed." He saw all those who would be saved because of His selfless act. He was not thinking of Himself, He was thinking of us...knowing He was purchasing our redemption...knowing we could now spend eternity with Him. He saw the labor of His soul (me and you!) and was satisfied. Jesus looked ahead and saw the prize. He looked beyond the great sorrow and suffering of the moment and saw His seed and was satisfied. This is the life He calls us to....the life of looking beyond the offense, beyond the suffering and loving others sacrificially. Love always has an effect. It never fails. Look ahead and see the impact you could have for Christ...the pleasure of the Lord prospering in your life as you obey Him. It is not about us...all we do is for Him...for His glory. Commit yourself as Jesus did, to Him who judges righteously.
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.--Romans 5:6-10
Love
Mom
