NIV But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 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. “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.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. RECAP Last week Peter told us that following Jesus means enduring suffering that we might not deserve and gave examples of the government, employment, next week the home. He challenges us to do what is right even when we are treated wrongly, and now he gives us the ultimate example of what that looks like: Jesus Christ. In these final verses of chapter 2, Peter shows us Jesus as our example, and how he stepped in as the substitute for our sin, and how he wants to be the Shepherd, the keeper of your soul. Verses 20-21 you will notice vs 21 starts with..To this you were called, to what? Let’s look back to the previous sentence in verse 20, “But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God”. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. God has called us to do good even when doing good results in suffering. We have been called to do good and many times obedience costs us something. That does not mean Christians should seek suffering, tolerate abuse, or refuse to confront evil. Peter's point is that when doing what is right brings difficulty into our lives, and we bear up under such suffering, it is for the Lord that we endure it. A wrong assumption when we do something good, and suffer for it, is thinking I must have misunderstood God. He must not have wanted me to do that. He must not have been in that. We begin to doubt God and doubt his Word, etc. Sometimes you are misunderstood because you told the truth. Perhaps someone is angry because you established a godly boundary. Many times obedience to Jesus costs popularity, comfort, relationships, opportunities, money, energy, time, or approval. Peter says when that happens, look to Jesus. Suffering because you refused to compromise is startling to those whose values come from our culture rather than Jesus. Jesus suffered for us, but Peter says He also left us an example to follow. The Greek word for example.. hypogrammos - carries the idea of a pattern of writing that a student would trace while learning to write. Given to beginners as an aid in learning to write. Think about a child learning to write their letters. We don't hand them a blank piece of paper and say, “Figure out how to make the letter A.” We give them the letter and tell them to trace it. I absolutely remember doing that in Kindergarten. Peter is saying Jesus has already drawn the pattern. When you are mistreated, copy Jesus, trace Him. When someone attacks your character, imitate how he responded. Christianity isn't simply believing certain things about Jesus; it is learning to walk in the footsteps of Jesus' character, and be holy because He is holy. We learn God’s word so we know what to do, so we know how to live as Jesus as our example. If you don’t know him, you can’t imitate him.
