4th Sabbath in Easter
April 11/13, 2008
Victor H. Nixon
FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST
1 Peter 2:19-25
Sermon Series: Living Stones
This is the second sermon in the series on the church entitled "Living Stones," a descriptive title that 1 Peter applies to the church (2:5). Last week we looked at the church as a community of genuine mutual love. Today, we learn from Peter that we are called to follow the example of Christ.
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I can’t imagine what possessed me to select 1 Peter 2:19-25 as the basis for this sermon, other than it is the epistle reading for the 4th Sabbath in Easter in the Common Lectionary. I could have chosen the gospel reading for this day, John 10, about Jesus the Good Shepherd, a wonderful story I’ve preached on many times, so figured I should use another text. The same is true of the Psalter for this day—the beloved Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want"—no greater text. And there’s an exciting passage from Acts 2 listed for today. Why not Acts? I prefer to believe it was the work of the Holy Spirit, not just my stupidity, which led me to select 1 Peter as the basis for my sermon!
To say that this is a difficult text is like saying that Mt. Everest is a hard hike. The first thing one notices, if you happen to have read along in your Bible rather than the text in the Order of Worship, is that the passage really begins at verse 18 rather than verse 19 in chapter 2. The designers of the lectionary left off the first verse of the passage, probably because it is a troublesome verse that could raise more questions than one sermon could possibly answer—and they were right! Listen: "Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh."(2:18)
That single verse has been used to justify slavery across the centuries, particularly in this country prior to and during the Civil War. It was wrongly interpreted to mean that slave masters and racists who mistreated slaves six days a week could go to church on Sunday confident that they were doing God’s will and that Holy Scripture endorsed the institution of slavery. Not so. Peter does assume the existence of slavery and advises Christian slaves to accept their suffering even when they are beaten and abused unjustly. The verse must be included because it relates to the meaning of the passage. Do you see why I think this is a tough text? Could there possibly be any good news here for us?
Yes! The first piece of good news is that, even though it assumes the institution of slavery, the Bible does not advocate enslaving human beings. For Peter, it’s part of the culture and it’s announced matter-of-factly, like the evening news announces the latest episode of violence or children used as sex slaves by fringe religious groups. Though referred to openly, Peter does not support enslavement of people. It recognized that slavery existed, that a number of Christians were slaves, and speaks the good news of Christ to those who suffer humiliation and injustice.
I find it very interesting that slaves are the first group that Peter addresses in the epistle—not free men and women, not business and professional groups, not families and friends, but slaves. The second group is wives, who were little more than cattle in the culture of the time, one step above slaves.(3:1-6) The first two groups addressed by Peter are culturally, socially and economically depressed Christians. It says something about the priority of Peter, doesn’t it? And about the priorities for followers of Jesus who reminded his disciples past and present that the greatest among us is a slave.(Matt. 20:27) It is often translated "servant" but the word doulos really means "slave." For Jesus the first priority was the least among us, as it was for Peter. It seems that Peter has something to tell the modern church about priorities.
Many today are enslaved and suffering. A friend whose mother died said to me, "Now I suppose I can write my book because I know about suffering." These past few weeks we have witnessed the horrible suffering of those whose homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by tornadoes and now by flooding, some for the second time within a month. Our hearts go out to them. Daily we witness the suffering of friends and families from disease, accidents and death. We watch people die in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Little Rock from violence.
We experience mental anguish as marriages and families dissolve in divorce. There are those who suffer from chronic abuse—verbal, emotional and physical—as well as those who suffer from being different and, therefore, suspicious and second-class. Millions are captive to poverty with little hope of breaking out. The pain of alienation, separation, and exclusion are all around us. Suffering touches us deeply, with more intensity than words can describe. Imagine what this letter from Peter meant to early Christians caught in slavery and suffering!
God was with Christian slaves in the early church who suffered because they did what was right. Peter speaks about suffering caused by concern for holding on to principle and right practice. "For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly."(1:19) Punished unjustly by cruel masters, they suffered because they did the right thing. They learned from Jesus that one’s behavior should not be determined by the actions of another toward them, but to love them even if they were enemies.
What do you do, when your boss is a jerk, cruel or uncaring, and you need your job because you have a family and a mortgage? What do you do, when your employer or your company, is involved in ethically questionable practices that may cause suffering for others—and blowing the whistle could destroy your career and your kids’ chances for college?
Peter does not address suffering that is a consequence of sinfulness or lawlessness. Peter addresses suffering that is a consequence of moral and correct action, that is, unjust suffering. Peter speaks to doing right even if suffering is the result, just as Jesus did. Another word to the church from Peter.
An engineer I know about lost his job because of corporate downsizing. Since his performance assessments were very good, the company found him a similar position at the same salary with another company. He refused the job because of unethical business practices in the company. He remained unemployed for several months while his family savings were depleted and standard of living deteriorated.
Although his suffering was not physical or life-threatening, and fairly minimal when compared to the suffering of slaves at the hands of harsh masters, it was nonetheless very real. It was suffering resulting from doing what was right because he was a Christian. The words of 1 Peter speak to him, bring comfort in knowing that God approves of his action.
How our world and our society need people who will do right regardless of consequences, who will stand for Christian principles in the face of peer pressure and threats, who will refuse to participate when honor or honesty or injustice is at stake, whose loyalty and friendship cannot be bought or coerced, whose faith in God comes before finances. Suffering that results from doing right is looked upon with favor by God, says Peter.
We learn about such suffering from Jesus, our example, who was held captive, endured humiliation and torture, suffered and died without so much as uttering a harsh word to his captors. Indeed, he prayed for their forgiveness. Jesus did not treat others as he was treated; he loved them instead.
Peter looks all of us straight in the face and says, "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps."(2:21) Following in the steps of Jesus. That’s the calling of the church.
I must have first read Charles Sheldon’s powerful little book, In His Steps, which takes its title from our text, probably in college. I hadn’t thought about the book in years. Then last Christmas Rev. Vaughan gave each member of the staff a copy. The book was written in 1896, and read by the author, one chapter at a time, to his Sunday evening congregation at Central Congregational Church, in Topeka, Kansas. It was later published as a serial in the newspaper where it received an enthusiastic response and then later published in book form. It has been reprinted many, many times across the years and has been labeled as the 10th most-read book of all times.
It is an interesting story about a church that decides to ask the question, "What would Jesus do?" before each and every decision. For some, following Christ’s example brought great joy. For others, it caused conflict and suffering. The church discovered that following in the steps of Jesus was a great challenge.
It always has been, for Peter and for the first century church, just as it is for the church of the 21st century. God’s grace is free, but it can also be costly. We follow in the steps of Christ because he is our Savior, because he is our hope when we are held captive, because he reminds us to make the least and lost our priority, and to serve as his examples by doing what is right and good, regardless of what others may do.
On a hunting trip with my Dad I once became lost in the woods with no idea how to get back to our vehicle or to locate him. I called and called. No answer. Feeling panic, I decided to move. After walking a short distance, I found fresh footsteps along a streambed and followed them, hoping that they were made by Dad. I walked for what seemed like a very long time, though I’m sure it wasn’t. Then, a familiar voice startled me, "Where are you going?" Greatly relieved, I replied, "I’m following you." When you follow in Jesus’ steps, you’ll always be going in the right direction and you won’t have to worry about being lost.
Thanks be to God. Amen.