“21 For you were called to this,
because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example,
so that you should follow in His steps.
22 He did not commit sin,
and no deceit was found in His mouth;
23 when He was reviled,
He did not revile in return;
when He was suffering,
He did not threaten
but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly.
24 He Himself bore our sins
in His body on the tree,
so that, having died to sins,
we might live for righteousness;
you have been healed by His wounds.
25 For you were like sheep going astray,
but you have now returned
to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”
1 Peter 2:21-25
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Christ suffered so we should follow. We are not above our Master. What He permitted to happen, and the life He chose to lead for us, we must live as well. It’s not a literal mirroring, we don’t have to all be homeless preachers in Israel. But we do need to be faithful servants of the Word, knowing that we are strangers and aliens here, sharing the Word with our lives. We cannot literally be exactly like Jesus in this life, but we are meant to live and think and do as He would do in any situation.

He is sinless, so we should strive for purity in every aspect imaginable. He refuted temptation with Scripture, so we should have it in our hearts as well to answer the desires of our flesh and the traps of the enemy. He remained pure, and so we should strive for the holiness that He works in us through His Spirit.

He was reviled yet humble. He did not allow His life and attitude to be dictated by the ill will of others. He did not bow to their hate or stoop to their level. So, we who follow should likewise be humble, understanding the heart of our Master and mirroring His efforts when we find ourselves responding to persecution, hate and jealousy.

He knew the timing of Justice, and so He did not need to take any action Himself. Trusting in the Father’s justice means we are free to let Him take action in His timing and in His way. We know He will be just, perfectly so, and that means that retribution is out of our hands. We are free to forgive, free to pray for those who come against us.

He did not threaten, but instead He prayed. For those who came against Him, He showed honesty and pointed hearts toward the truth. Pharisees with legalistic hearts were shown how to have compassion. Cruel Romans were shown forgiveness. Friends who abandoned Him were shown love and acceptance. And we should do likewise.

He was sacrificial. For our sakes, He stepped down from heaven, took on our flesh, knew pain, sorrow, suffering and grief. He was beaten, flogged, and wore a crown of thorns for us. He was humiliated, spat upon, mocked and allowed the three nails to be driven into His flesh for us. All out of love, all out of a desire for us to be reconciled to Him.

He is our healer, and His own words and body serve as the salve that brings it about. He is the balm that soothes wounds, and removes scars. His stripes bind up our open wounds, and His blood quiets our hearts. His life heals. His suffering heals. His death heals. And His resurrection bring us a final healing that will end all pain and suffering.

He is our shepherd & guardian, our guiding light. He cares for us, protects us, provides for us, educates us, instructs us, trains us, gives us purpose, joy and sustains our life. He is our Great Caregiver and the One whose will binds our very being together.

Why should we not suffer for Him who bore the entirety of our being, who cleanses every sin, whose life was a song and a sacrifice? Why should we not live just as He did? Why should we be exempt from the call to GoLove just as He did? He is our Master, our guide, our hearts. In Him, we have every hope.