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Peter 2:21-25 21Indeed,
you were called to do this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you
an example so that you would follow in his steps. 22He did not commit a sin, and no
deceit was found in his mouth. 23When he was insulted, he did not insult in return. When he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who
judges justly. 24He himself
carried our sins in his body on the tree so that we would be dead to sins and
alive to righteousness. By his wounds
you were healed. 25For
you were like sheep going astray, but you are now returned to the Shepherd and
Overseer of your souls. (EHV)
Follow your Good Shepherd.
Dear fellow redeemed,
Imagine
a shepherd leading his flock toward home through the wilderness. Imagine the harsh conditions that are part
and parcel of a barren land. Imagine the
dangers that are all around from wolves, lions, hyenas, or bears, all hoping to
pick off any stragglers or weak sheep for their dinner. Feel the burning sun as drought consumes the
grass, then see also the sudden storms that rain down bolts of lightning and
chunks of ice, and torrents of water flooding down the mountainside.
Now, put yourself in
the midst of the flock. What should you
and the sheep do when the storms rage on the mountain, or predators threaten
nearby? Do you follow the shepherd when
the grass is gone, and the rocky ground underfoot feels like shards of broken
glass? When roaring lions approach and
the wolves come snarling, do you draw closer to the shepherd, or should the
sheep go their own way? If the shepherd
must cross a raging stream, do you ford the waters with him, or wait with a
frantic flock for the jaws of death to consume you?
Sometimes, it’s hard
to see ourselves in the pictures of the Bible, but often, that is the best way
to understand fully what the Lord is telling us. Peter was writing to Christian believers
under attack from the world. Many of
them were poor, or outcasts, or slaves of pagan masters. All of them, like us, had once been lost in
the wilderness of the world, wandering without a shepherd, but then, the Holy
Spirit found and rescued them through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament, and the
Good Shepherd was now leading them toward home.
So, see yourself in the picture and Follow your Good Shepherd.
As one who knew the
shame of deserting his Savior when the battle got hot, Peter wrote to people
under attack, “Indeed, you were called to
do this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that
you would follow in his steps.” What
are Christians called to do? We are
called to follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus. We are to live like Him, because He lived for
us. And, we are to do this no matter
what opposition we might face, no matter the cruelty of the world, regardless
of the difficulty we may experience, or any persecution from our neighbors we
might have to endure. We are called to
follow Jesus’ example through thick and thin.
Now, Peter didn’t
write this to teach anyone how to be saved, but rather to describe for us what
Jesus meant when He told His followers, “In
this world you will have trouble. But
take heart! I have overcome the
world." (John 16:33 NIV 84)
Jesus didn’t live for us to make this world a perfect home. Instead, Jesus lived, died, and rose again so
that He could return us to the paradise He had left behind in order to redeem
us, and we should view our lives here in just that way.
Having been freed by
Christ from the devil’s control, and made holy in the sight of God, we should
live as Jesus lived. No, that doesn’t
mean that we have to be sacrificed on a cross, but if the world should threaten
such a fate, we should continue on the road with our Savior. And even though slander seems to be a favored
tool of our enemies, like Jesus, we must speak truth with all the loving
kindness we can muster. When insulted,
we are wise to hold our tongues and pray for our enemies.
We know that before
his denials of his Savior, Peter observed part of Jesus’ trial. Here, he reports, “[Jesus] did not commit a sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” Jesus stood before the priests and leaders of
Israel with no fault on His record.
Though countless witnesses were lined up to testify against Jesus, no
two could verify any misstep. Jesus was
truly faultless His whole life, but He stood there before that kangaroo court,
refusing to speak a word in His own defense.
Jesus knew He was innocent. The
Father in heaven knew Jesus was innocent.
The sin was all in the world, in every person of the world, and Jesus
stood there defenseless knowing full well that He would pay the price.
Jesus stood there
because of love. He loved us so
completely that He was willing to carry our sins, to pay our debt of sin to
God, even to suffer the torment of hell on our behalf. When it comes right down to it, that is what
is asked of us for the benefit of our neighbors too. Not that we can redeem them, but that we be
willing to reflect the holiness of Jesus onto those around us, so that they too
might learn of the love that saved us and receive that same forgiveness and joy
that motivates Jesus’ whole flock.
Peter wrote, “When he was insulted, he did not insult in
return. When he suffered, he made no
threats. Instead, he entrusted himself
to him who judges justly.” Jesus
trusted His Father in heaven. His faith
in the Father was the source of hope for Jesus, His source of strength to live
for us, the root of His determination to die in payment for our guilt, and why
He gladly put up with the unfairness of the treatment He received from the
sinners He came to save.
Solely because of His
pure love for His flock, our Good Shepherd stood between us and the devil—between
us and certain death, and gave up His life to defeat that murderous thief. Jesus willingly laid down His innocent life in
the battle for our souls. And the fight
that put Jesus in the grave for three days, ultimately put Satan in chains
forever.
Peter makes the
interesting comment that “He himself
carried our sins in his body on the tree so that we would be dead to sins and
alive to righteousness. By his wounds
you were healed.” St. Paul wrote
likewise: “Or don't you know that all of
us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through
baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans
6:3-4 NIV 84)
Jesus’ purpose in
everything He did was to make you holy before God in heaven. The sin that once inflicted and polluted our
souls has been removed by Christ’s perfect life and sacrifice. The slavery that had controlled us has been
lifted. Granted, we still walk in this
world with the fears and weaknesses of our old sinful nature. Thus, we must always struggle against our old
selves, in whatever trials we face, until that day we are welcomed into our
eternal home in heaven.
To
live like Jesus while we are still sinners, we have to rely on Him for
leadership, for power and ability, for protection from the forces of evil, and even
for the strength to keep following in His footsteps. If anything should separate us from the
loving care of our Shepherd, we would again be lost in a wilderness of pain.
Dear friends, you
have been called to Follow your Good
Shepherd. God didn’t call you to win
freedom on your own. Rather, He called
you to use the freedom Christ gave you for the good of His kingdom. What that means is that we are to be shining
beacons of light and hope in a troubled world.
Though we currently live
in a relatively peaceful setting in this rural area, you can count on having to
fight against the dark forces that so want to recapture you in the devil’s
schemes. Every day, we hear more and
more of Christians being persecuted for their faith. We see people living with no regard to the
will of God for morality. In fact, there
seems to be a defiant rejection of everything God has deigned to call
good. The enemies of light are putting
out ever more dishonest messages of how people should live. In our own times, the murder of the innocent
is acceptable to society. Slandering those
who follow Jesus has become a national pastime.
Through it all, your Savior continues to call you to His light.
Dear
friends, resist the temptations to sin. Following
your Savior, persevere through all the troubles and trials of life in this
wasteland of sorrow knowing that you have a home in heaven bought and paid for
by the blood of God’s Lamb. Pray for all
people, even for those who hate you and want to hurt or destroy you. Because, like me and everyone else who has
ever been drawn to Jesus, “you were like
sheep going astray, but you are now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of
your souls.” The point is, you have
been returned to the flock of the Good Shepherd. Jesus gave His life on the cross so that you
could live for Him, and especially, so that you will live with Him forever in
heaven. Follow your Good Shepherd.
Amen.
The peace of God
which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto
life everlasting. Amen.
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