Read: 1 Peter 2:18-25
Because Christ also suffered for you . . . (v. 21)
Most of us can, if we are treated unjustly at work, look for another job, or, in the case of grave injustice, seek recourse from the courts. This is a luxury many people in our world do not experience. And almost everyone in Peter’s world could identify with injustice in their day-to-day life, with up to a third of the population living in some form of servitude or slavery. Many of the early believers came from this group.
How can believers endure when they suffer personal injustices? The question is just as relevant for us. We may not be “servants” in the sense of verse 18, but we know personal injustices from co-workers who treat us poorly, cliques at school that exclude, online conversations that turn argumentative against us, and the like. Just reading this might trigger a memory of personal injustice you experienced.
In a world that seeks immediate recourse, 1 Peter 2 points to a higher calling. Jesus suffered the ultimate injustice (crucifixion) despite the ultimate good (sinlessness). He also suffered very personal “reviling” (v. 23) when the elders accused him, the guards pressed thorns on his brow, and passersby insulted him on the cross. He did not revile or seek recourse. Rather, “he himself bore our sins in his body” (v. 24). Christ’s suffering the gravest of injustices grants us courage to endure the personal injustices of everyday life. And such endurance is “a gracious thing in the sight of God” (v. 20). —Jon Opgenorth
As you pray, ask God to grant you grace to endure.
About the Author
Rev. Jon Opgenorth serves as president of Words of Hope. Previously, he served for 18 years as senior pastor at Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa. In preparation for ministry, he received a BA in Religion from Northwestern College, and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary.
