It was building up, but on Saturday I literally lost my mind (you may replace “mind” for any colorful metaphor you choose!) with a certain department head I work with…
At that time, in that place, I believed I was completely justified… however, reading 1 Peter 2:18-25, I realized I am more like Peter’s “sheep” that continually wanders away…
There is very little in the modern western workplace that resembles the lives of the first century Christians that Peter is writing to in 1 Peter. We have all sorts of avenues to make our work life “fair” and for some reason we think we can demand that we are treated fairly. Yes we can demand, and maybe something changes… the followers of Christ in Peter’s day could also demand… and then probably die.
But regardless, Peter gives a different perspective that is still relevant for me today:
It is not the outside justice that makes a difference, but the inside perspective that governs your day.
1 Peter 2:19
“You find God’s favor by deciding to please God even when you endure hardships because of unjust suffering”
We find peace when we look for God.
When we look for justice, when we look for retaliation, when we think about our earthly response in the next meeting to put someone in their place… thats when we find anger, and dispair, and frustration, and hate… but no peace. Definitely no love. And very little joy. Hope? Haven’t seen her at work today.
In the previous section, Peter asks us to “recognize the value of EVERY person” (verse 7) and now he tells us to submit to authority. The greek word Peter used there was hupotasso which literally means not just to be under, but also to uphold and support.
See the value AND uphold who God has put in place for that season… or do you, Sean, want to tell God He made a mistake?
You can… but the Peter reminds me that we have those little rubber armbands and t-shirts with WWJD? What would Jesus do?
Well… bugger.
It’s more a case of What Would Jesus NOT Do….
He didn’t sin, and He didn’t speak deceitfully. Nothing was blown up a bit to make it seem worse, and He never pushed His own self-importance. When He was verbally abused, He did not return with an insult, when He suffered, He would not threaten retaliation– What He did do was to love, to care, to help, to heal – body, soul and emotions – “Our instant healing flowed from His wounding” (v24)
I think the lesson to learn for me is not in what Jesus didn’t do, but in what He actually did.
“Jesus faithfully entrusted himself into the hands of God…“
As I worked through this last part of 1 Peter 2, and verse after verse I recognize every action I did wrong, and every thought I need to repent for and for every word spoken in anger I need to ask forgiveness for… after the realization, it is a soft speaking voice in my head that speaks the very last verse:
“…but now you have returned to the true shepherd of your lives – the kind Guardian who lovingly watches over your souls…”
