Suffer

                Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

 “He committed no sin,
    and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

 

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (I Peter 2:18-25)

Continuing in the same vein as yesterday’s blog, not only are we to obey when leadership is good, but also when leadership is bad. If we suffer, it’s not to be because we’ve done wrong. Putting that another way, if we suffer because we’ve done something wrong, we should rejoice at the opportunity to learn from our mistakes. That’s not to say we’re to rejoice in the punishment. But if we suffer because we’re following what Scripture teaches, then we’re accomplishing something worthy.

I don’t know why I think in terms of football. I haven’t watched it in years but think of football. If a player breaks the rules, the whole team is penalized, and the player may be further punished by the coach. A lineman who gets slammed ten times in a game and keeps the other team from reaching the quarterback, or blocks the guy trying to intercept the football or tackle the receiver is likely to walk away from the game bruised, but he shares in the victory.

So how are we to deal with these things? We’re to follow Jesus’ example. When He was attacked, He didn’t strike people with lightning, or blindness, or any other plague. He did challenge the folks who attacked him. He told them they were doing wrong, and there were times that He slipped away. But He didn’t place Himself above the law.

What does that man for us? Among other things, it means we don’t get to pull out an arsenal and show the folks who’ve been protesting over the past four years what a war really looks like. It means being willing to be crucified if such must be so – without seeking our own glory.