Title: Obey the Master (1 Peter 2:18-25)
Contents
Obey your master (1 Peter 2:18-25)
The first part of 1 Peter 2 teaches about ‘the principle of social life of the saints’ and ‘the duty of the saints to the state’. The text deals with the problem of ‘How should servants live?’ In Roman society at that time, the number of slaves was four times the number of free people, so the slave issue was a social problem and one of the family problems. But Paul's teaching is teaching both the master and the slave at the same time, but Peter is teaching only the slave. In the text, Peter exhorts servants to obey their masters and presents the example as Jesus Christ.
I. obey the master (18)
“Servants, obey your masters in all things with fear, not only to the good and tolerant, but also to the demanding ones.”
The notion at the time was that slaves were not perfect people, and therefore had no moral responsibility. However, in Christianity, slaves were also considered to have moral responsibility because they were perfect and equal.
Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The Bible has chosen the method of inducing the end of slavery, a human rights violation, by re-examining the relationship between master and slave.
The saints should not be afraid of people. When working under other people, believers should not work consciously of people, but work with the fear of God, who sees us through the eyes of a flame. The eye of man deceives and can be avoided, but the eye of God deceives and cannot be avoided. Always, whatever we do, we must do it before God. The reason why servants must obey their master is that the work assigned to them in front of the master is a responsibility given to them, and God judges and pays for all injustice in order to make even a picky servant see my good deeds and repent. When we obey our master, even the unbelieving master sees our good deeds and becomes an opportunity to return to God.
II. It is beautiful to endure unjust suffering (19,20)
“If you suffer unjustly and endure sorrow by thinking of God, it is beautiful. 20 What praise is there if you endure being beaten for a sin? But if you suffer for doing good and endure it, this is beautiful in the sight of God.” .
Some of the owners suffered unjustly because some of them were picky. There are cases in which a person is abused or whipped even though he has fulfilled his duty as a servant. This is unjust suffering. Unjust hardship is a serious problem, especially for servants serving demanding masters. Patience in the midst of injustice is an outstanding virtue that exalts God and encourages patience. After Peter told him to be patient even when he suffered unreasonable suffering, he said that this was God's calling. Peter said that enduring unreasonable suffering is a virtue that God approves and praises, but when it comes to how to endure it, you must endure it by “thinking about God.” Literally translated, this means that we have to endure because we are conscious of God.
What we endure is not unconditional patience. It's not that I don't have the strength to endure it. Because if you are patient, the result will be beautiful. This is because it is an opportunity to receive God's greater grace, God's approval, and praise. Saints! Jesus said, “Blessed are those who endure, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” I hope you will be the ones who possess the beauty of patience.
Ⅲ. Follow in the footsteps of the Lord's suffering (21)
Verse 21 says, “To this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”
As for unjust suffering, no one has suffered unjustly like Jesus Christ. Jesus also suffered unjustified sufferings for our own sake, so we, who suffer unjustly, must imitate Him as followers of Jesus. “He left you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” Jesus Christ left the footprints of suffering, and we are the ones who follow them. When it comes to suffering unjustly, there is nothing worse than Jesus. Then how did you suffer unjustly? (23)
Jesus was conscious of God and endured. Jesus entrusted the punishment of his persecutors to God who judges righteously. When Jesus was suffering, Peter struck Malchus' ear with a sword. At this time, I received a warning from the Lord.
“He who takes the sword will perish by the sword. Put the sword back into the house.” But when Peter suffered, he realized the life of the Lord who did not take revenge. When the other person harms or attacks us, it is a common reaction to fight back together, but let's not fight the fight for revenge, but let God entrust our fight to God. Let's entrust God to take revenge on us. It is difficult to endure unjust suffering without revenge or threats. However, I hope that we can live like our Lord. The suffering suffered by the Lord was not because of his own sin, but rather a substitutionary suffering.
The purpose of Jesus' suffering on the cross was "that we might die to sin and live to righteousness".
The Apostle Paul said that we are dead to sin. We are dead to sin because Jesus bore our sins on the cross. We, as dead to sin, are to be unresponsive when temptation comes.
We must not be led by the temptations of sin. We who are dead to sin are those who live to righteousness.
There are many people who are suffering even today, I hope you will be comforted by these words. Even though we suffer like the outcasts, Jesus cares for us, feeds us, and protects us in our suffering. Jesus was loved by God and did the will of God, but He suffered unjustly. He showed us the model of suffering even though we live right according to God's will. Even though he suffered unjustly, he did not take revenge or threaten, and he left the judgment entirely to God. Saints! There are big and small hardships on our road ahead. When we suffer, let us not doubt the existence of God. Knowing that our Lord also suffered silently, we pray that we will become saints recognized and praised by God by following the path of suffering that the Lord has gone through.