In the recent days we covered living free, doing good, and doing so for the Lord’s sake. I have a feeling that keeping those things in mind will be important as we approach today’s set of verses. I want to really try (like I did when I first started these studies) to take on this whole passage in one go. We are called to suffer.
19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1 Peter 2:19-25
Called to suffer
I know I regularly dice up passages of scripture into key points. But, however I come at these verses, I keep having the same realization. I could break this into suffering unjustly, mindful of God, endure, called (but we’ve already covered our election in Called), imitating Christ, sheep. But, I think we might have to do this one as a whole. It seems we can sum it with called to suffer. Let’s get to it!
A gracious thing
Peter tells us being called to suffer is a gracious thing. What can that mean? Gracious means that it is an undeserved gift. How can our suffering be a gift? Well, we know God puts suffering in our paths, along with other blessings, in order to sanctify us. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
Mindful of God
But, we see a few conditional statements in Peter’s words. Here’s the first. Peter says suffering is a gracious thing when we are mindful of God. This is probably the most fundamental of Peter’s conditional statements. One must recognize the sovereignty of God at all times. However, how important is it to acknowledge God’s sovereignty in our suffering! Let’s go back to Job.
13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Job 1:13-22
The right response to suffering is worship
We can both admit that Job could rightly claim to experience suffering, yes? In a single day he lost his first his possessions, and then his children and, very likely, his grandchildren. Generations destroyed in a day. Job’s reaction? Clearly, he was devastated. But, he did not curse God, or bemoan his life, or ask “Why God? WHY?!” Instead he acknowledged God’s sovereignty and worshiped.
I am not sure if you have children of your own. We have four. If I heard today that they had all died, I can promise you I would be suffering. I am not sure that I could follow Job’s sinless example. But, I pray that I be sanctified such that, like Job, my first reaction would be to recognize God’s control of all things, and to worship Him. That is truly being mindful of God.
God is sovereign, regardless of our acknowledgement
I hear someone saying, “Yes, but Job’s disaster came upon him from Satan, not from God.” I would argue that Satan was only allowed to work these evils against Job because God gave him permission. But, if you need proof that God is in control of both good events and calamitous events in our lives, the Bible will back me up. Briefly, though, let’s ensure we are in agreement that God is sovereign of all of life, and He is so regardless of our acknowledgement.
37 Who has spoken and it came to pass,
Lamentations 3:37–39
unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that good and bad come?
39 Why should a living man complain,
a man, about the punishment of his sins?
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I name you, though you do not know me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and create calamity;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.8 “Shower, O heavens, from above,
and let the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
let the earth cause them both to sprout;
I the Lord have created it.9 “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
Isaiah 45:4-10
a pot among earthen pots!
Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
or ‘Your work has no handles’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’
or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”
Whether you recognize God’s sovereignty or not has no bearing on the fact of His sovereignty. God is not sovereign over his elect only, leaving the rest of mankind to do as they wish. God is sovereign over everything, every one, and over all of creation.
Preparation, recognizing God’s sovereignty at all times
Now Job’s example is one of being mindful of God while suffering a catastrophe after it happens. But, we must not think we can go through life ignoring God’s sovereignty while things are good or “normal.” If we do – if we neglect to honor God and acknowledge His will at work in our lives when we are not suffering – we will nowise be prepared to see His hand at work in life’s calamities. Where can we look for an examples of acknowledging God’s sovereignty in our day to day lives, regardless of our situation?
We know from our studies in James, that the apostle wrote to us about this topic. For James, he considered it boasting even to announce plans for tomorrow without recognizing those plans were subject to God’s will.
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
James 4:13-16
And James was not ginning up new truths for the faithful. King Solomon said much the same thing multiple times in Proverbs. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand (Proverbs 19:21). The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord (Proverbs 16:33). The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps (Proverbs 16:9).
We should recognize God’s sovereignty over all things at all times. This fact should lead us to worship. If we were to continually acknowledge God’s supremacy and authority over all and in every situation, we would be continually brought into a state of worship. And, I think we would be much more likely to respond by worshiping God even when we are called to suffer.
Christ’s example
Christ is, as always, our perfect example. In the Garden of Gethsemane, before he suffered the physical pain that he knew was coming, he demonstrated this principle.
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
Matthew 26:36-42
Joy in suffering, but not mania
Jesus knew he was called to suffer. It was the culmination (prior to the resurrection) of his mission on earth. You will notice that he was not skipping and clapping and yelling, “Heck yeah! Time to get my suffering on!” Matthew writes that Christ was “sorrowful, even to death.” We studied this before in our study on James 1 as well as on 1 Peter 1. Here are the verses:
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:6-7
If you would like to look back to those studies, they are Steadfastness and Rejoice! In both studies we saw that Christians are called to have joy, even as they are called to suffer. Also, in both studies we saw that this in no way means that Christians must feel no sadness or sorrow. Instead, Christians can find joy even in their sorrow because they know that (again, Romans 8:28) God is working all things, including – even especially, their suffering for their own sanctification.
Looking at Christ’s prayer
Likewise, Christ in the garden was sorrowful. His sorrow was immense. Nevertheless he turned to God in worship and acknowledged God’s sovereignty. He prayed to God. The first time he prayed, “if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And, the next, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
What did Christ believe?
I hope you see something marvelous here. Earlier in Matthew, Jesus had explained to his disciples how difficult it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. How difficult was it? “…“Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:23-24). Jesus obviously had a sense of humor. But, basically he is saying it is impossible. But, the disciples were really confused by this. They asked, “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:25). And, Jesus answers, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26).
An overlooked marvel
I write all this to say, we must not think that Christ prayed empty words to God. Christ was called to suffer. His response was to go to God and worship. He acknowledged God as sovereign. He prayed, as I think we almost exclusively remember, “Not my will, but yours be done.” And, I know this is a wonderful representation of everything we have been discussing. The perfect representation, even. But, I don’t want us to miss the fact that Jesus prayed to be released from the suffering he was currently experiencing and the suffering to come. Jesus did not, in that hour of prayer, desire to have to go through with the torture and death that he knew awaited him. He asked God to consider doing things another way.
I think we have to remember that Jesus has already told us that with God all things are possible. Therefore, I believe Jesus was not just praying a self-pitying prayer in the garden. Rather, I believe Christ knew God could have set in motion some other plan. God, as we know, did not. And, Christ, though he longed in that moment for another path to the redemption of mankind – a path that would not have required the pain and shame of the cross – did not elevate his own will over that of the Father’s. “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
Praying like Christ
All of this to say we will all be called to suffer at some point in our Christian walk. Our reaction should first be to recognize that this is the cup God has ordained for us. Next, we should go to God in worship, acknowledging His perfect sovereign will in our suffering. While we should and must retain the joy that comes from recognizing God is using our circumstance to conform us ever more into the image of Christ, we are not obligated to ask for more suffering. Christ did not pray, “Thank you for the suffering, and could you please make it worse.” He prayed that the cup be taken from him. And, I believe we too, just as we are told to pray for the sick (James 5:14-15), can and should pray for an end to our suffering. We have the perfect example in our Lord.
And what of joy?
And, we know, despite the sorrow experienced in Gethsemane, Christ retained his joy. He knew there was a kingdom to be won on the other side of the cross. And, he knew he was doing the Father’s will.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Finally, we know that like Christ we will be called to suffer. We know that we can rightly respond to suffering in prayer. This prayer is one of worship, recognizing God’s good work in us and His perfect will for us. We may rightly, I believe, beg God to remove our suffering. Regardless of God’s response, and despite the pain and sorrow borne from suffering, we retain joy. This joy, as Peter wrote in chapter one, comes from knowing we have a living hope.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5
Those called to suffer have a living hope
There is triumph on the other side of suffering. We will all be called to suffering. Will it be a suffering unto death, like Christ? Probably not for many (if anyone) who reads this study (if anyone actually reads this study!) But that hardly matters. How we respond to any suffering, regardless its magnitude, is what matters.
I pray that you and I will recognize God’s sovereignty in all things. That we might respond in worship and acknowledgement of His good and perfect will whether in a time of ease and plenty, or when we are called to suffer. Let us remember the picture of our Lord in the garden, and pray for relief, but not demand it. And, let us cling to our great joy. Let us remember that we have a living hope in Christ.
