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1 Peter 2:19-25
19 For it is commendable if a man
bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20 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. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered
for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22
“He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his
mouth.”
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Pain
is weakness leaving the body. At least
that’s what the marines say. Pain is a
real day to day thing for many of you.
Pain can cripple you. Make you
bitter. Give you perspective on
life. On this 4th Sunday of
Easter we continue our theme of Easter Means No Fear of Pain.
The 4th
Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday.
The picture of a Good Shepherd is one that Jesus himself draws for
us. He calls himself the Good Shepherd. In our Gospel lesson we are one verse short
of those famous words. In our gospel
lesson Jesus contrasts himself with the bad shepherds – the Pharisees, who
didn’t care about the sheep at all.
Before we talk about our Good Shepherd, I want to talk about the sheep.
Peter
is talking to sheep – new sheep who have only known their Good Shepherd for a
short time. These new sheep have had it
pretty rough. 19 For
it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because
he is conscious of God. In school
it’s not easy to be the “idiot” who believes that God created the world. At the water cooler tomorrow it’s fun to talk
about weekend conquests outside of marriage.
The path that your Good Shepherd lays out for you is clear but
rocky. Don’t expect people support
regular church attendance or Bible study.
If this is your lot you are to be commended for your suffering. Peter isn’t saying anything new. Our Good Shepherd wrote in the gospel of
Matthew, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely
say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the
same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Why do
sheep suffer? It may be that all of the
suffering in your life is because you are God’s sheep. Wolves are waiting to rip you from limb to
limb. What if you are one of those sheep
who loves walking on the edge of the cliff?
Do you like to frolic in the stream going ever deeper until it’s too
late? 20 But
how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure
it? Here Peter is talking about the
other side of the coin. People aren’t
picking on you for walking away from a dirty joke – you’re under probation for
showing up late and leaving early! The
boss doesn’t trust you because every other word out of your mouth is a
lie! Now we’re getting into a few
different ways that people suffer.
I want
to tell you a story – and I want to get your reaction. This is difficult because I’m not actually
going to take questions, but it’s a good one as we see how our Good Shepherd
drives away our fear of pain.
There
was a sheep that continued to run away.
First he was caught in a thicket.
His wool was hopelessly hooked into the thorns. He was bloody and easy prey for a passing
wolf. The second time he fell down a
ravine – and it was flash flood season.
The shepherd found him just in time.
After the third time the shepherd took the sheep and broke its leg, not
because he hated the little sheep but because he love him. Now the sheep couldn’t run but as it limped it stayed by the shepherd’s side.
That
story is strong and in many ways very good, but we need
to be careful with how we use it. How do
I feel if my 4-year-old twins take a table knife to the nearest power outlet
over and over again? After the third or
fourth time, might I swat their little finger? The problem is that not all pain
is your fault. Another problem is that
Satan works overtime to convince you that it is your fault.
I want
to take you to the center of out text where Peter writes. 24 He himself bore our sins in
his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;
by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep
going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your
souls. No matter what you think you’ve
done, do you see that you are forgiven. Even clearer is the Apostle Paul in Romans – There
is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. There is no sacrifice for sin left –
says the author to the Hebrews.
That
might leave you in an auqward place. Carry the thought out to it’s
logical end and God can only give you pain for a blessing. You’re left with a few questions. Why might be one of them
21 To this you were called, because
Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his
steps.
22
“He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his
mouth.”
24 He himself bore our sins in his
body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by
his wounds you have been healed.
Peter
is tracing the path for persecution.
Understand that this world is a veil of tear and your Savior knows where
you’ve been. There was an unruly parent at one of my soccer games
yesterday. He wasn’t tased,
but only of the referees explained to me that if you want to have a taser, you need to be tased. Every police officer, security guard, or
deputy has felt the jolt. In the same
way Jesus knows your miserable agony. That means I can go to him when I suffer. He knows what it’s like and he can help
me.
But
that doesn’t answer the question why, does it?
Why is there pain? I have to say
pinch yourself. Do you have flesh? Is it sinful?
Does it lead you astray? Turn on
the news. How is the content? Is there any question that our world is sinful. Read the
Scriptures and you’ll find that your old evil foe is waiting for you – to
pounce and destroy you. He would have
already had he not been beaten back by the Good Shepherd. That is why there is sin.
Why do
I have to suffer through it? Go to your
Good Shepherd. Pray to him, “Please take
this suffering away.” What are the possible answer?
It might be YES! I can’t stand
seeing my sheep suffer. It might be wait or it might be no.
That can be a hard answer. He
doesn’t give us any information. If he
says wait or no he promised to give you the strength to bear up under it or he
might take you home. He might deliver
you not by taking the pain away from you, but by taking you away from the
pain. You will be by his side. Safe, secure and pain free.
This
doesn’t answer the question directly.
How does Easter mean no fear of pain?
25 For you were like sheep going
astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your
souls. On Easter Sunday I told you about how my three
girls were trapped by a bee. The terror
was real. For Emmerson
that terror is still real. Almost every
night – including last night – she’ll reduce herself to a ball of tears because
of bugs. How do you comfort a
four-year-old? You don’t lecture. Threats can work, but there’s a better way. I take her to the window. It’s closed and locked. I remind her that she hasn’t seen a bug in
her room ever. I take every chance to
tell her that she is one hundred times bigger than the bugs. I give her a hug and kiss and she reluctantly
lays down and goes to sleep.
When
you are afraid, go back to the empty tomb and look in. There is a reason that the Easter season of
the church year lasts seven weeks. We
need to go back again and again. We
forget so quickly. The fears keep coming
back. That is how Easter drives away
fears.
I
think that the marines are wrong. I
don’t think that pain is weakness leaving the body. I think that pain is one way God keeps us
close. Pain is one way that God keeps us
safe. Pain is one way that we know that
God loves us – not because he loves to see us suffer, but because it forces us
to trust his promises. There’s nowhere
else to go. If it drives us back to the
cross, it can only be good. Easter means
no fear pain. Amen.