The Suffering Servant

Sermon Transcript:

(transcribed with AI)

Promontory Community Church exists to make disciples of Jesus who know, live, and share the gospel for the glory of God.

Well, good morning everyone. It is good to be here with you all. If you have a Bible with you, let me invite you to open to the book of First Peter. We're going to be in 1 Peter chapter 2 as we continue on the series walking through this book. And as you find your way there, I need to start with this question: Does the Bible support slavery?

We're going to be looking at a passage this morning that is going to talk about slavery, and one of the very common objections or even accusations against the Bible, against Christianity more generally, is that people will say, yeah, but the Bible supports slavery, therefore it's bad. You shouldn't follow that because look, it's so outdated, it's got all kinds of things wrong. So the question is, does the Bible actually support slavery?

If you're familiar with what went on down in the south in the United States, they would often look at the Bible and say, look, here it proves that slavery is not only OK, but even good. One of the very common lines of reasoning that they used was they looked at Abraham. If you're familiar with Abraham in the Old Testament, well, Abraham had slaves, they say, and so, look, God blessed him, therefore God is blessing slavery. Now, the logic of that doesn't actually work, because God will be very clear — just because he can bless someone doesn't mean he's approving of what they are doing.

God says, I'll send rain on the just and the unjust.

In fact, God can bless all kinds of people. But even more than that, the opponents of slavery down in the south started to poke some holes in that logic. They said, look, it's true Abraham did have these slaves, but are you sure that it's the same thing as what you are doing? Because if you look at how Abraham actually treats those who work for him, it's a very different picture than the picture of slavery in the south. In fact, Abraham trusted his servants very much — so much so that he was willing to arm them and say, will you go with me into battle? He trusted they weren't just going to stab him literally in the back. In the South, that was unheard of and very vehemently opposed. Abraham trusted his servants to do all manner of things that were never approved of.

And so more and more what you need to recognize, even in that just comparison, is that actually the historical context of what slavery looked like is not the same as what we are familiar with. The slavery that went on in the States was very much racially motivated, based on kidnapping — literally taking people from their homes and enforcing them to work in brutal conditions for their entire life.

In fact, even if you look at what existed in the 1st century — we're going to look at the book of First Peter, and Peter is writing in the Roman Empire — 1st century Roman Empire, where slavery was a very common thing. By some estimates, about 25% of the entire population was in some form of slavery. And probably one of the biggest differences that was going on at the time is that slavery in the Roman Empire was not racially based; in fact it was economic. So if you ended up getting yourself into some kind of debt, you owed money and you didn't have a way to pay it off, there was no welfare, there's no bankruptcy. What you would do is say, well, now I will sell myself essentially into slavery, and I will work to pay off that debt. In fact, that was the expectation — that if you worked, you could eventually earn your freedom. You would pay off your debt and you would be free once again.

So actually it's much closer sometimes to how we view being in debt. If you took out a debt when you went to university, you take out this lump sum and the moment you graduate, you owe it back. You are now enslaved to your debtor. You have to work in order to pay that money back. I'm grateful it's not the same, but it's a very similar line to what was going on. When you look into the Roman Empire, in fact, slaves held all kinds of high responsibilities. Some were artists, sculptors, they ran businesses, many were well educated, they were in charge of teaching the children in the house. They held positions of responsibility and trust.

Now, that all being said, there were some very major problems we can't ignore, particularly in the way that slaves were treated. Aristotle — the famous philosopher Aristotle — actually said slaves were to be thought of as human cattle, essentially viewed as a piece of property and incapable of deliberative thinking. That was the expectation that a slave could not, or at least should not, think for themselves. Whatever the master of the house did, that's what they had to do unthinkingly. They were incapable of making their own decisions, and that even included who they were to worship. It was expected that a slave would simply worship whatever god or gods their master did. And so very often, the problem that existed is that slaves were treated as less than human.

And this is what consistently the Bible undermines over and over and over again. Because the Bible does not view people under slavery as any lesser, but in fact equal before God. No one gets a higher standard or a higher standing. Everyone comes to God the exact same way — that actually we're equal before God. It's something we take for granted, but ultimately finds its origins in the teachings of the Bible.

In fact, as we open our Bibles, what we're going to find here, as Peter begins to talk to these people under slavery, is that Peter is going to ignore the masters, right — the people in authority. It's not because the Bible has nothing to say to them; in fact God has things to say about those who hold authority, but Peter essentially is just going to ignore them and say, actually I'm just going to talk to those who are under authority. He addresses them directly because they are not subhuman, but in fact human beings that have agency, thought, and even more than that — what we're going to see is the ability to demonstrate the glory of God, so much so that all believers are called to follow their example.

In fact, what the Bible does over and over again is it lifts everyone to actually sit in a place of honor as being in the image of God and called to represent Jesus. So with all of that in mind, let's open our Bibles and read what Peter has to say. If you have a Bible with you, please follow along. It's our tradition here to stand as we read God's word. If you're able to, would you stand with me?

1 Peter chapter 2, starting in verse 18. This is God's word:

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust, for this is a gracious thing when mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 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. 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. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. 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. 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, for you were straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

Thus far the reading of God's word, you may be seated.

Well, there is a lot to go through in a text like this. But if you were with us last week, you'll remember that we had crossed over into a new section in the book. The first part of First Peter is very theological — he's describing who we are, our position before God as believers in Jesus Christ. He gives the church this call: you are to live a holy life. And now here he's beginning to unpack what that actually looks like, how we are supposed to do that in various different areas of life. Last week, we looked at how that changes how we interact with authority and government over us. This week now, he's turning to this relationship between servants and masters, and as we've already seen, we need to make sure we remember it is different than sometimes what we have seen in our own more recent history.

Peter is writing this, and he's calling believers not to overthrow this institution — that's not his goal here — but rather he's writing to ask, how do you live in it? Again, he addresses them as human beings, already a massive shift that undermines the entire institution, but he is ultimately trying to call them to show what it is that Jesus is like. Here is his goal: that servants who are suffering would actually represent to the rest of the world what Jesus is like, so much so that they are the example for all believers as to how we undergo suffering as well.

See, Peter not only addresses slaves as human beings, he sets them as the example for believers to follow, as they imitate Christ. And so this morning what we need to recognize is that we are also called to represent Christ in how we face suffering as well. The call to be holy that Peter has given is to not simply show what Jesus is like when everything in our life is perfect, but actually, even when things are going wrong, that we can trust in Jesus — and there we find the great display of his glory in our lives.

And so this morning, let's start off here and understand what Peter's call is, because he starts off with this call of submission to the unjust. And already, right now, all of us go, oh, I don't really like that — but let's look at what he actually has to say.

Verse 18, he says, servants, be subject to your masters, with all respect, not only to the good and the gentle, but also to the unjust. Again, Peter addresses those who are servants. At the time, nobody would ever address a servant directly. You didn't do that. In fact, you would always address the master, and then the master could talk to them, and Peter just completely ignores that and says, no, I'm going to talk to these people as people. And he calls them to submit here with all respect. Some of your translations might actually say, with all fear. I think that's a really helpful translation, because whenever Peter here is talking about fear, he's not talking about being afraid of other people; rather he has in mind the fear of God. In fact, if you have your Bible open, just look one verse back, verse 17 — what does he say? Fear God.

In fact, the call on servants to submit, to actually follow the authority, is based on an understanding of who God is, that ultimately God is the one in control, and that God is the one that we are serving. In fact, earlier in the letter, Peter writes:

If you call on him as father, who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourself with fear throughout the time of your exile.

See, the fear that Peter is referring to is a recognition that God is the one who holds us accountable for our actions, and so even as he addresses them as servants, even as he calls them to submit themselves, he says, but you are still to be held accountable by God ultimately. And already here, we're going to understand where their ultimate authority lies.

This is true of all biblical submission to authority. It comes from a recognition that God is sovereign. He's placed authority over us, but ultimately we are accountable to him. So, submitting to someone does not absolve us from responsibility of our actions. And here's what we need to get right. So often people see this and they'll hear this call, well, OK, you are to submit — meaning, or at least we think it means — OK, so mindlessly, blindly follow whatever is said. That's not what Peter is talking about. No, he says, you are to follow another's authority, recognizing you are still accountable before God. That actually holds us in check. It doesn't allow evil to just simply flourish, but actually holds accountable those who are following.

This is not thoughtless compliance. Biblical submission is a willing choice to recognize God's sovereignty and serve him under whatever authority he has placed. Biblical submission does not prop up evil, but holds us accountable. And so what we need to realize is that while we might not live in the same situation — and I praise God for that — we are still called to apply this to our lives. If you work for someone, if you have a boss, an employer, a supervisor, whoever is over you, you are called to this as well. We're called to submit to those who have authority over us in such a way that actually shows you are trusting God above all things.

In fact, listen to how Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 6. You can almost replace his words here with employees and employers. Ephesians 6, Paul writes:

Bond servants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ. Not by the way of eye service as people pleasers, but as bond servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a goodwill as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bond servant or is free.

Paul again gives the same call. We are to submit ourselves, obey those who have authority over us — but why? Because we are working for Christ. He is our ultimate authority and how we go to work is meant to reflect God, that we are ultimately serving Christ. So when you go to work on Monday morning, how you work will either honor Jesus or not. We're called to honor God in how we go to work, and in how we follow those in authority over us. Are you known as someone who works hard, or are you known as someone who puts in the very bare minimum to scrape by, quiet quitting until someone notices how little you're doing? No, actually, we're called to serve God. He is the one whose approval we are seeking after. He is the one we are ultimately working for, and he is the one who actually rewards us at the end of the day. We serve God above all else. We are following him and called to honor him in how we work.

But in that we do need to recognize, Peter says, so submit to your masters, not only to the good, but also to the unjust. And the question we've got to ask is, why? Why would I do that? That sounds like the exact opposite of what I want to do. But here Peter begins to answer in verse 19. He says, for this is a gracious thing. When mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it? When you sin and are beaten for it, you endure. But if you do good and suffer for it, and you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

See here, Peter points out two very important things that we do need to recognize. Not all suffering or hardship that we face is necessarily a good thing. Sometimes we do face consequences for our actions. You slack off at work and your boss gets mad at you — that's not suffering for righteousness, that's suffering because you didn't do your job. And so often we almost get this one confused, even as Christians. We are actually suffering not because we're standing up for the right things — sometimes it's because of how we've treated other people. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say, well, I'm standing up for Christian values and I'm getting attacked for it. And my question is, are you getting attacked because you're standing for Christ or because you've been calling people names, using all kinds of slurs, insulting them? That's not suffering for righteousness' sake, that's suffering because you're being unkind. That's not what Peter is calling us to do. Rather, suffering for doing good so often is much less public. We'll talk about what it looks like in just a moment, but please notice here — he's very much making a distinction. We are called to suffer for doing good.

But secondly, here Peter says we are to submit even to those who are unjust. And this is the part where we sit there and say, no, I don't want to. That sounds ridiculous — why would I do that? Someone's not going to treat me well, why would I treat them well? Why would I work hard for someone who doesn't deserve my respect? Now please understand here, Peter is writing to people who really don't have much of a choice. It's not like they can just pick up and get a different job.

Let's be clear — the Bible does actually say to those in slavery, look, if you can get your freedom, go for it. Do it. You don't have to stay there. That's not what God's calling you to do. In fact, we have a book called Philemon, in which Paul writes to someone who has a slave and says, you need to release him. There's a whole book on that. So clearly God is not saying you have to stay if you're able to get out. If you have a horrible boss, you can move — that's not being disobedient. But if you stay, the question is, how will you treat those who do not treat you well? See, that's ultimately what Peter is getting them to consider. How do you treat others when they do not treat you well? Do you have a blank check to now abuse them back? To say, look, if you're going to insult me, I'm going to insult you right back?

Actually Peter says no. Here's what we're meant to learn: how you are treated is not how you are to treat others. You are to treat others as Jesus has treated you. That is the point. Look, even a dog is nice to people who are nice to them. It takes no effort whatsoever — it is not commendable by any stretch just to be nice to whoever's nice to you. Rather, the calling of God is to actually show what Jesus is like, even to those who are not kind to us. You are called to respond to others with the grace that God has given to you. That's the call.

And so the question then is, OK, but how do we actually do that? Because someone attacks me, I want to attack them back. Someone hits me, I want to hit back. Someone insults me, I want to come up with some witty banter to fire back at them. But let's be clear — that's not how God has treated us. We have sinned against God. We have ignored what he's called us to do. We have disparaged his name, insulted him by how we act, by the things that we say, by our disbelief, not even recognized his very existence. Surely if God responded to us in the way that we have responded to him, we would not be here. We'd have already been wiped out. But what did God do? He sent Jesus. He sent Jesus to be the example, to show us how he responds to us. And so what we are called to do is follow the example of Jesus.

Look at verse 21. He says, for to this you have been called — to suffer for doing good. Why? Because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you might follow in His steps. We are called to follow the example of Jesus in how He suffered. We are called to respond with grace, even to people who have not deserved it, because that's how God responded to us.

In fact, Jesus trusted God all the way through. He did not sin, not once in his entire life, even though he was suffering. Verse 22 says he committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. He is the only person on earth who has never deserved to face any suffering. All of us have suffered at some point or another because of bad decisions that we've made. Jesus never did. Jesus never sinned, he never went against what God has called us to do, despite the fact that people rejected him, hated him, despite the fact that he never told a lie, they would not trust him.

Verse 23 says 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. Jesus didn't respond to the threats, the accusations, with insults and threats of his own. Instead, he simply trusted that God would do what is right. In fact, if you remember his words as they were crucifying him, in the Book of Luke we read:

And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they cast lots to divide up his garments. The people stood by watching, and the rulers scoffed at him, saying, he saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, his chosen one.

They're abusing him, they're mocking him at his own execution, watching the blood run down his arms and legs, and yet his response was, Father, forgive them. That's the example Jesus left for us. Why shouldn't we attack people who are rude to us? That's not what Jesus did. The example of Jesus is the innocent one who did good and yet suffered, trusting God's will.

See, ultimately, Jesus is trusting that God will do what is right. He will bring true justice. In fact, this is what allows us to be able to respond to those who do wrong — we have to trust God will make things right. Romans, Paul writes:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it's written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him something to drink, for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Here's the thing — we can actually trust that God will do what is right. We can actually trust that at the end of the day, God will settle all the scores, and so I don't have to keep tally. I don't have to work out an exact justice out of every single situation. Actually, I am freed to trust that God will handle it, so now I get to respond in grace. I get to respond like Jesus showed me how to respond. I can show mercy even to those who don't deserve it, because I didn't deserve it. Jesus actually trusted that God the Father will deal with all of this, and in fact he's even trusting that through his suffering.

See, Peter, in these verses, is not actually making up these words. He's actually very much making a reference back to the Old Testament. The Book of Isaiah chapter 53 describes the suffering servant. Isaiah 53 we're told says:

They made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth.

God had already told us what Jesus would be like. Jesus is simply following what God had called him to do. Isaiah 53 says:

He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.

Despite the fact that Jesus suffered, we don't find him yelling insults or threats. This is our example. In fact, more than just an example to follow, Peter says this is what you are called to do as believers — you are to suffer, bear up under insults or attacks, and follow the footsteps of Jesus. Suffer well.

That's not easy to do. In fact, let me be even more blunt — it's impossible to do. To actually uphold the perfection of Jesus when you are undergoing suffering is not something that you or I are going to be able to do, and yet that is exactly what God calls us to do. But here's the reality — if all Jesus was doing was giving us an example, it wouldn't be enough. In 1954, Roger Bannister proved to the disbelief of many that it was humanly possible to run a 4 minute mile. Everyone thought it was impossible, and he did it in front of a stadium crowd all watching and cheering. Here's the reality — even with training, I can't do that. It might be possible, and it's an incredible statement of what some people are able to do, but if that is all it is — if Jesus goes to the cross simply to show us, hey, this is what you should be doing — it's actually not helpful yet.

But that's not all Jesus was doing. He was not merely giving us an example to follow, but rather he was doing that in our place. He went there, he lived that perfect life, not only just to show us how, but actually to do it on our behalf so that our sins would be placed on Jesus and his righteousness would be placed on us. Look back at verse 24 — this is one of the most important verses in this book, if not the Bible. It says:

He himself, Jesus, 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.

Here is our greatest hope. It's not that we would be able to follow his example perfectly in our own strength, as if we had to work hard enough to make this happen. But it's that Jesus went in front of us and did it in our place. God took our sins — the record of our wrongs, and the punishment that we deserved — and he placed it on Jesus. Jesus went to that cross, knowing that he would face the greatest injustice the world had ever known. The only innocent man on earth would be put to death for crimes he did not commit. This was God's plan so that mercy could be given to those who don't deserve it. On Christ was placed the punishment for our sins. He bore it himself, bore the wrath of God against our sins, so that the demands of justice were placed on the only one who never deserved it. So that anyone who would trust in him would be saved, that our sins would be forgiven, that our salvation would not be based on our ability to do it all right, but it would be based on Jesus who has done it in our place. This is the good news — that anyone who would trust in Jesus would be saved, our sins forgiven.

And even again, Peter is still taking this language from Isaiah. Isaiah 53 says:

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Jesus bore the wrath of God against our sin that we would be healed. That anyone who trusts in him would live to righteousness. This is this grand exchange — our sins are placed on Christ, his righteousness given to us. 2 Corinthians says:

For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus took our sin upon himself, bore the curse, that we could now live in righteousness. See, the example of Jesus is not merely an example to imitate and follow, but he is the one who has done this in our place. And so now the call of God is not, now that Jesus has done that, to try and work up the ability ourselves, but lean on him. Rest on what Jesus has done. Rely on the Holy Spirit at work in your life to help you follow after the example of Jesus Christ, so he would be made known, so that others might see it.

See, Peter concludes in verse 25, he says, for you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your soul. Again, no surprise — this is Isaiah still talking. He says:

All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

See, this is what the work of Jesus was always doing — taking us who have been wandering out on our own, bearing our sin so that we might know God. This is what we are called to as well: that as we face suffering, trusting in Jesus, following his example, we would do so so that people could see Jesus. So that Jesus would be seen in our lives, that we would function as a window opening to the glory of what Jesus has done. That is our purpose, that is our goal. Why shouldn't I attack back? Because that's not what Jesus did. Because if every interaction is me trying to get exactly what is owed, they'll never hear this good news of Jesus Christ. When you decide not to insult people when you are insulted, you show what Jesus is like. You give the living display of the life of Jesus. You are called to suffer even under persecution for living the Christian life by putting Jesus on display, that people might see Him through you.

This is why Peter says in verse 19, it is a gracious thing in the sight of God. Why? Because you are becoming a living demonstration of God's grace to others. Make it known — even in those difficult moments, rely on the grace of God that the grace of God might be known around you. Because through our suffering, we can show people what Jesus is like. This is why Peter started by talking to servants. Far from being the least members of society, Peter lifts them up and says they are the best ones suited to show us the picture of Jesus Christ. We are called to follow their example.

So what do we do with this passage? We're not under slavery — praise God, we're not. And yet we are called to work in such a way that honors Jesus above all things, even as we submit to our boss. We do so not because they are always the nicest person in the world, we do so because we trust God above all things. That even as we face and take on suffering, whether it be in the workplace, whether it be at home or in some other area, we would be determined to show the world Jesus, that his grace would be seen through our lives. And we're not fighting back on everything, not trying to settle every score, but trusting that God will be at work and rejoicing that we could act like Jesus.

In fact, Jesus even tells his disciples, Matthew chapter 5, he says:

Blessed are you, when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account, rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. So they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Remember, when you face suffering that is unfair and unjust, so did Jesus. And he has said there is a great reward to following after him. Rejoice that God would use you to show his example. Pray that God would give you the strength to imitate Jesus, that other people could see his salvation through you.

Let's pray together. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you that though we have not deserved it, that we have not earned your favor, that we have turned our backs on you, insulted you, yet you have shown us grace. You've sent Jesus Christ that he would bear our sins, that we might be forgiven. Father, thank you, thank you for the grace you have so lavishly poured out on our lives. Father, would we trust you in all things? Would we seek ways to show the grace and the glory of Jesus Christ in our lives? Father, I pray, would you by your Holy Spirit give us strength? Would you allow us to follow after you? Would you allow us to make your glory known? We ask all these things in your name. Amen.