Follow In His Steps

This devotion is written by Ruth Anne Reese and is entitled “God’s New Family and the Gift of Salvation.” This article can be found in Ruth Anne Resse’ book, “The Letter of 1 Peter.”

Key Observation. There is no greater example of unjust suffering than the example of Jesus.

Understanding the Word. When we think about the cross, we often think about what Jesus accomplished for us through his death. But Peter points our attention to the suffering of Jesus. And he reminds us that even though Jesus suffered, he did not sin. This is the example for all of us. We may do good works. We may live with integrity and honor. We may love others and live out our faith to the very best of our ability. And, we might still suffer because of our faith. Peter is not talking about the routine suffering that occurs in the lives of humanity—sickness, death, natural disasters, violence—he is talking about the suffering that Christians experience because they have lived out their faith in Jesus.

In light of such suffering, the call is to endure. The temptation would be to give up the activity that is bringing about one’s suffering. For example, a slave might be required to give up worship, assembly with other Christians, and talking about Jesus. The challenge is to persist in Christian faith in the midst of opposition. This includes violent opposition such as the slaves might have experienced when being beaten because of their faith.

Jesus is the example to follow in such situations. In fact, the slaves are told they can follow in his footsteps. Jesus has led the way by not committing sin when he endured suffering. Since Peter’s letter is designed to encourage the church to be holy (1:14–16), it is helpful to remind them that their leader, Jesus, demonstrated how to be holy in the midst of suffering. Jesus was fully human but did not sin. It can be tempting to look at Jesus and say, “Well, it was easy for him not to sin because he was God.” But Jesus was fully human and was tempted as we are (Hebrews 2:18), and he did not sin. He was holy like his Father, and Peter invites his readers to follow in the footsteps of Jesus by also becoming holy (1 Peter 1:14–16). Jesus did not deceive. In the middle of suffering, the temptation is to do what Peter did on the night of Jesus’ trial. Peter said, “I don’t know him” (Luke 22:57). He used deceit and denial to avoid association with Jesus. But Jesus does not deceive in the face of suffering. When people mocked and abused Jesus, he did not return that abuse or threaten those who abused him. Instead, Jesus forgave those who crucified him (Luke 23:34). When Jesus was suffering, he entrusted himself to God. He committed himself to God’s care. Jesus knew that God was a just judge (1 Peter 1:17), and he knew that he could trust God to act rightly and to see who was in the right. This gave him the confidence he needed when he was suffering to remain without sin. Jesus knew that God would be the ultimate Judge of both his own actions and the actions of those who abused him.