Posted on 04/12/2008 9:51:17 PM PDT by Charles Henrickson
“Suffering Sheep and Their Good Shepherd” (1 Peter 2:19-25)
This day is known in the church as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The readings from Psalm 23 and John 10, the Collect of the Day, the hymns--all these carry the theme of the Lord as our Good Shepherd. The images that come to our mind on Good Shepherd Sunday usually are very peaceful and pleasant ones. We think of sheep safely grazing in green pastures, being led beside still waters. We picture Jesus carrying a lamb in his arms or a sheep across his shoulders. This is all well and good. The shepherd imagery in the Bible is meant to conjure up these pleasant images and warm emotions. It’s a very picturesque way of conveying to us the goodness of God, the closeness of his comfort and care. It creates a longing in us to hear the sweet gospel voice of our Good Shepherd. It instills in us a sense of belonging to God’s flock, the church.
But these warm and winning images become even more beautiful when we see them set in contrast to other very dark and dangerous ones. In Psalm 23, for example, those “green pastures” become all the greener because they stand in contrast to the “valley of the shadow of death.” In John 10, Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd who comes to give us abundant life, over against the thief who “comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” These vivid contrasts make the warm gospel images all the more appealing and attractive.
So it is in the Epistle for today from 1 Peter 2. The reference to Christ as the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls comes right after a reminder that we were like sheep going astray. The contrast of these two makes our Shepherd all the more precious to us. When we realize how lost we would be on our own, then we appreciate much more deeply the fact that we have a Shepherd to guard and guide us.
Besides our straying, there is another negative aspect that makes us appreciate our Shepherd all the more. And that is our suffering. The unpleasant reality is that Christians suffer in this world, precisely because we are Christians. When we do suffer in that way, it’s reassuring to know we have a loving Shepherd who is looking out for us and taking care of us. This is the theme of our message today: “Suffering Sheep and Their Good Shepherd.”
That’s really how this text plays out. The first half is about the suffering sheep, the second half about their Shepherd. Here is the part about the suffering of the sheep: “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.”
St. Peter here talks about the suffering sheep, that is, Christians who endure suffering. Notice, by the way, that not all suffering is due to our being Christians. Some of it may come because we brought it on ourselves. That would be suffering justly, because we did wrong. But other suffering comes unjustly, because of the good we do as Christians. Thus we need to distinguish between the two and examine ourselves, why it is that we are suffering. We could be suffering justly, we could be suffering unjustly, or it could even be a combination of the two.
Now perhaps our first problem in relating to this text is that we Christians in America don’t suffer that much these days--for either reason, whether for doing wrong or for doing good. Most of us are not used to receiving a beating, at any rate. But maybe we do experience some degree of suffering, just not quite that intense. For instance, people may exclude us from their circle of friends. People may make derogatory remarks about us behind our back, or even to our face.
The first question to ask yourself, then, when you experience suffering would be this: Am I suffering because of something wrong that I did? Did my sin bring this on me? Was I being a thoughtless jerk, and now my wife is mad at me? Did I fail to study adequately for the test, and now the teacher is giving me a bad grade? Was I driving under the influence, and now the policeman is giving me a ticket? In those cases, it’s not that my wife or the teacher or the policeman is persecuting me because I’m a Christian. No, it’s because I was a jerk or I failed to study or I was drinking and driving--those are the reasons I’m suffering. Sometimes suffering is just the natural consequence of our own dumb behavior. If that’s the case, then I need to repent of the wrong I have done, confess my sin, ask God’s forgiveness--and that of the person I have offended--and seek to do better.
But there are also times when we Christians do suffer precisely because we belong to Christ. We encounter suffering, not for any misbehavior on our part, but because of our good behavior. There are people who will belittle your good behavior in order to make themselves feel better about their bad behavior. You don’t go along with the crowd, when the crowd is cheating or shoplifting or gambling or getting drunk. And so they put pressure on you to conform to the group. If you don’t, then you are rejected and ridiculed. That is unjust suffering.
What do we do in that kind of situation? How should we handle unjust suffering when it comes our way? St. Peter answers that question by pointing us, not to a principle, but to a person--to Christ, our Lord. Suffering sheep look to their Shepherd for their example. Peter says that Christ suffered, “leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” The Greek word translated here as “example” was used to refer to a piece of writing or drawing that’s placed under another sheet and then is traced over on that upper sheet. So Jesus Christ, in his suffering, is our perfect model to copy. Then there is the phrase, “that you might follow in his steps.” The idea is that we would follow his tracks. We step into the footprints where Jesus already led the way for us on his way of sorrows. We follow the path of his example.
Look at how Jesus handled unjust suffering, Peter says, and follow his example: “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten.” Think of how Jesus conducted himself during his arrest and trials, his beating and crucifixion. More precisely, think of what he did not do. “He did not revile in return . . . he did not threaten.” He could have--if anybody ever had a right, he did--but he did not. When confronted with mean and wicked behavior by others, Jesus did not respond in kind.
What Jesus did do, Peter says, was to entrust himself to God: He “continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” Even if the whole world did not make the right judgment in his case, Jesus knew that God would judge him rightly. God would vindicate his innocent and righteous Servant. God will see that justice is done in the end, even if it is not being done now.
Now it’s one thing to see Jesus as the example we ought to follow; it’s another thing to be able actually to follow it. And on our own, we couldn’t do it. But God gives us the grace. Notice that twice here Peter says, “this is a gracious thing.” God gifts us with the grace and strength and ability to follow our Savior’s example. God’s grace enables us to bear up and endure under suffering, knowing that God ultimately is the one who will save us and vindicate us and even reward us for the sake his righteous Son. This is not our own doing. “This is a gracious thing.”
This is a gracious thing, all the way from start to finish. God’s grace in Christ is what makes us Christians in the first place, and it’s what will enable us to endure, even to the end. And so that’s where Peter takes his readers when he talks about the suffering they endure. He takes them to Christ. He takes them to the cross. He directs the suffering sheep to their Good Shepherd.
You see, when Peter writes about suffering, he cannot limit himself to talking about Jesus as an example. Jesus is far more than our example. He is our Savior. That is the reason why he suffered. Christ suffered “for you,” Peter says. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.” On that tree, the cross of Calvary, the sinless Son of God took all our sins upon himself, and he did it for you. For you he bore those wounds in his innocent hands and feet and side. For you the only righteous man who ever lived endured the most unjust suffering possible. For straying sheep like you and me, the Good Shepherd laid down his life on Good Friday. Only to take it up again on Easter morning! Christ’s resurrection is the proof that what our Shepherd did in dying for the sheep was enough to overcome all suffering and death, that we may have life and have it abundantly.
“For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” Now the lost sheep have come home to their Shepherd. The contrast makes our Shepherd all the more dear to us. For we know where we would be without him--lost and straying and vulnerable to all the dangers that would otherwise do us in. But now we have a Shepherd. We are safe, saved and safe for eternity, no matter what suffering we may have to endure for the moment. Our Good Shepherd, the one who laid down his life for us, has risen from the dead and now is walking alongside us, guiding us and guarding us as we travel through the wilderness of this world. He is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. He is watching out for us, looking out for our welfare. Yes, we have a Shepherd, a very Good Shepherd indeed. His name is Jesus. Suffering sheep or straying sheep--we are both from time to time. And suffering, straying sheep--people like you and me--we need a Shepherd just like Jesus.
In the movie, “Babe,” one of the sheepdog pups says, “Sheep are animals with thick wooly coats and thick wooly heads.” So maybe we sheep need to be reminded from time to time, to get it through our “thick wooly heads,” that we do have a Good Shepherd who is with us in our suffering and who is taking care of us in the midst of it. He cared so much that he himself suffered and died for you. The Good Shepherd laid down his life for the sheep. Now he is risen from the dead and leading us to life everlasting. Our Shepherd calls his own sheep by name. We listen to his voice, and we follow him. And we know that in all of our suffering and in all of our straying, our Good Shepherd will be with us every step of the way. When we stray, he comes and finds us and brings us home. When we suffer unjustly, he guards our souls and enables us to endure. The Good Shepherd is with his sheep. My friends, this is a gracious thing.
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 have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
I realize this Sermon is all fitted together, but there is an 'element' left out .... why is it that Peter says IIPeter 3:10 But the day of the LORD will come as a thief in the night;.......
The “thief” in John 10 refers to the false teacher. The day of the Lord coming “as a thief,” in 2 Peter 3, refers to one feature of “thief,” i.e., that he comes unexpectedly.
I agree with what you describe the thief to be in John 10. However Peter is not talking about a thief coming, he is saying that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; I take that to mean that the majority believe the day has already come so they are not waiting or watching for that day.
It seems like too many Christians forget that part. It is God's grace that we all need to embrace. Doing so makes life so much eaiser. Too many people think otherwise and stray from the faith.
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