CHRIST’S COMMITMENT. 1st Peter 2:23 He never retaliated against those who opposed Him. Neither should we. When He was insulted, He never returned insult. Neither should we. When He was subjected to physical suffering, He never threatened those who hurt Him. Neither should we. When He was in pain from thorns, nails, bones out of joint, a beaten back, and reproach and humiliation, He remained full of love and compassion. He committed everything to God, His Father. So should we. When we truly commit a matter to God, we can leave it there, knowing that in His own time and way, righteousness will prevail.
Patient endurance has God's approval not only in our workplace but also when we are called to suffer. Our Lord, "for the joy that was set before Him," endured the cross and despised the shame. As our example, the One we are to imitate intends for us to act as He did in those circumstances. He suffered without sinning - without deceit or guile. So should we. He never retaliated when He was provoked. Neither should we. He lived righteously even when suffering unjustly. So should we.
Examples of our Lord’s silent submission lay the foundation for our commitment to patience when a believer is afflicted, persecuted, reviled, and rejected. In patience, we commit ourselves and the circumstances in which we find ourselves to God. He always judges righteously and will vindicate the innocent in His own way and in His own time. The suffering of our Lord at the hands of the religious leaders, Pilate, the soldiers, Herod, and those who crucified Him is our example. All the accusations against Him were false, yet He remained silent and patient because “He was delivered for our offenses.”
The sufferings of our Lord were to free us from the consequences of our sins and to satisfy the just claims of God against us, because we all have sinned and “come short of the glory of God.” His suffering was part of God’s plan to save us. When we carry out the commission He gave us, it is so that through the message we have been given to deliver, others can be saved. He suffered with patience, calmness, and confidence that it was the will of God, who wants “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” That is the purpose of suffering today for the sake of the Gospel.
The Lord suffered without sinning and never retaliated against the mistreatment He endured. Because of His patient endurance of suffering, He made it possible for us to die to sin and live righteously before God. In true humility, He did not answer back or defend Himself but was obedient to the point of death on the cross. His silence was not weakness but strength that could not be denied. His confidence was in God, who judges righteously.
When the Lord Jesus Christ was spoken against and cursed, He maintained a silence that is above normal humanity: His pedigree, power, personality, and personhood were all challenged, and He was spoken against in insulting untruths. How can His holy character, His righteous standard, be silent in the face of blatant disregard? His Commitment – total trust – and unswerving confidence in a Righteous Judge was never in doubt.
The Lord Jesus Christ suffered rejection by His people; He was a stranger to His own family. He suffered denial from a familiar voice and endured the suffering of betrayal by a companion who sold Him out. The suffering of humiliation from a drunkard’s slurred song. He experienced the suffering of abuse and excruciating pain, yet spoke no threatening words of retaliation. He had a commitment to a charge, a righteous work, and a Righteous Judge
I have experienced to a far lesser degree, and feeble in comparison, yet real to me, being misunderstood, frustrated, and wondering in amazement: Why the silence, the avoidance, the gossip? Why the misrepresentation, the untruths? I have no answer, but I “know in whom I have believed.” His example, His commitment challenges me to be committed, to yield, and to trust the Righteous Judge – unhesitatingly.
May we who belong to Him as redeemed people learn to endure provocation, false accusation, persecution, and rejection with silence, dignity, calmness, and God-given strength, and in that way show the grace of God, His mercy, and forgiveness by following His example. Enduring pain and humiliation has a way of convicting those who inflict it when they consider what right and wrong, sin and justice are, and the just judgment of God. The Holy Spirit can use the suffering of frail, mortal humans as examples of God’s saving grace and forgiveness.