Transcript & Slides: Our Substitute, Shepherd, and Standard (1 Peter 2:21-25)

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Our Substitute, Shepherd, and Standard (1 Peter 2:21-25)
By David Feddes

We continue to study First Peter, and the passage we’re going to look at today comes in the middle of a section on living under the system. Peter told people not to rebel against the system or the people who held power within that system, whether they were government leaders, bosses or masters, or husbands. He said to live under that system, and then in the middle of that, he observes that sometimes you deal with people who are very harsh, who don’t treat you right. He says there are situations in which you suffer, and it is commendable before God if you suffer for doing what is right.

Then he goes on to show the roots of that willingness to suffer: “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:21-25).

When we look at Peter’s statement in that passage, there’s another one echoed just a little later that brings it home even more: “It’s better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. He has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him” (1 Peter 3:17-18, 22).

When you look at these verses Peter has written, you see at least three very important dimensions to who Jesus Christ is for us. It can be summarized in three words: he’s our Substitute, he’s our Shepherd, and he’s our Standard—the one who is our example, whom we need to be like. These three things are so vitally important that they absolutely cannot be separated from one another.

Unfortunately, some churches or individuals have done that. Some people say what you really need to understand about Jesus is what a marvelous example he is. He lived a wonderful life—so gentle, so kind, so non-violent—and he should be your example, your standard. Be like Jesus; follow in his steps. All of that is true—and all of that is utterly inadequate if it’s the only thing you say about Jesus.

If you’re told, “Be like Jesus,” that is just about the worst news in the world, because you aren’t like Jesus, and you have a very long way to go to be like Jesus, and you can’t get there on your own efforts. What about the fact that we’re not like Jesus? What that means for us is that we’re absolutely doomed and damned if our standard is simply “Be like Jesus, end of story.” You’re not like Jesus; you don’t measure up; you’re not good enough to be a son or daughter of God who spends eternity with him. Something has to be done about that sin problem we all have.

Therefore, we need Jesus to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves—to live a perfect life that we cannot live, to die in our place, taking the penalty and paying the price we couldn’t pay. We need Jesus to be our Substitute.

We also need him as our Shepherd—the one who not only did something for us long ago in our place but who right now reigns from heaven, who right now guards us from the enemy, who right now leads us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Unfortunately, you sometimes get an approach to Christianity that separates Jesus as our Substitute from Jesus as our Shepherd.

Yes, we need Jesus to die for us, and isn’t it wonderful that he did die for us? But some say you can have him as Savior and not as Lord—or, in other words, you can have him as your Substitute but not as your Shepherd. You can have him pay for your sins and get you to heaven, but not have him leading you in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. That’s a terrible mistake—to think that you can have Jesus’ blood shed on the cross for you but not have him running your life, directing it, and protecting you from moment to moment. You would fall away from him instantly if he were not holding you with his hand, guiding you with his rod and staff.

So don’t separate Jesus the Substitute from everything else he does. Don’t separate Jesus the Standard from everything else he does. Some may say, “Well, I really like that ongoing, day-to-day personal relationship that you can have with Jesus as the Shepherd. I love Psalm 23—‘The Lord is my Shepherd’—and all that’s said in there.” But again, to talk about a personal relationship with God and Jesus as your Shepherd without first having him as your Substitute—the one who became a sheep and laid down his life for you—is impossible. You can’t have him as your Shepherd because that huge sin barrier prevents it. To enter into a relationship with Jesus in the first place requires having him as Substitute, and then as Shepherd, and then as Example—in that order.

We need him to pay the price of sin; then we need him to take over our life; and then, and only then, are we prepared to walk in his steps.

Now, if you look at the order in which these things are mentioned in Peter, you’d say he mentions them in the opposite order. That’s true enough, but he’s not mentioning them in the order in which they need to happen for you; he’s mentioning them in the order they come up in the passage. He’s talking to slaves—and being a slave was no picnic. Slavery itself was a dreadful institution to be caught in, and then you had these masters. He says you’ve got to submit to your masters, not just if they’re good and considerate, but even if they’re harsh. So you’re in a real pickle, and now he’s got to tell you how you can live that way.

Here’s how: you imitate Jesus in his suffering. He’s the one you imitate—but that’s because you already know him, because he died for you, and because you’ve returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Because of those things, you’re able also to imitate Jesus in dealing with suffering you don’t deserve.

We look first at Jesus as our Substitute. Peter emphasizes, first of all, that he is our sinless Substitute. In order to be the Substitute we need, he couldn’t have our problem. If he were just one more sinner, he wouldn’t do us any good. “He committed no sin,” says Peter (1 Peter 2:22). There he’s echoing what the prophet Isaiah said, looking forward to Jesus who would die for us, and all the other Scriptures say the same thing.

All the authors of Scripture affirm this. Jesus himself said to some of his accusers, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” (John 8:46). Peter says he committed no sin. The author of Hebrews says, “He was tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The apostle John says, “He appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). The apostle Paul says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Sometimes you see surveys of what Christians believe—even among those who call themselves evangelical Christians—and it’s shocking how many say that Jesus sinned. The survey will ask, “Did Jesus ever sin?” and some respond, “Well, he was better than the rest of us, but nobody’s perfect, so yes, I suppose he sinned.” That shows utter ignorance of what all the authors of the Bible say about Jesus. He committed no sin. If he had sinned, we would be lost, because we need a perfect sin-bearer, a Lamb without blemish or defect.

So he is our sinless Substitute—and he is our Substitute, the one who stands in our place. Peter says, “Christ suffered for you… He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree… by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:21, 24). He gets the wounds; you get the healing. You do the sinning; he does the righteous living. There is this great exchange. As Paul said, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). That’s the principle of substitution—the righteous one, the sinless one, dies for sins once for all so that you can come to God.

Peter uses the phrase “on the tree.” “He bore our sins in his body on the tree.” Bearing our sins means he carried the penalty or punishment that our sins deserve. “On the tree” refers to the cross. Why doesn’t Peter just say that Jesus was crucified? Often the Bible speaks of him being crucified or nailed to a cross, but Peter uses the word “tree” repeatedly. In his letter and in his preaching, he says, “You killed him by hanging him on a tree” (Acts 5:30), and when speaking to Cornelius, he says, “They put him to death by hanging him on a tree” (Acts 10:39).

What’s the big deal about the tree? The apostle Paul brings that out in Galatians: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13). In the Old Testament law, being hung on a tree was a sign of being under God’s curse. So when Peter says repeatedly that Jesus bore our sins on the tree, he’s saying that was the place of curse—that the sins of the world were laid on Jesus, and that the curse of God was borne by Jesus.

He became sin for us; that doesn’t mean he became sinful. He became a curse; that doesn’t mean he deserved the curse. But he took responsibility—he took it on himself—for our sins. You might think of it like a company that buys out another company with terrible debts. If you buy that company, you take everything that comes with it—the debts and problems as well as whatever assets it has. Or think of a parent of a minor child. The parent takes responsibility for what the child does and sometimes pays for the broken windows or the car accident, even if it wasn’t their fault. They take it on themselves and pay. That’s only a faint hint of actually taking the curse or sin on yourself, but it does show how one person can take responsibility for another and take the problems, pain, and suffering of that other.

“He bore our sins in his body on the tree.” Peter, in looking back on Jesus’ suffering and death and explaining it, uses the very words of Isaiah, written 700 years before it happened: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all… The Lord makes his life a guilt offering… He bore the sin of many” (Isaiah 53:5-12).

You can see the phrases from Isaiah echoed by Peter in explaining what happened. This is really the core passage of the Bible about penal substitutionary atonement—a big phrase meaning that Jesus took our place, took the punishment, and paid the price, making himself the offering for our sins. Look again at the phrases: he’s pierced—why? For our transgressions. He’s crushed—why? For our iniquities. The punishment brings us peace—but it’s on him. The healing comes to us—the wounds are on him. The Lord lays on him the iniquity of us all. The Lord makes his life a guilt offering. He bore the sin of many.

If you’ve ever questioned whether substitution is the biblical explanation for what happened in the suffering and death of Jesus, read Isaiah 53. Read Peter. Read all those other passages—they leave no doubt that Jesus is our sin-bearing Substitute. “He appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself… Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:26, 28).

The church needs to keep recovering this truth again and again. In one sense, I’d almost hope you’d be bored by a sermon like this, because it’s something you ought to know in your bones by now. But in another sense, I know it must be preached again and again, because we sin and need to be reminded of that wonderful gospel and of the precious blood that takes away our sins. Repeatedly be reminded that Christ has done once for all what needed doing. We need it individually—and we need it as a church, because the church slides, the church gets confused, the church gets corrupted.

The Reformation came because reformation was needed, and supremely it was needed in returning to the Word of God and focusing again on Jesus and on his sufficiency. If the church teaches that when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper Jesus is being re-sacrificed all over again, that’s a message that the first sacrifice wasn’t good enough. Away with such thoughts! “He was sacrificed once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself… He was sacrificed once to take away the sin of many” (Hebrews 9:26, 28). You don’t need Jesus to be re-sacrificed every time an official expert offers the mass. You do not need to be re-cleansed or re-absolved by a special ritual or an appointed official, because Christ’s sacrifice is adequate and more than adequate.

Sometimes error comes at the hands of church officials; sometimes it comes at the hands of scholars. Nowadays, there are those in the realm of psychology who say, “Oh, that’s just a case of child abuse—the Father killing his Son to make something right.” That is crazy. That’s nuts. Anybody who believes that has a few screws loose. They say religion like that messes people up. Often, though, they’re dealing with a caricature of the doctrine, because it’s not the Father abusing his Son—it’s the Father offering himself in the person of his Son. Psychologists ought to check up on the doctrine of the Trinity and the oneness of God before criticizing it as though God were punishing someone else. He is taking it all upon himself in the person of his Son.

I warn you again: churches, sometimes prompted secretly by the devil or others, will try to tell you that this principle of substitution isn’t really what the cross is about. It is. Don’t ever let anyone lead you down a different path, because if you do, your salvation has just been robbed. This is the basis, the foundation of salvation. That’s why Peter says right at the beginning that we were “chosen for sprinkling by his blood” (1 Peter 1:2). “We were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19)—the sinless Substitute. “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Whenever you sing a song about the blood, whenever you read a verse about the blood, that’s what it’s talking about—it’s talking about Jesus our Substitute.

That’s why that big mouthful—penal substitutionary atonement—is such a vital doctrine to hold to. “Penal” because punishment is necessary when somebody sins; somebody pays. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. There must be punishment, and God, in the person of Christ, takes responsibility and takes the punishment on himself. It’s “substitutionary” because he does it instead of us, in our place: “Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned he stood, sealed my pardon with his blood. Hallelujah, what a Savior!” That’s how you respond to that.

“Christ suffered for you… He bore our sins in his body on the tree… By his wounds you have been healed… Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 2:21, 24; 3:18). I want to highlight this so much because this is Peter’s doctrine of the atonement—and not Peter’s only, of course, but the doctrine of the entire New Testament, and not just that but of all Scripture, because it’s rooted in Isaiah 53 and God’s revelation there. So try to remember that big three-word phrase, “penal substitutionary atonement,” because it captures the principle of Jesus Christ being our Substitute on the cross.

As I’ve said, that is the foundation—it’s absolutely essential. At the same time, it would be a mistake to say that’s all you need to know to have Jesus in his entirety and to be a believer, because when Christ is your Substitute, he also becomes your Shepherd. He’s your Shepherd in defending you, rescuing you, feeding you, caring for you, loving you, and tending you in so many wonderful ways.

Peter says that Christ “died for sins once for all,” that “he bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). That’s why he did it—not just to get us off the hook, but so that we would be led in paths of righteousness by the Good Shepherd for his name’s sake. That we would die to sins and live for righteousness is also one of the great meanings of baptism. You are baptized into the death of Jesus so that you will die to sin right now. The power of sin is to be broken in your life, with baptism as a sign of that. Then you’re raised to life with a new life that Jesus Christ puts inside you. You die to sins and live for righteousness. The apostle Paul explains in Romans 6 that this is one of the great meanings of baptism: “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

If you’re here today and you’ve been baptized, be reminded again that you were baptized as a sign of being washed with that precious blood—but also that you might die to sins, live for righteousness, and belong to the Good Shepherd. “By his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24-25).

Remember again that the Latin word for “shepherd” is pastor; the Latin equivalent of “overseer” is bishop. If you want a pastor and bishop, I don’t think you’ll find a better one than this—Jesus is your Shepherd and your Bishop.

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6)—that’s the same passage talking about substitutionary atonement. “Each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all… He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:6-7). Look at what that says: we’re sheep.

Sheep aren’t very bright. I grew up on a cattle farm; my brother kept a few sheep around for his dogs to train on how to herd sheep as well as cattle. Cattle are really dense and like to get out and cause trouble, but the only thing worse than cattle is sheep—they wander. What does Jesus do? He’s the Good Shepherd. But this passage seems to hint that you’ve got these knuckle-headed sheep, and now the Shepherd himself is led like a lamb to the slaughter, like a sheep. Somehow, the Shepherd ends up in the place of the sheep.

Jesus himself puts it this way: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). When the Bible talks about Jesus being the Good Shepherd, we need to understand that in being our Shepherd, he also became one of the sheep and laid down his life for the sheep.

Isaiah 53 is what we’ve been looking at, but Isaiah 40 says, “He tends his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those who have young” (Isaiah 40:11). If you read that passage, it’s so wonderful and heartwarming: he tends his flock like a shepherd, he gathers the lambs in his arms, he carries them close to his heart, he gently leads those who have young. What a beautiful picture of the Shepherd! And then, a few chapters later in Isaiah 53, there’s that ugly picture of the Shepherd—suddenly the dumb sheep have wandered off, and he’s like a sheep being led to the slaughter.

So it’s a wonderful statement that he is our Shepherd, and the cost of being our Shepherd is becoming a sheep and laying down his life for the sheep—both Shepherd and sheep. Another word for that is incarnation—the doctrine that the Word, the eternal God, became one of us and lived among us and died in our place.

“The Lord is my shepherd”—what does that involve? He supplies our needs, he leads us to green pastures and quiet waters, he restores our souls, he leads us in paths of righteousness. So we don’t say, “Well, I have Jesus as Savior but not as Lord.” There is no such thing. Come on! He is your Shepherd, or he is nothing. He is your Lord, or he has not purchased you, because once you’ve purchased someone, you’re the Lord. The Lord is our Shepherd—he provides for us, he cares for us, he directs us. He brings us even through the valley of the shadow of death.

When his sheep wander, Jesus tells a story. Even if one wanders off, the Shepherd goes after that one. He gathers it in his arms, carries it on his shoulders, brings it back home, and invites others to celebrate, saying, “I’ve found my lost sheep” (Luke 15:6). That’s the kind of Shepherd we have—the one who goes after you when you’ve wandered and brings you back.

“You’ve returned to the Shepherd,” says Peter (1 Peter 2:25). He doesn’t mean that you, by yourself, decided to hop up and go back to the Shepherd. It means more that the Shepherd became a sheep and died for you, and then, as the Shepherd again, he went out, found you, brought you back, called you to himself, and made you his. Now he protects you. What a wonder it is to have Christ as the Shepherd!

As I mentioned a moment ago, “Shepherd” and “Overseer” mean “Pastor” and “Bishop” as well. Near the end of his letter, Peter talks to the pastors and bishops—the elders—and says, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:2-4). What a wonderful instruction to leaders! We’ll look more at that when we get to that passage, but for now, note that whatever you are as a church leader, you’re to be an example to the flock like the Good Shepherd. How does the Shepherd lead? Does he just give orders? No—he leads. The under-shepherds are told not to lord it over but to be examples to the flock.

That brings us to our third point: Jesus is our Substitute and our Shepherd, but he’s also our Standard or our Example—the one we pattern our lives after. If those who are called to be church leaders are called to be at least somewhat of an example, then supremely the example we look to, the standard we hold to, is Jesus Christ himself. That’s really where Peter lays much of the emphasis in this passage—being like Jesus. “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:21-23).

Jesus sets the standard, and ultimately we’re going to live up to his sinless standard. Ultimately, we’re going to be made absolutely perfect. In the meantime, we take his life, we look to his pattern, and we seek to be like him.

Maybe one or two of you have had a bracelet that said “WWJD”—What Would Jesus Do? At one level, that slogan isn’t always helpful. If you say, “The boat left without me—what would Jesus do?” well, he’d walk across the water to the boat. You might not want to try that one anytime soon! Or if you’re running short on supplies at a party, what would Jesus do? He’d change water into wine and keep the party going—with even better wine than before.

Sometimes we think that if we could just have Jesus’ mighty miracle-working power, that’s how we’d be like him—the one who can, with a word, make things happen, quiet a storm, heal the diseased, raise the dead. But how are we really to pattern our lives after Jesus?

First of all, Peter says, by serving and suffering. Remember who Peter is writing to—people living under the system. This comes in the middle of that whole passage about living under the system, especially about slaves living under harsh masters. What did Jesus himself say? He said the disciples needed him to wash their feet. What was foot washing? Slave’s work. That’s why none of the disciples would do it—they were all too important for that. They all sat down and figured, “Well, if there’s no slave around, nobody’s going to wash feet today.”

So Jesus grabbed the basin, the water, and the towel, and washed all of their feet. Then he said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I’ve set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:14-15).

Serving like a slave, doing the grunt jobs, the low jobs nobody else wants to do—if you want to be like Jesus, you aren’t going to be walking on water anytime soon, but you might be able to pour some water in a basin and help somebody wash up. That’s not good news for those of us who want to be always in the stratosphere of supernatural powers, but your supernatural strength is that you can serve and do what nobody else wants to do.

Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Be like Jesus; suffer like Jesus. That’s what Peter says. That’s what he’s saying to slaves with harsh masters. It’s a good thing if you suffer for doing what’s right. It’s no great thing to suffer punishment for doing wrong, but if you’re suffering for what’s right—congratulations! You are now imitating Jesus. You are now living by his standard.

This is instruction for slaves: do the grunt work nobody wants to do, and suffer when you don’t deserve it.

Are you thrilled now? Jesus, when you really understand him, is not always what people want to hear. If you say people could easily be saved and be right with God even if Jesus isn’t their Lord, read again: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). He says you can’t be his disciple if you don’t.

Let’s look at Jesus’ life in a little more detail, especially the part right before his death. The Bible says many false witnesses came forward against Jesus in the middle of the night when they were holding that kangaroo court. They made their accusations, “but Jesus remained silent” (Matthew 26:63). Then he was sent to Herod, who asked him a lot of questions, “but Jesus did not answer him” (Luke 23:9). Herod and his soldiers made fun of him and insulted him, and Jesus said nothing. Then he went back to Pilate. “When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, ‘Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?’ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge” (Matthew 27:12-14).

At one point, Pilate said, “Don’t you realize I have power to free you or to crucify you?” Finally, Jesus broke his silence: “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:10-11). But Jesus remained calm and quiet, no matter what was said or done against him. As Peter says, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats” (1 Peter 2:23). What did he do? When they nailed him to the cross, he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). When he was about to die, he said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

So again, when they hurled their insults at him, he didn’t retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He said, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” He gave himself to God. He didn’t fight back. He forgave.

What does it mean to follow in his steps? Let me highlight a few things that come through in this passage as well as others.

It means serving like slaves in the lowliest of tasks. Peter has already told you that you are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9). You are the light of the world, people with a fantastic identity. But if you think that makes you too high to do the grunt work, the dirty work, dream on. Your Lord and Master did such things, and so you are to serve like slaves in the lowliest of tasks—even if you aren’t a slave.

Now, that doesn’t mean that if you’re a master, you get to quote Jesus and say, “Serve like a slave in the lowliest of tasks,” while you get to be mean. Peter is speaking to those who are facing suffering, not to those inflicting it.

We bear undeserved pain as an honor. “The Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (1 Peter 4:14) when you’re suffering like Jesus. We submit to God’s will. “It was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer” (Isaiah 53:10). Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). So when you walk in Jesus’ steps, you’re submitting to God’s will and seeking the glory of God first in everything you do.

It includes enduring insults patiently and quietly. Does that come naturally to you? When somebody calls you a name, do you remain quiet and absorb it—or do you call them an even worse name? When somebody hurts you, do you absorb it and pray, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” or do you try to hurt them worse? Enduring insults patiently and quietly is not the natural sinner’s response. It’s a response that comes only when we’re walking in the footsteps of Jesus.

Forgive attackers without fighting back. Peter knew his own tendency, because it had already played out. When they came to arrest Jesus, what did Peter do? He whipped out a sword and slashed off a man’s ear. Jesus said, “Put your sword back in its place… for all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). Then he touched the man’s ear and healed him (Luke 22:51). Peter knew by this time that whipping out a sword and attacking your enemies—even if you think they’re the enemies of Jesus—is not the way to deal with these things. You forgive attackers without fighting back.

You deny yourself in order that others may be saved. That’s why Peter appeals to the fact that “Christ died for you” (1 Peter 2:21). He died to rescue you. You’re not suffering in the sense that you’re atoning for someone else’s sins, but you are absorbing their wickedness in a way—the harm and pain their wickedness causes—rather than striking back. You want them saved. Your goal is not revenge but salvation.

Throughout this passage on living under the system, Peter makes the same point: if you want to see people in the system saved, you don’t start a big revolution against the government. If you want to see your master saved, you don’t get obnoxious and in his face. If you want to see your domineering, unbelieving husband saved, you don’t start hauling out all the big guns showing him what a fool he is. You win him over by your godly life. You deny yourself in order to help others be saved. That’s what it is to walk in Jesus’ steps.

At the end of all that, you trust the Judge to make things right. “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Those are good hands. Those hands took his spirit and then, three days later, gave him his body back in glory and everlasting power.

When you suffer, the apostle Paul says, don’t take revenge. “Leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). You love your enemies, do good to those who persecute you, and let God take care of any vengeance that needs to be dealt out. A good deal of that vengeance has already been dealt out—laid on the back of Jesus at the cross when your enemy is saved. And if there are enemies who never turn to Christ, God will take care of that too. He’ll make sure the punishment is just.

In the meantime, this is how you walk in his steps. WWJD? Okay, let’s see: slave away, take some suffering, don’t hit back, submit to God’s will, deny yourself. WWJD? That—and of course there are other aspects of living a holy life, such as obeying God and showing kindness to others—but Peter’s highlight here is that in suffering, serving, and difficulty you are becoming the most like Jesus your Master.

So let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, “the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:2-3).

Jesus is our Substitute, our Shepherd, and our Standard. If you are baptized into Christ, that is who he is for you. He has paid the price with his precious blood—don’t ever let anyone take that belief, that conviction, that certainty away from you. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He’s your Good Shepherd—rejoice that he cares for you, that he’s also directing your paths and running your life. And he’s your Standard—so be ready to serve and to suffer like he did.

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:21-25).

Prayer

We praise you, Lord Jesus, for all that you are. We praise you for the perfect life laid down that we might live forever. We thank you that though we’ve wandered like sheep, you are the Good Shepherd who rescues and restores—the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.

And we thank you, Lord, that you have not told us or expected of us what you were unwilling to do, but that you have set the standard and the example—of suffering, of serving, that others might benefit; of putting others’ well-being ahead of your own. Lord, help us to love with that kind of love—to love our enemies, to suffer when necessary if it would do them good, to serve in all the unglamorous and even miserable ways that sometimes we’re called to serve, and to bear that because we’re like you.

Help us to realize again that the Spirit of glory and of God rests on us, because the likeness of Jesus is shining from us. Lord, help those right now who may be in discouraging circumstances, going through hard things and dealing with difficult people. May this message help them to follow in your steps. Help those who are struggling with whether they’re saved, wondering if they would be with you if they were to die today. Help them, Lord, to see the wonder of the Substitute who paid the price for them.

Lord, some are going through great difficulties. Some have faced terrible health problems. We pray that as the Good Shepherd—who walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death, who gives us a feast in the presence of our enemies—you will be our great encouragement and help, and that you will lift up the hearts of those who are here again today.

We thank you, Lord, for the wonderful sign of baptism, and help each of us who has already been baptized to realize again that we’re dead to sin and alive to you, that the precious blood washes us clean, that the life-giving Spirit dwells within us. Help us to leave this place strengthened and glad that we have been with you and your people. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

 

Our Substitute, Shepherd, and Standard (1 Peter 2:21-25)
By David Feddes
Slide Contents

^2:21 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.” ²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.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. 

^3:17 It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.^3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit…

 ^3:22 He has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Three dimensions

1. Substitute
2. Shepherd
3. Standard
   
   

Sinless substitute

He committed no sin. (2:22; Isaiah 53:9)

He was tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

He appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. (1 John 3:5)

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Substitute

Christ suffered for you… He bore our sins in his body on the tree… by his wounds you have been healed. (2:21, 24)

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (3:18)

Bore sins on the tree

“You killed him by hanging him on a tree” (Acts 5:30). “They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.” (Acts 10:39)

 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13)

Sin-bearing substitute

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed… the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all… the LORD makes his life a guilt offering… he bore the sin of many. (Isaiah 53)

Sacrifice

He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself… Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many. (Hebrews 9:26, 28)

Precious blood

…sprinkling by his blood... redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1:2, 18-19)

Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22)

The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

Penal substitutionary atonement

Christ suffered for you… He bore our sins in his body on the tree… by his wounds you have been healed. (2:21, 24)

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (3:18)

Three dimensions

1. Substitute
2. Shepherd
3. Standard
   
   

Shepherd

… so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.  (2:24-25)

 

Sheep

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all… he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53)
 

Shepherd

He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms (Is 40:11)

The Lord is my Shepherd. (Psalm 23:1)

I have found my lost sheep. (Luke 15:6)

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)

Shepherd & overseer

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers… not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (5:2-4)

Three dimensions

1. Substitute
2. Shepherd
3. Standard
   
   

Standard

Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ^“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. (2:21-23)

Jesus set the standard

Serve: Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. (John 13:15)

Suffer: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)

Silent sufferer

Many false witnesses came forward…. But Jesus remained silent. (Matt 26:63)

Herod asked him a lot of questions, but Jesus did not answer… Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and insulted him. (Luke 23:9-11)

When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge. (Matthew 27:12-14)

Forgive others, trust God

“Father, forgive them.” (Luke 23:34)

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. (2:23)

In his steps

• Serve like slaves in lowliest tasks.

• Bear undeserved pain as an honor.

• Submit to God’s will; seek His glory.

• Endure insults patiently and quietly.

• Forgive attackers; don’t fight back.

• Deny self to help others be saved.

• Trust Judge to make things right.

Fix eyes on Jesus

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross... Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2-3)

Three dimensions

1. Substitute
2. Shepherd
3. Standard