The Christian's Calling: A Life of Unfair Treatment

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.
1 Peter 2:18-23

Addressing the believers he's writing to, Peter begins verse 21 with the words "For to this you have been called." It's important for us to understand exactly what Peter is saying because he's describing not just what his 1st century readers were called to, but what all Christians are called to--by necessity.

So what is the this that Christians have been called to?

The preposition "for" that begins verse 21 functions as a ground for why Peter has written what he has just written in the previous verses.  And what is the essential exhortation of the previous verses?

Verse 18: Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.

The main exhortation here isn't simply for servants to be subject to masters in general, but for servants to respond well to masters who treat them unfairly.  How do we know that how we respond in the midst of unfair treatment is the main thrust of Peter's exhortation?  Because everything he writes after verse 18 highlights the context of being treated unfairly.

Verse 19: For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly (unfair treatment).

Verse 20:  For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it (fair treatment), you endure?  But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure (unfair treatment), this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

And then, finally, Peter points us to the ultimate example--indeed the only example--of One who responded well to unfair treatment.

Verses 21-23:  For to this you have been called (responding well when treated unfairly), because Christ also suffered for you (was treated unfairly by men), leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps (of responding well when treated unfairly by men).  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.

Over the last week (and in some ways the last year), I've been thinking about how easy it is and, in a sense, how natural it is for one person to be misunderstood by another.  It's so easy to have the best intentions (from my perspective) and yet for others to misinterpret those intentions in a negative way.

And it's usually--though not always--when my good intentions are misunderstood that I end up on the receiving end of what feels like unfair treatment.  In my experience, there's a direct relationship between how good I feel like my intentions are to how unfairly I feel like I'm being treated when those intentions are misunderstood.

And you know what?  In those moments where my good intentions are misunderstood and I end up feeling treated unfairly, everything that Jesus didn't do on the cross is what I end up doing in those moments.  In those moments, contrary to the description of the Suffering Servant in verses 21-23,  I commit sin, I--in instinctive self-defense--speak words that purposely obscure at least some portion of reality, my heart reviles, my heart threatens, and I want to exact justice for myself rather than entrusting myself to the Father who judges justly.

How is Jesus different?  At least two ways, both of which I've already hinted at.

First, though I respond poorly when treated unfairly by men, Jesus responds well when treated unfairly by men.  The phrase "by men" is important because, in one sense, Jesus was not treated unfairly on the cross.  The cross was the greatest display of justice when the Father, to vindicate His righteousness, placed upon the sin-bearer the penalty that sin rightly deserved (Romans 3:21-26).  Jesus, as that sin-bearer, was not treated unfairly on the cross by the Father.  But He was treated unfairly by the men who sentenced him to the cross, which seems to be the focus of Peter's thought, especially when he ends verse 23 by saying that, in spite of the unfair treatment by men, Jesus nonetheless entrusted Himself to the God who judges justly--or, with fairness.

Second, Jesus always has the best and purest intentions.  In this life, my intentions are always mixed and never completely pure.  What this means is that there is always legitimate reason for others to misunderstand me.  But that is never the case for Jesus.  There is never legitimate reason to misunderstand Him.  So if anyone should tolerate being misunderstood, it's me; not Jesus.

But what's so amazing is that the One who has no reason to be misunderstood by men is the only one who is patient when misunderstood by men and in a sense understands us when we misunderstand Him (Luke 23:34).

And He calls us to imitate Him in this very thing--this naturally impossible thing.  Not just toward the non-Christian who mocks you, but toward the dear brother who misinterprets your loving intention.  The reason why Peter twice calls it a gracious thing (verse 19, 20) to respond like Jesus when we feel treated unfairly by men is precisely because it's an impossible thing.  If it were easy or even possible, it wouldn't require the supernatural power of grace.

But, Christian, this is our calling.  This is our life.

Father, please grant us more grace.  In the name of the Suffering Servant we pray, Amen.