1 Peter 2:21-25
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
My first thought after reading this today was “what purpose are you talking about, Peter?” As we close out reading chapter 2, it is evident to me why the organizers of the bible cut this in to a chapter. As I look back at what Peter covered in this chapter, I realize that it is all about our purpose as disciples and believers of Christ. He talked about constantly feeding on the Word of God, relying on Jesus as the cornerstone, realizing who we are because of Him, acting according to the ways of Christ, and leaving vengeance for God. These are the things we have been purposed to; these are the things that as we live them out, will be a witness to others about the glory of God.
In the “Christian world” we talk about being a witness, evangelizing, representing Christ, and other euphemisms that all mean the same thing: go forth and share the Gospel of Jesus with others. In chapter 2, Peter just repeated what Jesus instructed us to do. Remember, this letter is to the Christians scattered around the world; we would do good to take heed of what Peter just reminded us.
We need to take this passage today to heart. It is the Gospel of Christ. It is the good news of our salvation. It is the message of freedom we have from the things of this world that bring us down. I read this and imagine it as a perfect way to answer why I live the way I live, why I care about my relationship with God and why it is important. I think it is a perfect time to come across this passage as we look forward to celebrating and remembering what Jesus did for us on Friday. It always struck me as odd why we call it “Good Friday” when it is the day that commemorates Jesus’ death. It’s because of what it did for us. It is because we know the end of the story. It’s because of what we are reading here today.
How will you thank Him? I try to think of stories about people who die saving someone else. The best way to make the sacrifice seem worth it is to live your life in honor of the one who saved you. So, why do we do these things? I think the question should be, “why don’t we do these things?” Afterall, there is freedom in it.
