Saturday August 6, 2022

Christ suffered for you and left you an example, that you may follow in his footsteps : he who committed no sin, and in whose mouth no deceit was found : he who, insulted, did not did not return the insult, suffered, did not make threats, but relied on Him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2. 21-23

Jesus, our model

In his life on earth, Jesus Christ is the model for believers. He was "meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 22:29), and we can learn from him when we suffer wrongs or undeserved reproaches.

Jesus knew contempt. Nathanael, one of his disciples, said one day, before knowing him : "Can anything good come from Nazareth ?" (John 1.46). Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but Nazareth is where he grew up. How does he respond to this disagreeable word ? He begins by pointing out a quality in Nathanael : "Behold an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile" (v. 47).

When Judas came for Jesus with a troop armed with clubs and swords, all the disciples "left him and fled". They forsook their Lord (Matthew 26:56) at the critical moment when Judas came to have him arrested and brought before a hostile Jewish tribunal. And yet, what does he say to them after the resurrection ? "May peace be with you !" (John 20. 19).

Similar attitudes are found among believers. In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul talks about how he had to reprove the apostle Peter in front of everyone, because of a teaching and an example that were not right. How did Peter, older than Paul, react to this severe public intervention ? He will speak of Paul as "our beloved brother Paul" (2 Peter 3:15).

Thus, the Bible encourages us not to react negatively when we are attacked or hurt by inappropriate, clumsy words, or by reproaches, whether or not they are deserved.

Source (The Good Seed)