Wronged, Not Warped
I dropped the weights and collapsed onto the weight bench. I wasn't physically tired, but an intrusive thought had shut me down again. My mind kept replaying the scene of a Christian leader bullying me, and the memory overloaded my body with anger. The worst part wasn't the evil they had initially done to me, but my fear that they had deformed my soul. I didn't want to be an angry person, but I didn't know how to stop hating them for what they had done.
1 Peter 2:11-25
Dear friends, you are away from home here, only passing through. So I plead with you to keep clear of sinful cravings, which wage war against your very soul. Make your conduct beautiful among the nations. Then, where they speak against you as wrongdoers, they will see your good deeds and give glory to God on the day he comes to visit. For the Lord's sake, submit to every authority set up among people: whether to the emperor, as the one who rules over all, or to governors, whom he sends to punish wrongdoers and to praise those who do good. God wants your good conduct to silence the ignorant chatter of foolish people. Submit as people who are free, yet never using that freedom to hide wrongdoing. Live as those who belong to God as his servants. Show honor to everyone. Love the family of believers. Stand in awe of God. Honor the emperor. Household servants, submit to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle ones, but also to the harsh. For there is grace in this: when, conscious of God, a person bears up under the pain of suffering that is undeserved. After all, what credit is it if you take a beating you had coming for doing wrong, and endure it? But it is grace in God's eyes if you do what is right, suffer for it, and endure. This is exactly what you were called to. Christ suffered on your behalf, leaving you a pattern to imitate, so that you would walk in his footsteps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found on his lips. When he was insulted, he did not insult back; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he handed himself over to the One who judges with justice. He himself carried our sins in his body up onto the wood of the cross, so that we, finished with sin, might live for what is right. By his wounds you have been healed. You were wandering off like lost sheep; now you have come back to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
Whether you believe in God or not, our world is filled with suffering. Emperors rule as they please and slave masters beat their slaves. Fools try to drag down anyone who attempts to live differently. If we're continually mistreated, the cruelty can become who we are, too. But Jesus set an unmatched example for us. He both refused to sin and declined to retaliate when sinned against. Instead, his life revealed that he trusted God, who is perfectly good and completely just. He was not just innocent. In love, he willingly received our sins and carried them to the cross. In his death, he ended sin for us, and by his resurrection, we gain strength to live like him. Not only did his sacrifice buy our forgiveness, but his disfigurement made us whole. Evil tried to undo him, but his love unraveled its power. So now, instead of wandering around like fools, we are under the loving guidance of God. We're safe, free, and filled with God's grace. In going lower than anyone had ever gone, Jesus reveals the glory of God. When we stand in awe of God on the cross, our values are inverted. Now the emperor and the slave master are at the wrong end of the stick. They may have earthly authority, but they are under the heavenly authority of One who judges with justice. We don't belong to their nations or their households, but to God. But if God is our ultimate authority, how do we relate to our former authorities? I can see why my ancestors wanted their slaves to hear these verses. In the eyes of the foolish, it sounds like Peter is using Jesus to justify masters beating their slaves. But notice who Peter addresses: the slaves! Perhaps that is because, in their suffering, they know that Jesus suffered for them. In his world, a handful of impoverished Christians lacked the power to overthrow slavery. But no longer could the master enslave their souls. Because of Jesus, a beautiful life was still possible. The final threat is the internal one. If political and economic oppression can deform us, so can our sinful cravings. But Jesus freed us. As we love one another in the new family he has created, we are to become a community where good deeds are the cultural norm. We may not be able to avoid being verbally or physically attacked, but living well is the ultimate rejoinder. When I realized I could forgive those who hurt me while still recognizing they were harsh and abusive, my heart changed. I realized that enduring their abuse could cost me my job and my mental health. But they could not keep me from being loved by God or wanting to be like Jesus.
Under the worst injustice of human history, Jesus remained who he'd always been: innocent, good, and loving. What does it tell us about God that evil couldn't deform him?
What's one way you would live differently if you were confident that Jesus was your Shepherd and Guardian?
What's one way your soul has 'gone hard' after someone wronged you?
Before you start your day, open your hands before God. Pray, "God, I'm trusting you to free me from the sin that wars against my soul. I don't want suffering to turn me away from you, but to draw me closer. Help me to be like Jesus."