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1 Peter 2:18-20
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
After telling his readers to be submissive to the governing authorities above them, Peter then turns his attention to the servants who work for earthly masters, and he tells them to be submissive to them as well. Though he’s referring to servants or slaves, a practice that was prevalent back then, in today’s context we can apply these teachings to employees who work in different kind of work places - companies, organizations, institutions, industries, etc. Submission to authority in the workplace is important for the smooth functioning of the company or firm.
Not only does he say that servants need to be submissive to their masters, but he also adds that they need to respect them, whether they are good and gentle toward them, or even if they are harsh toward them. Now while this might seem like an impossible ask for one to be submissive to harsh bosses, he goes on to give a reason for this. He says that it needs to be done due to one’s conscience toward God, meaning that if one suffers wrongdoing when he is not guilty of any wrongdoing, then that is commendable before God. He will explain this later.
Back in the day, slaves were sometimes even beaten by their masters, a practice that is not acceptable today, though it still happens in some places across the globe. So Peter tells them that if they are beaten for wrongdoing, it’s not commendable, meaning that they are getting the penalty for their behaviour. But if when they are beaten, despite being and doing good, they are still patient with their masters, then that would be commendable before God. There’s no room for such behaviour in today’s world though, since employers are supposed to respect their employees.
1 Peter 2:21-25
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
The reason we should be willing to suffer for doing good, is because our Master Jesus Christ himself suffered on our behalf when He suffered a cruel death on the cross. He serves as an example of how we should react to unjust treatment from those in the world. If we follow Jesus, then we need to walk in His steps. He did nothing wrong, but was sinless. He was not deceitful in His speech either. In fact when He was insulted and criticized, He did not retaliate in like manner. When He went through all that suffering, He did not threaten those who mistreated Him. He had the power to defend Himself, but chose to not do so, and instead He committed Himself to God the Father, who judges all people righteously. If that’s the response by our Master, we too should commit ourselves to God to defend us, and not retaliate against ill treatment by evil people.
The reason Jesus was crucified on the cross was to take upon Himself both our sins, and the penalty of the sins we had committed. So He was being punished for nothing wrong He had done, but was instead taking our punishment upon Himself. The purpose of Him taking our sins upon Himself was so that we can die to sin, meaning that we no longer live in sin, but instead can now live righteous lives led by His Holy Spirit. When Jesus bore the penalty of sin on our behalf, not only were we made free from the penalty of sin, but He also made us righteous in God’s sight. We were made righteous by nothing we did, but by what Jesus did on our behalf. We were infected with the world’s worst sickness – sin, and by Jesus taking the stripes by the Romans soldiers on our behalf, we who have now put our faith in Jesus are rid of that sickness of sin, meaning that we do not need to be under bondage to sin any longer – unless we choose to get enslaved all over again of course.
We were like sheep going astray from the sheepfold, but Jesus came as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), and brought us back to the fold of God, where He is now the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. Our souls were lost, and not in relationship with God, but now since our souls have been saved, the Lord Jesus is leading us by His Holy Spirit, so we can live a new life of righteousness. Jesus, the Good Shepherd is leading us, so we don’t need to go astray again. He has taken it upon Himself to oversee this great task of keeping us on track.
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