He Started It!

Not a Sermon - Just a Thought for April 11, 2008

If two kids play together long enough they will eventually disagree about something. It will likely escalate, and if an adult intervenes there will be that moment where one kid justifies his actions by saying “But he started it!” It illustrates our innate thirst for revenge. Injustices, real or perceived, evoke a response from our core.

Like when I am forced to listen to an obnoxious cell phone conversation three tables away in a restaurant. Am I the only one who wants to take the phone, slam it shut, and drop it in the iced tea? Or how about the mind rattling music coming from the car next to you at the stop light. Have you ever dreamed of a device that could cause a subwoofer to implode from 20 feet away?

In First Peter 2.18-25 we find that Jesus’ pattern for his followers excludes this kind of revenge. The reading teaches us that we must bear up under suffering and refuse the path of retaliation. While cell phones and loud music are inconveniences to be endured, there are other substantial situations that we face where we must walk the path of quiet suffering without retaliation.

But the hard question is, “When is enough, enough?” This text has been abused by preachers who told slaves that suffering under the hand of a cruel master was just part of suffering for God. This text has been abused by preachers telling women to stay in their marriages even when there is abuse to preserve the holiness of marriage. How long do we tolerate abuse before we take action?

The answer lies here: “But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God” (1 Pete 2.20). In other words, suffering just for suffering sake is silly. God would not have one of His children remain in a situation of pain when escape is possible. But suffering for good causes verifies our commitment to the causes of God. Suffering with “purpose” is really part of what it means to walk in the footsteps of Jesus – as Peter suggests in verse 21.

So if I suffer financially because I have made a decision to help the poor, that’s good. If I choose not to retaliate against a driver who cuts me off, that’s good too because I avoid a wreck and give a positive example of a Christian. If the church suffers persecution by the state or by the culture, that’s worthy suffering as well because it shows that we truly are committed to our beliefs.

This weekend I’ll be preaching a sermon at Willow Meadows Baptist Church based on this idea that following in Jesus’ footsteps necessarily includes some suffering. I’m not anticipating a sellout crowd for this unpopular message, but you’ll still want to be here by 10:45.

I see the footprints,
Pastor Gary

Not a Sermon – Just a Thought is a weekly email from me, Gary Long. I’m the pastor of Willow Meadows Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. You can subscribe or unsubscribe by emailing me directly at glong@wmbc.org. You can also read some more of my writing at my blog, To the Lees.

I Peter 2.18-25
18Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.