April 13, 2008

1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10
“Following Jesus — for Real”

In High School, a passion of mine was chess. A good friend taught me play. I wasn’t very good, but I was bound and determined to get better. My friend was good, very good. So, my goal was to beat him – then I could retire. I read books. I played whenever I could, but really the only time I could play was at school… with my friend… most often during one the classes we shared. The games might go on for days as they were played two identical chess board drawn on paper in our notebooks with pieces erased and redrawn as each move and counter move was passed back and forth. This was all before computers and handheld video games and cell phones. Paper, pencil, and eraser was our mobile technology then. We must have gone through reams of paper and still I couldn’t win. There were even classmates following our portable games and at the end of class would check to see how each of us were doing – knowing full well who would be winning. Some times the games got pretty intense and the paper would be passed in the middle of the teacher’s lesson to the class - not a good idea.

But when you’re passionate about something, things happen. And the result might be that we suffer for our passion. Sometimes we bring it on ourselves and sometimes it just happens. Which brings to mind a story:

A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing rather passionately their recent tournament victories.

After about an hour the manager came out of the office and asked them to break it up and go to their rooms.

“But why?” they asked as they moved off. “Because,” he said, “I can’t stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.”

Here we have not only a silly pun but also an example of a rather unfair situation. These ‘chess nuts’ were kicked out of the hotel lobby for no good reason, at least to them. Hasn’t that happened to most of us at some time or another? Hasn’t someone done us wrong for no real reason? So, what are we to do when that happens?

Well in the verse prior to our reading for today, the apostle Peter says: “Servants, you must obey your masters and always show respect to them. Do this, not only to those who are kind and thoughtful, but also to those who are cruel.” (2:18)

Peter is writing to Christians who are slaves and who have been beaten and mistreated by their owners because they have been spreading the good news of the gospel. Now what Peter says may be hard for us to understand. We’ve not been slaves nor mistreated for our passion in sharing the gospel, although passionately sharing the gospel is something we should be doing – and some of us may be doing just that.

Peter’s advice to these Christians was if you’re where Christ is, you’re going to suffer, sometimes. You’re going to be treated unfairly. You are going to have to deal with some not-so-nice things – but be like Jesus, he says, even in your suffering. Jesus didn’t respond with violence. He didn’t threaten those who were beating up on him. Wouldn’t that be good advice for us as well? Especially when considering the Jesus’ suffering went way beyond the little irritations we face in our daily life. They are basically the same. And shouldn’t we be more like Christ – even to the point of continuing to do good even though we suffer because of it?

We know what it means to be held responsible for our failures and the mistakes we’ve made. Sometimes we have even suffered because of it. But chances are we’ve also suffered for something that wasn’t our fault. We’ve been blamed for things we didn’t do, accused of doing something for a reason quite the opposite of our intention or called an opportunist when we were unselfishly trying to help someone. We know what it means when someone says, “No good deed goes unpunished.” We’ve been there, all of us.

So, Peter’s logic makes perfect sense. What’s the big deal if you accept blame and suffer when the screw-up is really your fault? There’s “no points for that!” You should take responsibility; it’s the right thing to do.

But if you suffer for doing the right thing, that’s different Peter says, “God blesses you for that.” Then he goes on to say, in effect: “Those who follow in Jesus’ footsteps are going to suffer too.” (v. 21). It comes with the territory. When it comes to suffering, don’t expect a free pass. There aren’t any. And that goes for all of us, not just the slaves to whom Peter is writing. You go where Jesus has been – and that’s exactly where we should be - you’re going to experience some grief.

Peter goes on to say when Jesus was abused he never tried to get even. And that’s what we should do as well - regardless of the situation or circumstance. What guides us in our relationships with fellow Christians ought to apply in how we deal with irritating strangers, and both should be guided by the example of Jesus.

Dr. James Orbinski, who has devoted his life to serving the poor and victims of war through Doctors without Borders, traces his path to a life question he asked when he was younger. The question that drove him is this: How am I to be, how are we to be in relation to the suffering of others? His life is the answer to that question. He calls it living the question.

That should challenge us all deeply to ask, “Do I want my life to be about ME, or like Jesus, do I want it to be about others and about God.”

Peter is putting Jesus out there as the model for Christians to follow. Peter’s message is really not about turning the other cheek, or saying no to getting even – although he does say those things. It is about following Jesus — for real. It’s about looking at Jesus’ footsteps as revealed in the Bible, and then trying to place our feet in the same places. And, it’s about what that might really mean for all of us.

The good news is that for those of you who have “wandered away like sheep,” Jesus will help us find the right path as well, for “now you have returned to the one who is your shepherd and protector.” (v. 25). There is hope in what Peter shares with us today!

So let’s not just talk about Jesus, or say we believe in him. Let’s not just hold him up as someone special. Let’s follow him — for real.