1 Peter 2:13—3:7: In His Steps
IN THE LATE 1800s a young social worker tramped the streets of Topeka, Kansas. Disguised as an unemployed printer, he begged for food, work, hope. The social-worker-turned-tramp was a believer in Jesus and knew the giving, caring moral code that Jesus lived and taught. So he assumed that fellow Christians, even though they could not see through his disguise, would be among the first to help. He was wrong. He found that a tramp's life was tough— and that Christians didn't make it any easier.
Charles Sheldon went home to write a book about his experience—a novel that introduced a dying tramp to the Rev. Henry Maxwell and his congregation. In it, a body of believers begins to see the submissive suffering of Jesus and what it means to walk In His Steps.
Warming Up to God
If you were to rate your natural inclination for being submissive on a scale of one to ten, where would you place yourself and why? (One is a mud-covered doormat; ten is a banner-waving firebrand.)
Read 1 Peter 2:13—3:7. »
Discovering the Word
- According to Peter, why should Christians treat their governing leaders with respect (2:13-15)?
- How could the teachings of 2:16-17 keep you from becoming a "muddy doormat" to your government?
- How might being a Christian bring some meaning to the suffering that comes from being a slave (2:18-21)?
- 2:23 says that in his suffering, Jesus "entrusted himself to him who judges justly." How might a similar trust in God help you to submit to the necessary suffering that has come into your own life?
Applying the Word
- Finding a balance between responsible action for healthy change and submission to authority is a constant tension for the Christian who wants to obey this passage. How can you draw together both ends of this tension? (In what situations would you take action? At what point would you submit?)
- How do you balance the tension of submission versus responsible action in your job? in your marriage? in other relationships?
Responding in Prayer
Pray for courage to walk "in his steps" even in the face of suffering.
For Further Study
The Cost of Commitment by John White