An Example To Follow

The Bible says that “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” The Greek word that is used there (that our English versions translate as “example”) is only used in this one place in the New Testament. The Greek word is “hupogrammon” and it has a very specific meaning.

It’s the word for a copybook that a student would follow by re-tracing, in his own hand, the letters and words he saw there so that he could learn how to write.
The Bible says that this is what Christ has done for us in his life—he has left us a “hupogrammon” that we are to copy out in our own lives. Jesus’ life is the original and each facet of his life is to be written out by us in our life in what we do, say, and think.

In our epistle lesson today, we hear of a particular characteristic of Christ’s life that God wants to make sure that we Christians are following in our own lives: and that is patient endurance in the face of unjust suffering. The Bible says that:

This is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

The occasion of this letter was a very difficult moment in the life of the early Christians. Nero was the Roman ruler and when he burned much of Rome to the ground, he blamed it on the Christians. All over Rome Christians were being persecuted. They were being martyred in terrible ways in the Roman Coliseum for the amusement of the Roman citizens. And while life for Christian slaves in pagan households had always been difficult—their suffering in this moment was profound.

And so what was Peter’s apostolic counsel? What did the Holy Spirit inspire him to tell those who suffer unjustly? To rise up and throw off the shackles of oppression? To give back as good as they got? To seek revenge? To demand justice? No!

In the midst of unjust suffering, God wants Christians to know that we are to endure it patiently-- and not only that (as difficult as that is)--we also are to do good to others in the midst of suffering!

You will notice that God says that it is simply expected that Christians will avoid those actions that could justly earn rebuke and punishment—there is no credit for suffering when our own sins have earned it! But to endure suffering for doing good—to be patient in the midst of injustice—this, the Bible says, is a gracious thing.

Now what does God mean when he says that it is a gracious thing to endure suffering and do good in the midst of it? Well, two things.

First of all, this kind of life of patient endurance requires the grace of God. To patiently endure unjust suffering and to do good to those who mistreat us can not be done in our frail human strength.

Our flesh rebels against the very idea! We want validation that others are on our side—we want vindication that our cause is just—we want victory over those who mistreat us. But by God’s grace (that is by his help and favor) it is possible for us to follow Christ’s example and patiently endure unjust suffering.

Second of all, this is a gracious thing not only because it requires God’s grace, but it is evidence of God’s grace in our life—it is a witness and testimony that by God’s grace, Christ lives within us—his life written in our life.

Now, the Christians of the early church were no different than us in that they were burdened and weighed down by the same sinful flesh as we are. I have no doubt that, when in the midst of their suffering they received this apostolic counsel to endure suffering and do good to those who misused them, their flesh rebelled against the very idea! “Surely, if we follow this advice, the church will perish from the earth!” “We need to take matters into our own hands and rise up in rebellion!” “To endure this kind of mistreatment is suicide!”

That is why they were told to be “mindful of God”: to remember that God: 1. knows exactly what is happening to us--every hair of our head is numbered. 2. is ultimately in control of the whole situation. 3. loves us and has proven that love beyond any shadow of a doubt at the cross with the death of his own Son.

When the early Christians remembered these things—when they were mindful of God—they enjoyed God’s peace even in the midst of persecution and within a very short period of time (historically speaking) the entire Roman world was converted to faith in Christ through their witness to Jesus in how they lived.

What about us here today? It’s almost embarrassing to compare the sufferings that we are called upon to endure as modern Christians in this country-- with those of these early Christians who were martyred --and yet there are certainly times in our lives when we suffer unjustly as Christians.

Our boss takes a dislike to us because we will not cheat a customer or take shortcuts with our work and we get passed over for a promotion and pay raise. Our classmates at school single us out for ridicule because we refuse to participate in their sin. We are made to feel like second-class citizens in our own nation because we take a stand for Christian morality. There is nothing just in any of these situations.

So what are we to do as modern Christians? The same as ancient Christians: God says that we are to endure it patiently and do good to others in the midst of it.

This is no easier for us than it was for the early Christians-- but neither has God’s grace diminished over the years and what we cannot do in our own strength-- we can do by his grace. It is still true that God knows just exactly what we are going through—that he is in control of the situation and working all of it for our good—and that we are loved by him with an everlasting love in Jesus Christ whose life is to be a pattern for our own. The Bible says:

To this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

It must have been a shocking thing for the early Christians, undergoing terrible persecution, to hear that they were supposed to patiently endure it and do good for their persecutors in the midst of it.

But then to hear that this kind of life was not to be considered an unusual situation—that it was not to be considered out of the ordinary—but that it was to this kind of life that they had been called—a life of patient endurance in suffering—to learn that this kind of crucified life is at the very heart of our calling as Christians--must have been almost beyond belief. It certainly is for us!

The false Christianity of our modern day tells us that we can have our best life now. The false prophets of the false Gospel of health and wealth tell us that if we struggle financially or if we are sick it is because we do not have enough faith. And the false church tells us that Christianity is really about us in the end and our faith in Jesus merely a tool to get what we want.

God tells us something totally different. God tells us that because Christ suffered unjustly and did not cease doing good to those who misused him even in the midst of it—we are called to exactly the same kind of life—that his life is an example that we are to follow so that our path through life carefully follows his own life, step by step--that Jesus has given us a “hupogrammon”—a pattern for how to live our own lives.

As we consider that, let me ask you a couple of questions for personal reflection. First of all, is Christ’s life the pattern for your life-- or have you chosen a pattern for your life that comes from the world?

Secondly, if we have chosen Jesus’ life as our example, can we honestly say that our lives—drawn in the pencil marks of our decisions, and words, and actions, and priorities—look like the man of the cross who patiently endured suffering—who did good to those who mistreated him—who forgave those who wounded him?

Much too often the answer is no. There are parts of our life that don’t even come close to matching up with the pattern of Christ’s life.

We want the resurrection blessings that come from a life with God-- but we don’t want the sufferings that come with taking up our cross and following Jesus. We want the word of the cross “Father, forgive them” to be spoken to us-- but we don’t want to speak them to others. We demand justice for others --but beg for mercy for ourselves. If we were to see our life drawn out on the pattern of Jesus, much of it would be outside the lines of the original.

That is why it is such good news for us today that the life of Christ is not just a example for us to follow-- but also our salvation and hope and peace. The Bible says that:

Jesus committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree

It is only in Jesus that we find someone who patiently endured suffering, doing good in the midst of it-- and the Good News for us is that God the Father counts that holy life as our righteousness. And all of the times that we have spoken ill of others—all of those times we have sought revenge—all of those times we have lashed out in anger—Christ has carried those sins to the tree of the cross where they were forgiven.

Through faith in Jesus, God the Holy Spirit gives us a fresh sheet of paper to begin again today sketching out a beautiful life for ourselves that is a copy of Christ’s own life. God says that it was for this purpose that Jesus lived and died:

“that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

As we compare the picture of our life with the patient, loving man of the cross, we see how far outside of the lines we have gone. We recognize that as we pursue revenge, as we withhold forgiveness, as we pattern our lives after the world—that we have wandered far from the fold of the Good Shepherd.

Today Jesus calls his wandering sheep to return—to know and believe that by his death and resurrection there is forgiveness and new life and a fresh start for us—to rejoice that the wounds inflicted upon our hearts by others- and the wounds that we have caused to our own souls- have been healed by Jesus.

And in this healing, we begin again to die to sin and live to righteousness, walking in his footsteps, following his example, patterning our life after his own. It is to this life—Christ’s life--that we have been called. Amen.