… ²³and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously …

Suffering is part of life in a fallen world; we all experience it in some form or another. So Scripture is replete with descriptions of suffering (see the Psalms for example) and instructions on how to live during difficult or painful circumstances. It also addresses eternal suffering, the ultimate consequence of living in a fallen world and rejecting God’s rescue from its consequences.

Believers are rescued from eternal suffering. God has removed the curse of Eden from us but has left us in this fallen world until the time of our full redemption. He gives us the task of living out the formation of Christlikeness in us while we still here. So we have before us the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is called “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Col. 1:15) and “the beginning and the firstborn from the dead” (Col. 1:18, Rev. 1:18). So, for us who have been born again from spiritual death, and ultimately from all death and suffering, we follow His lead. We live out our assignment to mirror His dealing with the difficulties of life.

Much suffering comes from conflict with others, whether real or imagined. When others criticize, slander, judge, and condemn us, our example in Christ is not to respond in kind, make threats, or retaliate in any way. But in the ordinary course of life, the temptation to do so comes frequently, if not daily. We fret over what others think or say about us or to us.

Resisting temptation begins with controlling our inner person. Peter, who himself had a long road to learning this lesson, puts before us what Jesus did when in conflict. We see this most clearly when the conflict He experienced was leading to death.

What did Jesus do? He entrusted Himself to God. At the point of death, we hear Him calling out, “‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46). Stephen, the first martyr, followed Jesus’ example when being stoned to death for his faith, as Scripture tells us, “He called on the Lord and said, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’” (Acts 7:59). The apostles Peter and John, in the face of persecution, expressed their trust in God: “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence” (Acts 4:29). So too, we should choose to trust God rather than our fallen tendency to self-protect.

Lord, I want to trust You and not my instincts to retaliate. Help me to do better at this.