Sermon Tone Analysis

The unmerited, unfathomed suffering which He bore without sin makes Him a peerless examplar.

More than once the life of this unique One has been brought forward as a model by Scripture.

But it serves thus only for believers, since they alone can attain to great heights of character.

To all others His career must bring condemnation, as to those who fall short of perfection and purity.

*Verse 21 *

1:15–17 identified God the Father as the holy One who invites men to be saved.

Then 2:9–10 pointed out how He calls men from darkness and sin to His marvellous light and holiness.

Thereby the Christian is said to possess holiness acceptable to God.

That exalted position he occupies because of grace.

But there is more to the efficacious call than a favorable position, 2:21 is prepared to add.

It also introduces the Christian to suffering, bitter suffering, along with Christ who wrought his salvation upon a cross.

ἐκλήθητε is written in the aorist tense just like the related words for /calling/ in 1:15 and 2:9 ; hence becomes an allusion, jointly with them, to the conversion appeal come from God which the readers had experienced.

For parallel Scriptures on the intimate connection between salvation and

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trial see Philippians 1:29 , “Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake”; Romans 8:17 ; 2 Timothy 2:12 ; etc.

One reason to explain why persecution must be endured is given by the apostle at once: “because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.”

The teaching on Christ as an example should be ascertained carefully.

At the outset, the words of one expositor may guide the way to sound interpretation: “But Jesus is not only our great example.

Discipleship never became Peter’s gospel.

The example of Jesus was not the message which Peter preached at Pentecost.

What made that message so clear and convincing, turning thousands to repentance and faith, was the Gospel of the Shepherd of our souls who atones.

Peter had been a follower of Christ as a disciple, and he had denied him.

In his words (v. 25 ) there is a recollection of a great experience ( Luke 22:60–62 ) which had saved him.

Who but Peter would write with so much feeling the words /but now are returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls?/

He had learned that the Gospel is, /who his own self bore our sins in his body upon the tree/ .” 1 So the Galilean preached a gospel of saving grace, not of human striving.

In confirmation, observe verse 24 below, together with 1:18–19 ; 2:6–7 ; 3:18ff and kindred verses from other apostles as well as Peter.

The New Testament is certain to make a distinction, then, between what Christ endured before the cross and on it.

In the former and only therein will Christians discover a pattern for their conduct; in the latter and nowhere else, the means of salvation.

Hart and Alford differ in their understanding of καὶ , the one connecting it with the subject and the other linking it with the predicate of the causal clause.

It would seem more natural to join the conjunction with /Christ/ , the subject, if any significance must be attached to the Greek word order.

According to Hart the clause would read: “Christ /also/ , as

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well as you slaves, felt the sting of cruel persecution.”

Alford, however, interprets it to mean that Christ suffered /also/ by way of example, in addition to dying for sin.

At all events, for you must not be taken to connote substitution in verse 21 .

Often the phrase does bear this meaning, but here the context will forbid such a sense.

ὑπὲρ will rather emphasize /benefit/ and /advantage/ , in line with its basic force as a preposition.

Robertson notices a word picture behind ὑπογραμμὸν , because the papyri show many examples of this verbal root in the sense of copying a letter.

Clement of Alexandria, to name one early writer, used it of the copyhead at the top of a child’s exercise book for the child to imitate, including all the letters in the alphabet.

As for ἐπακολουθήσητε , Peter could hardly have employed a term like that without having his mind flooded with memories.

Compare the related word for /follow/ in Matthew 4:20 ; 16:24 ; John 21:19 .

*Verse 22 *

Verses 22 and 23 append a brief description of Christ and His suffering.

Was the attack against Him merited or unmerited?

The twenty-second verse is given over to defending His innocence, a guiltlessness both in word and deed.

First of all, judgment has been passed upon the actions: “who did no sin.”

Peter well knew, of course, that the Tempter had approached this holy One.

Yes, had he not himself played into the hands of Satan and personally been the channel for one sore temptation-there in the coasts of Caesarea Philippi?

Both Matthew and Mark record the way it happened.

He, as chief among the Twelve, had led his companions in recognizing and confessing the Messiahship of Christ, when he said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And in swift reply the Lord had focused all eyes upon Peter with the words: “Blessed are thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven...” From that time forth, however, the Son of man found

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it needful to announce His plan to die in disgrace and rise again, the third day.

-That happen to the Son of David, anointed to rule the earth?

Not if Peter could intervene!

So the loyal apostle “took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” ( Matt 16:16ff ).

Beside this test from the evil one, Christ “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” ( Heb 4:15 ).

Furthermore He lived no cloistered life “far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife,” an ascetic rather than a servant of mankind, quite detached from the world and its contaminations.

So far from that, the Savior proved a veritable friend of sinners.

In this connection Simon Peter must have had a precious memory written on his heart, of how the Good Shepherd had restored his soul upon the lake shore, one early morning before ascension, following his threefold denial on the eve of crucifixion ( John 21 ).

To quote a portion from the touching incident,

“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?

He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.

He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?

He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.

He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

He saith unto him the third time, Lovest thou me?

And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee.

Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep” (verses 15–17 ).

Besides, Jesus Christ demonstrated a divine hatred for sin in all of its forms, whether Pharisaical or sordid.

Perhaps the author of verse 22 was thinking, as he wrote, about the time His Master confronted the Jerusalem scribes and Pharisees, only to expose their proud self-righteousness to the people they aspired to lead in religion.

These ambitious men had just accosted the Messiah with the question, “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?

for they wash not their hands when they eat bread” ( Matt 15:2 ).

But He turned at once upon them with another question, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”,

and followed with the condemnation, “Ye hypocrites,

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well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

Later, the apostle Peter inquired what was meant by the parable used in this public rebuke.

The full answer deserves citation:

“And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man” ( Matt 15:16–20 ).

“Neither was guile found in his mouth,” verse 22 continues, referring to the sinless speech and attitude of Christ.

Both statements in the verse, then, have been accompanied by a negative.

The reason no doubt will lie in the fact that some men have done something good and sometimes uttered pure words, but no man ever has equaled or will match the guiltless record of this Sufferer, who never did veer away from fellowship with the Father ( Matt 27:46 excepted; still, cf. 2 Cor 5:19 ).

Not even the bitterest enemy could find deceit in Messiah’s life.

Peter had seen the trial before Caiaphas and the council, where witness after witness was put on the stand in an effort to discover some basis for accusation ( Matt 26:57ff ).

There the attempt proved vain until false witness was secured.

Even then it took time to locate two falsifiers who could somewhat agree upon a damaging statement (cf.

Mark 14:59 ).

Once before, these same Pharisees and priests had attempted to bring Jesus Christ up to trial.

Something happened, however, to the officers sent to arrest Him.

They returned empty handed, their only explanation for failure: “Never man spake like this man.”

The Fourth Gospel reports the sequel thus: