1 Peter 2:20b-25
Chapter 2
20
What merit is there in getting a punishment when you have done wrong? But if you endure punishment when you have done well, that is a grace before God.
21
This is your calling: remember Christ, who suffered for you, leaving you an example to follow.
22
He did no wrong, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
23
He did not return insult for insult, and when suffering, he did not curse but committed himself to the one who judges justly.
24
He went to the cross, bearing our sins in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live upright lives. For by his wounds, you have been healed.
25
You were like stray sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
Commentaries
Christian Vocation and the Example of Christ.
A good Christian will always be a responsible citizen. The disciple offers clear guidelines for civic behavior, emphasizing the higher motivation that should guide all believers: “for the Lord’s sake” (13), “this is God’s will” (15), “with your minds set on God” (19), but above all, “as free men (and women)” (16), aware that we are primarily servants of God (16), because that is what their freedom involves. So far, he has addressed Christians who generally live peacefully with pagans, but it is during times of unjust persecution that the ultimate witness of faith must be demonstrated, and when the Christian calling to follow the Crucified One reaches its highest expression. The powerful example of Christ’s passion presented by the disciple in verses 21-25 forms the core message of the entire letter.