1 Peter 2:23

1 Peter 2:23 ‘and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to him who judges righteously;'

‘while being reviled' -At the very moment He was suffering abuse. Godly patience must be exercised right at the moment that suffering hits. ‘Reviled'-‘heap abuse upon' (Thayer p. 382). Present tense, they kept on reviling Him. Macknight notes, ‘They said he was possessed with. devil; they called him. Samaritan,. glutton,. wine-bibber,. blasphemer,. demonic, one in league with Beelzebub,. perverter of the nation, and. deceiver of the people. In the high priest's palace, his judges spit in his face. The servants covering his face, smote him with the palms of their hands, and in derision of his pretensions to inspiration bade him prophesy who it was that smote him. In the common hall, the soldiers crowned him with thorns; put. reed into his hand, and smote him therewith, and bowing the knee, said, “Hail King of the Jews”. While hanging on the cross, the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocking him, said, He saved others, himself he cannot save. But, though he could both save himself, and have destroyed them, he did not threaten or punish.' (p. 464)

‘He did not revile in return' -The picture is of Jesus being continually harassed, spoken against, abused, and yet he never retaliated. (Isaiah 2:7 ‘He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth…). Carefully note that lashing out with the tongue is. form of retaliation. Enduring hardship includes keeping our speech in line (James 1:26). Jesus observed His own teaching concerning loving one's enemies (Matthew 5:38). ‘Unlike the Maccabean martyrs of Jewish history, who called for God's vengeance on their persecutors….Jesus was silent (Mark 14:61; Mark 15:5; Luke 23:9).' (Davids p. 111) We are not given the right to get even, or to hurt in return for being hurt. ‘Or if that is impossible people will threaten to get even later, trying to give their enemies at least the anxiety that revenge may be taken sometime in the future.' (Grudem p. 130)

‘but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously' -POINTS TO NOTE: 1. ‘Jesus was not, however, simply. Stoic who had moved beyond feeling to detachment.' (Davids p. 111). 2. ‘Kept entrusting'-present tense. ‘He committed his cause to the one who judges' (Arndt p. 615) ‘handed over, delivered'. 3. Revenge and retaliation is the response given to hardship. by people who are trusting in themselves. ‘To the suffering person who trusts deeply in God and believes that God is indeed in control of every situation, there is another response (besides retaliation)….Rather than depending on his own abilities to retaliate (which were far greater than the powers of his opponents), when Jesus was suffering he kept entrusting the situation to God the Father, knowing that God would be just and fair, for he is the one who judges justly. It is important to note that Peter here commends neither the supposed therapeutic value of expressing one's anger when wronged, nor merely holding the anger in and trying to suppress it (both are self-dependent solutions), but rather repeatedly and continually committing the situation into God's hands' (Grudem pp. 130-131) 4. Thus, taking our own revenge, or striking back, is. demonstration that we don't believe that God is just, or that God can be trusted to judge righteously.

‘who judges righteously' -(1 Peter 1:17). 1. Therefore Jesus could entrust Himself, His persecutors, every injustice committed, the whole situation, to the Father. For every act will be recompensed (2 Corinthians 5:10); and none will escape justice. God has the ability to sort everything out. 2. God will recompense the evil-doer (1 Peter 4:5) ‘This knowledge that God will ultimately right all wrongs is essential to. Christian response to suffering. (Colossians 3:25; 2 Thessalonians 1:5; James 5:7).' (Grudem p. 131) 2. See also Romans 12:17.