#nothing bad should ever befall this family and even the found family at Temptations

[pickletrip]

Foreshadowing much

Really now? Are you sure about that?

Yes boss. You'll be her favourite and he'll be her new favourite. Not them arguing over this wonderful grandmother. I swear if anything happens to her during this show I'll lose my mind. She's the sweetest, bestest and most humble person I've seen. She cares and she understands way more than her grandson. I just love her.

[hobbitsetal]

2:18-25

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.20 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. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 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. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

[this is gonna take a couple posts...but i also couldn’t break up the train of thought, so here we go.]

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. [first off, most preachers i’ve heard consider “masters” of Bible times to be more-or-less equivalent to employers of today, though we’ve definitely got more freedom. it’s easy to be obedient to the good employers. it’s easy to be respectful to those who treat you with respect, dignity, good pay. but even if they’re a terrible employer and you’re searching for a job elsewhere, here we’re commanded to respect them. Peter acknowledges we may not have done anything to deserve this (”while suffering unjustly”), but that does not negate the command to be respectful. no bad-mouthing, backbiting, gossip, put-downs...in all ways, behave as if they were the perfect employer.

Matthew Henry has a good point: “The sinful misconduct of one relation does not justify the sinful behaviour of the other; the servant is bound to do his duty, though the master be sinfully froward and perverse.”

which, arguably, extends to working hard and well for that person. Colossians 3:17, i think, could be applied: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” this is what we were redeemed for.

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. [man’s got a good point...]

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. [people want to be happy. they want to be successful. and we, in our humanity, feel like “happy” and “successful” do not go with “suffering.” but if we are Christians who walk boldly before God, if we can declare “I must serve God rather than man”, if our devotion to God truly sets us apart from other men, we’re going to suffer. the baker comes back to mind. last news story i heard about that family, their business was basically ruined by the fees they were required to pay. my brother’s in the Navy. he’s been singled out by some jerk of a dude, and the other men in his unit are baffled, because my brother is one of the most likable people you’re ever gonna meet. but my brother is a Christian, and the other man is not. my mother believes that’s the problem right there, that it’s a spiritual enmity.

so then, when we suffer, how are we to deal with it? how do we conduct ourselves so that we glorify God and do not sin?]

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 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.

[first off, “neither was deceit found in his mouth.” miracles, claims of divinity, teaching that contradicted the established religious rulers of the day...and yet it was all accurate and true.  Numbers 23:19, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Titus 1:2, “in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began...”  there’s a couple other verses, but these are enough. Jesus Christ, being the Incarnate God, cannot lie. therefore, we will never find deceit in His mouth.

but besides being a perfect human, who never sinned, and a perfectly trustworthy God, Who never lies, Christ offers us a template for how to respond to persecution.

Matthew Henry says, “Our Blessed Redeemer was perfectly holy, and so free from sin that no temptation, no provocation whatsoever, could extort from him so much as the least sinful or indecent word. [2.] Provocations to sin can never justify the commission of it. The rudeness, cruelty, and injustice of enemies, will not justify Christians in reviling and revenge; the reasons for sin can never be so great, but we have always stronger reasons to avoid it.”

(i should get Mantis, which offers like four different commentators’ perspectives...Henry is great, but “in a multitude of counselors is much wisdom,” so...)

so. we then, having even less cause than Christ to be angry with persecution, should possess our souls in patience, should remain calm, gracious, loving, should remember the purpose of our suffering is our good and God’s eternal glory.

"when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” this just Judge being God the Father, Who is perfect in power, knowledge, and love, and will vindicate our suffering, reward our patience, and deal with our enemies according to their merits.

and being a just Judge, God shows no favoritism. He will deal with everyone exactly as they deserve...which apart from Christ is by damning them to Hell. and being a just Judge, since Christ has already paid for our sins, God will not punish us twice. He will look at us and see the perfect sacrifice of Jesus and He will welcome us into eternal joy, as beloved children.

holy smokes, y’all, that’s amazing.]

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

[DO YOU SEE WHAT GOD HAS DONE. DO YOU SEE WHAT THE TRIUNE GOD DID FOR YOUR SOUL. THAT’S INCREDIBLE.

okay. it’s not just that He wipes out our sin. He doesn’t just erase the blackboard, as it were. no, He takes out the graffiti, the filthy words, the crude images, and He replaces it with artwork that surpasses da Vinci, Picasso, Monet.  that’s the brilliant thing about the Epistles; the apostles always write “stop doing these sins. INSTEAD do these things.”  i saw a post this year about Lent, that said it’s not always about giving something up, sometimes you can focus on adding something positive in. and while i don’t celebrate Lent, i like the idea.

but it should be a both-and. for instance (speaking quite personally), i’m going to focus on being less selfish overall, and i’m going to seek opportunities to serve my family in the ways that most please each family member. for my little brother, i’m going to work on paying more attention to him when he’s rambling about stuff. (epic fail yesterday; he was ranting about Women’s Day and i told him to shut up so i could focus on theology. the irony didn’t hit till today.) for my queen mother, cooking more often and heeding her advice would be a biggie. for my handsome father, i can serve him by cleaning the kitchen so he doesn’t have to. (because my father is the kind of selfless who’ll do the dishes at 10 pm rather than roust one of his lazy children.)

and can we talk about “by His wounds you have been healed”? because that’s such an incredible contradiction. how can causing one Person pain cause other people healing? because we’re talking about spiritual injuries and spiritual death. the wages of sin is death. sin must be dealt with and paid in blood. but the blood of animals is not worth as much as man’s, and killing a fellow sinner doesn’t negate my sin. how can it? he has his own sin to account for! But the death of a Perfect Man, Who has no sin to account for...the death of God, Who is infinite...that is enough to negate the sins of the entire universe and every human who’s ever lived.

and now we are restored to our God. now we are returned to the One Who watches over us, and Who lets nothing befall us but what is good for our souls.

i just...y’all. sometimes i just honestly cannot with God.