One of the most beautiful relationships our Lord has with His people is that of shepherd. He is our Shepherd and we are the sheep of His pasture (compare Psalm 80:1; Isaiah 40:11). Psalms 22, 23 and 24 form a trilogy:
In 1 Peter 2:21-25 we have an inspired description of our shepherd, which marks a series of messages at this Christmas season under the theme, “Open your heart so that Christ may write His story.”
1 Peter 2:21: “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.
The sufferings of our Lord are referred to in 1 Peter 2:21. The Bible has much to say about the sufferings of Christ; every Jewish sacrifice pointed to these sufferings. Psalm 22 describes them, and in the four Gospels we have the historic account of our Lord’s sufferings – but look up also Lamentations 1:12. How intense His sufferings were!
We see this in 1 Peter 2:22. Since the Fall there has been only one sinless man upon this earth; all others have been sinners (Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23). The one great exception is the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was born holy (Luke 1:35); His was a virgin birth (Matthew 1:22-23); His life was sinless (Hebrews 7:26); He even challenged His enemies to point out any sin in His life (John 8:46); Satan could not find any point of entry (John 14:30); Pilate was convinced of His sinlessness (John 19:6); so was Pilate’s wife (Matthew 27:19); so was the dying thief (Luke 23:41); and so was the centurion (Luke 23:47). He had to be holy to be a sacrifice for our sins – thus, the Shepherd was the Lamb “without blemish” (1 Peter 1:19). When we stand in the presence of this holy One we have to cry out with Job (Job 42:6); with Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5); with Peter (Luke 5:8); and we experience something of what John experienced (Revelation 1:17).
The words in 1 Peter 2:23 are very wonderful. Although our Lord was insulted, mocked, threatened and provoked, He gave no answer. He did not try to justify Himself. He did not even deny the false charges made against Him. This was not the silence of stubbornness or of weakness; it was the silence of humble and willing submission to the will of God. Our Lord was saying ‘Yes’ in answer to His own question in Matthew 20:15. He was saying – Psalm 40:7. He could have had twelve legions of angels to deliver Him (Matthew 26:53); He could have spoken a word and banished His accusers, but He did not do this Isaiah 53:7. Think of the humiliation. Yet, “He did not open his mouth…” Why was this? It was because He came to die, and nothing must hinder that. One word of self-justification might have altered the situation, and so the Good Shepherd became the Silent Man and He did this for us and for our salvation.
1 Peter 2:24 is one of the most wonderful verses in the Bible. It tells us that the Lord Jesus took our place upon the cross and bore the punishment that was due to us. A substitute is someone else who goes in your place; here it simply means that you deserved to die (Ezekiel 18:4), for you were under condemnation (John 3:18), but Someone else died in your place and bore the punishment that was due to you, and that Someone was Jesus (Psalm 103:10; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 3:18). The sinless Savior took the guilty sinner’s place – look up John 10:11, and underline the word ‘for’.
In 1 Peter 2:25 we are referred to as “sheep going astray,” but He is referred to as “the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” No sheep ever returned to the fold without being sought, and that is why it is that Jesus came to seek us (Isaiah 53:6; Luke 19:10).
Have you been found by the Good Shepherd? If so, rejoice! But notice that: (1) because he is our Suffering Shepherd we must be willing to bear the disgrace (Hebrews 13:13); (2) because He is our Sinless Shepherd we must be willing to live holy lives (1 Peter 1:15); (3) because He is our Submissive Shepherd we must be willing to submit ourselves to God and to one another (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:5); (4) because He is our Substitutionary Shepherd we must be willing to give our lives in the service of God and for the salvation of others (1 John 3:16); and (5) because He is our Seeking Shepherd we who have been found must go out and find others.