Hugging the difficult path

 This week's verses are 1 Peter 2:18-19:

Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse. For this finds God’s favor, if because of conscience toward God someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly. 

This week Peter takes us deeper on the path in a direction we probably don't want to go. First he was talking about mastering the flesh, and then mastering our desire to complain about the government, and finally he takes us all the way down to being an abused slave. Is this the Christianity we signed up for?

Just the word "slave" is difficult enough. Who actually wants to be a slave? Who wants to be owned by someone else and not be able to shape the path of their life or enjoy the fruits of their labor? We are told we can be anything, that our voice is the only voice that matters in chasing our dreams. And here Peter is saying that if you find yourself in a position where that is not an option, don't make an issue of it.

But that's not all Peter is saying. He's also saying that slaves should be subject to their masters, and not just subject to them but that these masters should be treated with all reverence. In other words, you can't back talk, or roll your eyes, or sabotage your work, or even hold your owner in contempt in your heart. Isn't it bad enough to be a slave? You don't even get to be Spartacus and lead an insurrection against unfair work conditions? Peter's Godly advice is really just "put your head down, get the job done, be polite, and have respect?"

But there's more. Maybe we could muster enough strength to obey a good master that way, someone who takes care of our needs, takes care of our family, is gentle and good with the work they assign, puts some money away for our retirement and so on, but Peter is saying we also owe that reverent obedience to someone who is perverse! The guy who cheats you when you exceed quota and beats you when you don't. The woman who heaps abuse and humiliation on you and tries to break apart your family. We have to hold these people in high regard and do as they say??

These are hard words.

But Peter says that this purposeful self-sacrifice finds God's favor. We are representatives of God's kingdom. We are Jesus' hands and shoulders sometimes. If we attack someone who doesn't know they're doing wrong, and couldn't understand it in that moment if we explained it to them, or we demand that the other person pays the full price, when they're just as entangled in the circumstances as you are, doesn't that make us the aggressor as well?

How far does your compassion go? Does it reach Christ-level, or is it only for people who love you and treat you well? How did Jesus approach his arrest and those involved in it? Did he defend himself when he was in the Roman oppressor's kangaroo court? Did he rally his followers to come to his aid or to defame the court system, burning carts and parading through the streets? No, none of that.

We're more than willing to follow Jesus as far as Gethsemane, but then we want to part ways with him. We want to be left alone and keep our freedom. Maybe we even want to join the other team and be the ones with swords, pointing fingers and rounding people up. Maybe we even want to go as far as presiding over the court, passing the sentence that's lain hidden in our hearts all this time, and carrying out that final act of revenge. But none of that is the Christian walk.

So Peter is reminding us that those scoundrels and oppressors are people too. And that our chosen path ultimately leads to the Cross. So why stir up drama and take a detour? The unjust master either pulls us into his fleshy world of power struggles and mind games, or he hastens us down the path that leads to Christ.

So examine your power relationships. Is someone abusing their authority over you? Is someone unjustly limiting your options and keeping you from being all you feel you could be? Jesus willfully gave up his divine privileges to become like us, to be abused and to suffer and die on the cross. Do you want to follow him, or will you run away like a coward, like the rich young man who loved comfort more than being part of Jesus' crew?

So what is your choice? Fist raised defiantly to the sky or arms compassionately outstretched? The way of the world or the way of the cross? We reach this fork in the road from time to time in our lives, and it's important we choose the right path. Decide who you're following: Jesus or the blind guides around you. And then be brave and follow that path.