Excerpt: The Example Of Submission
- uwiuccf
- Apr 15, 2020
- 3 min read
"He submitted even when the task seemed insurmountable."
“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. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. 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. 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. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
– 1 Peter 2: 21-25 –
Jesus is the Christian’s perfect example in everything and in every way. We often think of the love He showed, even to His enemies. Or, that He had the perfect perspective even in the midst of persecution, which is why Jesus could plead with the Father to forgive those who were in the very act of crucifying Him! We also think of Him being a flawless model of self-control. How He never gave into temptation. How He never had an outburst of wrath, although He had plenty of opportunities. In addition to this, we think of His perfect example in humility. Although He was God, He was willing to take on flesh and serve humanity. One example that we might conveniently forget, however, is His example of submission. If the Father asked Him to do it, He did it!
It’s fine and dandy to recall His example of submission and just move on, but I would like to highlight the fact that His submission to the Father was far from easy. I think when we see different commands that God has asked us to obey (i.e. Husbands, dwell with your wives with understanding OR wives, submit to your husbands) we might dismiss them because of their level of difficulty. We think things like, “Well, sure, in a perfect world, I could do that” or “That certainly isn’t referring to me and my situation.”
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus was more concerned with obedience than He was with the degree of difficulty the command was? He didn’t make excuses and He certainly didn’t justify disobedience. He submitted even when the task seemed insurmountable. Can you imagine being given a command to willingly lay down your life and give up your power all for people who hate you? Is that not a more challenging command than ANY of us have ever been given? Yet, Jesus whittled the situation down to a simple matter of obedience. When seeing it simply as to obey or disobey, Jesus chose wisely, as always.
Jesus endured His suffering for us. It was His submission that purchased our salvation. Peter tells us to follow the example of Jesus. As we submit to God, God can use our example to reach others. By submitting to God we allow Him complete control of our lives. As He works in us and through us, we will also see Him working around us. And where God works there is healing, life, and restoration. You see, our submission is not to others, it is to God so that He can use our lives to touch the lives of others.
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