The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 109

injustice. Upv!I himself Jesus had turned the glance of affectionate reprnach, wl,ich Mnote him to the htart, and opened the fountain of bis tears. It was Peter who ent3red the empty grave of tho risen Immanuel. It was Peter who, when forgiven his faith- lessness and fear, was assured by the Lord of a share in the humiliation and agony c,f tbe cross. Who, then, so fit as Simon Peter-both by his opportunities of observing the Lord's sorrow and anguish, and by his warm and tender Juve for Christ-to speak of the Redeemer's woes, and to testify of his bearin_g and bis spirit, when he "enrlured the contradiction of sinners against himself"? The witness of this companion and friend of Christ Jesus is that he suffered. That our Lord endured weariness, hun!!er, and thirst; tbat acutest pain was suffered by him in the closing hours of his life ;-this the whole record abundantly proves. And his mental sufferings were made evident by the tears he shed, the sighs he heaved, the grrnms and crie3 he uttered. His soul wa1 "exceeding sorrowful;" it was "troubled." Keenly susceptible to human emotiom, he was distressed at his rejection by his countrymen, at bis desertion by his friends, at his betrayal by one disciple, his denial by another. A yet further and a more mysterious woe was that which he endured when he bare the burden of the sins and sorrows of mankind, and "tasted death for every man." As the Son of man, the Head and Representative of the race whose nature he assumed, Christ Jesu~ shared our lot in more than all its grief and anguish. Great stress is laid upon the fact that Jesus was reviled, It was woe enough, so it might be thought, to suffer in our stead; but what shall be said of the endurance of the taunts and mockery of those for whom he came to die, whom he came to save? This was the bitterest earthly ingredient in the bitter cup which Jesus drank. Now, all these sufferings were undeserved. The apostle observes upon Christ's innocence, He "did no sin.'' ,vitb a reference to Isaiah's prediction, he boldly proclaims his Master's guilelessness. Whatever affiictions befall us in this life, candour constrains us to admit that we deserve all, and more than all, that we endure. lf they are punishment, the strokes inflicted are lighter than the guilt they chasten. llut nothing of this kind can be said of our Saviour's pains. His very enemies could substantiate no charge against him, and in this their testimony supports the assertions of his friends. And Paul says," He knew no sin." "In him is no sin," says John. And Peter's witness is in the text, "He did no sin." To com- plete the picture, we must observe the demea11our of our Saviour when enduring these afflictions. Men too often complain and murmur, whilst some rebel against the trials appointed for them. No one here is perfected in patience. But we are well reminded of the meelcness and the patience of Christ. He endured more than we are ever called upon to suffer, yet he uttered no word of impatience. He endured bis sufferings at the hllnds of injustice, and was cruelly and unpardonably wronged; yet he had only submission-no resentment-to return to his injurers, and a prayer to offer for their forgiveness. "He was reviled, but he reviled not again." The impenitent malefactor by his side joined in the jeers of the rulers and the people around the cross. But Jesus held his peace. When his sufferings were acute, he gave way to no impulse of revenge against his persecutors. Although be might have come down from the cross, or hal'e summoned legions of angels to his rescue, "he threatened not." He was content that the will of God Bhould be done. Men might judge unjustly. God is he who judgeth righteously. To him, accordingly, the Lord Jesus committed all-hirnself and his cause, \Vhat a picture is this of superhuman self-forgetfulness anu ~elf-sacrifice! As we con- template the sinless Sufferer, first in the garden, then before his judges, and finally upon the cross, we are constrained to acknowledge with the centurion, "Certainly this was a righteous man ! 'l'ruly this was the Son of God I" The scene surpasses all that man has invented. The character exhibited is one beyond the attainment of humnn virtue. We cannot wonder that the name or Jesus bas become, and must ever remain, the symbol of love and meekness, patience and long-suffering, submission and sC'!f-restraint and self-denial. II. 'l'he apostle, however, does more than state a fact-nE EXHlBITB THE PURPOSF. for which our Saviour thus suffered. It was "for us"-Cor our advantage, on our behalf. It was certainly not for his own sake. J csus neither deserved to suffer, for he was faultless, blameless; nor did he stand in uced, ns we do, of the discipline of amiction, for there was no dross to purge nway, P.nd no gain could accrue to the pure gold by its being cast into the furnace. 'l'he end for which om blessed Redeemer consente,I to  104 THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PE'l'EH. [011. u.1-25,