1 Peter 2:24-25 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we, by dying to sins, we might live to righteousness, by whose wound were healed. 25For you were wandering away like sheep, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Peter continues to give Christ as an example of faithfulness in unjust suffering by quoting several phrases from Isaiah 53:4-6. The motivation for Christian slaves to endure their situation was to remember that their salvation was provided through Christ’s death on the cross. Christ came for the specific purpose of providing the way of salvation. His death enables us to live free from sin’s control. Peter links redemption and ethics. By his death, Christ took our sins upon himself. He died in our behalf as the atoning substitute sacrifice that fulfilled the Old Testament sacrificial system and provided forgiveness and justification for the sins we have committed.
He took upon himself the death we deserve. God told Adam that he would surely die if he disobeyed and broke God’s command about the forbidden tree. When Adam and Eve did eat this fruit, both physical and spiritual death entered them and all their descendants. Sin separates us from the source of life and leads to death. In the Old Testament, an animal’s life was given for this penalty, but it was only a temporary fix that had to be redone every year.
Christ came as the perfect sacrifice as one who never committed a sin. His death, one time for all people, took care of the penalty sin. The result of his death is that we now have freedom from sin’s bondage so we can live for righteousness. We are enabled to be holy as God commands. This deep healing of our souls leads to a new way of thinking and acting. The deepest would in our souls is healed. Our required response to make this possible is to die to sins by fleeing from sin’s power and influence in our lives. We cannot do this on our own strength but only because of the grace available on account of the price of the precious blood of Christ (1:19). We can because he did.
The problem of living to please ourselves is that we will follow our own ideas, which often gets us into trouble, like sheep who keep wandering away as they nibble on grass until they are lost. Living to please ourselves and following deceived desires will lead us down the path of self-destruction and slavery to sin. Sheep get lost because they do not pay attention to their shepherd. They can find themselves in danger of predators or precipices. Wandering from our Good Shepherd will also put us in the danger of temptation and deceit. We might end up in a deep hole of unhealthy habits or broken relationships. What we must do is to turn back (epestraphēte) to the Shepherd, who will care for us and watch over our well-being. Our whole mindset must change. We must keep our focus on the Shepherd and get our direction from him. We must watch where we go so that we are not tempted or tricked back into sin.
As the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ looks out for his sheep (John 10:7–13). He has our best in mind and will lead us to green pastures where we will experience spiritual health and strength. We place ourselves in his care and protection. Wandering away on our own will lead to spiritual danger, trouble, temptation, and sin. He is our “supervisor” who leads us to paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (Psalm 23:1–3).