Sticks & Stones

“Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”—1 Peter 3:9

The child’s saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is a cute rhyme, but terribly untrue. Words can hurt, wound, and scar us. Some of us have been carrying verbal wounds around for years—forever allowing them to affect our lives, how we live, what career we pursue, who we marry, and on and on. How do we deal with words that pierce our souls like arrows? How do we respond when we are being reviled or slandered? It’s easy to deal with a word from someone if it is true, but how are we to deal with words that are meant to cut us as individuals—especially if they are untrue? How do we deal with a person who seeks to slander us—sully our name and reputation? It’s a difficult dilemma that many of us face on a daily basis.

Whenever we are faced with lies or other words that are intended to hurt us, we must “bless” those who are doing it. As Paul wrote, “When reviled, we bless”—1 Corinthians 4:12. Are we really to “bless” those who are slandering us? And how are we to “bless” them? When Christ was faced with accusation and insult, this is how He responded:  

“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”—1 Peter 2:23.

The follower of Christ is to respond as Christ did—by not responding in anger or threat, but by holding one’s tongue. We look to Christ who entrusted Himself to God’s judgment. We are not to be the judge or jury when it comes to one’s spiritual state, but we find our identity before the audience of One—meaning it is God who knows, and His judgment is the one that will ultimately matter. The world may go after what others may say, and believe lies, but we have a clear conscience, knowing that we are doing what Christ did, and that God will one day make everything known. The truth will be revealed and the court of heaven will vindicate us.

We “bless” in that we ask God to transform their hearts. We are, like Christ, praying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"—Luke 23:34. Not that we are saying that we are being crucified as the Son of God, but that they are adding kindling to the hell fire of judgment that they will face in the future. We are not looking forward to their judgment; rather, we pray that “God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth”—2 Timothy 2:25. Our goal is their salvation, and if our reputation is to be smeared so that Christ’s name might be revered, then we are truly “blessed” by God. Indeed, as Peter wrote in our passage for today, we are to endure such slander and reviling so that we might obtain a “blessing.” As our Lord was reviled, so too will we be, and we look to God knowing that the words that are hurled at us do hurt, but our conscience is clear. May we live in the knowledge that God will judge every “careless word” (Matthew 12:36), and that He will vindicate us as we entrust ourselves to Him. Amen.