Foundation Text
1 Peter 2:22-25
Greek Key Terms
- G264 ἁμαρτία (hamartia) - "sin" - Christ committed no sin
- G1388 δόλος (dolos) - "deceit, guile" - No deceit found in His mouth (echoes Isa 53:9)
- G399 ἀναφέρω (anaphero) - "to bear, carry up" - Christ bore our sins in His body
- G3582 ξύλον (xylon) - "tree, wood" - The cross (cf. Deut 21:23, cursed on tree)
- G3468 μώλωψ (molops) - "wound, stripe" - By His wounds we are healed (Isa 53:5)
Context: 1 Peter 2:22-25 is Peter's comprehensive application of Isaiah 53 to Christ's passion, embedded within his exhortation to suffering servants (2:18-21). Peter presents Christ's suffering as both example (follow His steps, 2:21) and substitution (bore our sins, 2:24).
OT-to-OT Development
- Isaiah 53:9 ("He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth") → Peter: "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth"
- Isaiah 53:4-6 ("He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows... He was pierced for our transgressions") → Peter: "He Himself bore our sins in His body"
- Isaiah 53:5 ("by His stripes we are healed") → Peter: "By His stripes you are healed"
- Isaiah 53:6 ("We all like sheep have gone astray") → Peter: "you were like sheep going astray"
- Isaiah 53:7 ("He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth") → Peter: "He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats"
Connections
- TO (Earlier OT): Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (complete Servant Song); Deuteronomy 21:23 (cursed on tree); Ezekiel 34:11-16 (God as Shepherd); Psalm 23 (Shepherd psalm)
- FROM OT (Later OT): N/A (Isaiah 53 is climactic OT revelation)
- FROM NT:
- Matthew 8:17 - bore diseases
- Luke 23:34 - no retaliation—"Father, forgive"
- John 10:11 - Good Shepherd
- Hebrews 9:28 - bore sins of many
- 1 Peter 5:4 - Chief Shepherd
Christological Connection: Peter provides the NT's most comprehensive Suffering Servant exposition:
Sinlessness (2:22): "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth" (Isa 53:9)—Jesus qualified as sinless substitute
Non-retaliation (2:23): When reviled, did not retaliate; when suffering, made no threats (Isa 53:7)—Jesus silent before accusers, praying "Father, forgive" (Luke 23:34)
Substitutionary atonement (2:24a): "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree"—literal fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4-6, 12. The "tree" (xylon) connects to Deuteronomy 21:23 (cursed on tree), showing Jesus became curse for us (Gal 3:13)
Purpose (2:24b): "That we might die to sin and live to righteousness"—His death accomplishes our transformation
Healing (2:24c): "By His stripes you are healed" (Isa 53:5)—spiritual healing through physical suffering
Return to Shepherd (2:25): "You were like sheep going astray" (Isa 53:6), now returned to "the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls"—applies divine Shepherd imagery (Ezek 34; Ps 23) to Christ, implicitly affirming His deity
Peter's dual emphasis: Christ's suffering is both substitutionary (unique—He alone bore sins) and exemplary (pattern—we follow His steps in non-retaliation). His death saves; His example sanctifies.
Connection Method(s): Promise-Fulfillment; Redemptive-Historical Progression — Peter's comprehensive Suffering Servant exposition applies Isaiah 53:5-6, 9 to Christ's sinlessness, substitutionary death, and shepherding of wayward sheep, showing the prophecy's complete fulfillment in Jesus's passion.
Trajectory Table: 155 - Suffering Servant (Vicarious Atonement)