<p>2:21- see on Jn. 21:19.</p><p><i>For this were you called- </i>The letter begins with a reference to our calling, and the way the Spirit strengthens us to follow that calling to its final end in salvation at the last day. It is interesting to note the changes of pronouns in 1 Pet. 2:20 ff: &ldquo;Hereunto were <i>ye</i> called: because Christ also suffered for <i>you</i>, leaving <i>you</i> an example, that <i>ye</i> should follow his steps... who his own self bare <i>our</i> sins... that <i>we</i> having died to sin, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes <i>ye</i> were healed&rdquo;. In the context, Peter is speaking about the need for slaves to live out the death and life of Christ; but when he comes to speak of the Lord&rsquo;s death for sin, he cannot but include himself as a sinner and a beneficiary in the cross. In Peter&rsquo;s final maturity, his mind was full of the cross. His letters and preaching were full of allusion to Isaiah&rsquo;s prophecies of the suffering servant (especially Acts 3:13,26; 4:25-30; 1 Pet. 2:21 ff.); he and Philip are the only preachers to explicitly make this connection. It could be that Peter was so impressed by the way the Lord washed his feet that his mind was evermore transfixed with this image and the Biblical allusions behind it. And note that initially, Peter had totally failed to grasp that Jesus was indeed &ldquo;the servant&rdquo;. Every allusion he makes to Jesus as the servant was a reflection of his recognition of his earlier failure to perceive it. &nbsp;</p><p><i>Because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example</i>- The brutal beating of the Christian slave woman in the garden shed of a villa in southern Turkey connected her directly with the Lord's sufferings. And she would share in His resurrection. His cross and experience was such that we can find direct connection with Him there, through our experiences of aspects of His sufferings in our own. Truly He was our representative.</p><p><i>That you should follow His steps</i>- The beating of the Christian slaves was to be connected with the Lord's beating; and after that, He walked to Golgotha. And the slaves were to follow even further- in His steps there.</p>