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1 Peter 5
Shepherd the Flock of God
1. The elders who are among you
I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ,
and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
2. Shepherd the flock of God
which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not
for dishonest gain but eagerly;
3. nor as being lords over those
entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
4. and when the Chief Shepherd
appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
The
words that Peter heard directly from the mouth of Jesús form the background for
his message to the elders of the churches, to whom he is writing. Jesus taught,
"You know
that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great
exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you… do not be called
'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your
Father, He who is in heaven... whoever
exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Mt. 20:25, 26; 23:8, 9, 12).
I
have heard a few leaders say that the charges that are under their care are
rowdy and rebellious and, therefore, require a firmer grip and
demand more authority, than that to which Jesus limited his disciples. I would
suggest then, that they would start over and build something Christian. There
are no rules in Christianity, besides those which Jesus laid down, and there
are no exceptions to those rules.
There
is no wiser advice in Scripture than that which Peter gives in this letter.
This rough fisherman has been broken and gentled. He writes to the elders in
the churches and equalizes himself to them. He places himself among them and
not over them in the least.
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