If you were reading consecutively through 1 Peter, it almost seems as if chapter 4 would have been the logical place to end the letter. The theme of 1 Peter has been sanctification, and at the end of chapter 4 we see basically a summary of the teaching that sanctification comes through suffering because of the reaction of the world to holy Christian living. And in that context, Peter says that God will be the judge of such matters and we should entrust our souls to a faithful Creator. But he also says that judgment will begin with the house of God.
That sounds like a warning to the church to stay stedfast and vigilant as we see the day of the Lord approaching, that God is not slack concerning His promises, but will bring every work into judgment, whether good or bad. That seems a good place to end the letter, I would think.
So the question then is what do we make of chapter 5? Is it an addendum, an after thought, without reference to the former passage? Well, the answer is to notice the word “therefore” which starts the first sentence. “Therefore” ties this passage back to the last of chapter four. In what respect? In respect to the judgment of the church. And in regards to the judgment of the church, God puts the brunt of the responsibility for sanctification of the church upon the pastor.
Peter more than likely has in mind a passage from the Old Testament, Ezekiel chapter 9, in which there was a similar season of judgment against the church of Israel that was announced by God. And in Ezekiel 9:6 the word says that God wanted to “begin the judgment at My sanctuary.” Ezekiel continues in vs 6 saying, “So they began with the elders who were before the house.” The elders bore the beginning of God’s judgment against His church.
Peter undoubtedly sees that judgment as a foreshadowing of the judgment that he speaks of here, as beginning with the house of God. And even as in the vision of Ezekiel when the executioners started with the elders of Israel, so even in the church God starts with the elders as those with the greatest culpability.
So Peter begins to exhort, to urge, to beseech the elders of the church as the judgment is to begin with them first. This is a urgent call to remain faithful, to be stedfast till the end, and fulfill your responsibility to shepherd the church.
These opening verses then are directed toward the elders of the church. And though not all in the church are elders, this is still pertinent to you. Because you need to know what the elders job is supposed to be. There are a lot of mischaracterizations regarding what the elder or pastor of a church is supposed to be, and a lot of expectations on the part of the congregation that are not necessarily in accordance with what God wants them to be doing.
The Greek word for elder is presbyteros. The NT uses the term bishop, elders, and presbyters interchangeably. So elder can refer to all of those. However, the best definition may be given here by Peter himself; and that is shepherd. Paul also uses the word poimēn in Ephesians 4:11 when he speaks of pastors in the church which is translated shepherd. And that is the description that Peter gives here as well in vs 2, “shepherd the flock of God among you.”
So the elders are simply the overseers, the shepherds, the pastors of the flock of God. The word elder, overseer, shepherd, pastor all refer to the same persons, those who are responsible to lead the church, those who are the shepherds and pastors of God's people. They are called elders, which speaks of their seniority and maturity, or at least spiritual maturity. Overseers speaks of their leadership. They are called pastor or shepherd which speaks of their responsibility to feed and tend to the flock.
It’s a serious responsibility to care for God’s flock. It is not the pastor’s flock, it is the Lord’s flock, and the pastor has been given the solemn responsibility to care for them the way that the Lord would have them to. James warns in James 3:1, “let not many of you become teachers, for as such they will incur a greater condemnation.” And as Peter indicates here, as well as Ezekiel, the pastor will be held responsible first for the condition of the sheep.
The primary task of the shepherd is feeding the sheep which is done by expounding the word of God. The pastor protects them in order that they may continue to be fed the truth. He guides them into the truth so that they don't go astray into false doctrine which will cause them to stumble. He protects them from predators that would do harm to them, that would ravage the church. Paul said in Acts 20:29 "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” So the pastor is to be on guard against false teachers, false prophets, which try to ravage the church.
The sin of the shepherds in Israel, according to Ezekiel 34, is that they did not feed the sheep. The job of the pastor of a church is not administration, it's not about establishing programs, it's not about producing entertaining services, it's about feeding the sheep. And God’s word is the word which gives life according to John 6:63,68.
Peter gives us here in this passage then four points; the role of the shepherd, the readiness of the shepherd, the reward of the shepherd, and the responsibility of the sheep. And he begins his exhortation to the shepherds by saying he is a fellow elder of the church. Peter was more than just a shepherd, of course. He was an apostle. He is writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But he shows his empathy with pastors and understanding of their role because he says he is an elder himself. Jesus could show empathy with us because He became a man, He became one of us. And Peter knows the trials and burdens of being a pastor.
Not only though does he have empathy for them, but he has apostolic authority. And the authority which he gives is that he is “a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed.” That speaks of his apostleship. The primary requirement of an apostle was that they had been with Christ during his ministry and seen the risen Lord. And so Peter is subtly reminding them of that position that he has to give them instruction, even though he considers himself a fellow elder and under the same responsibilities.
First then, Peter speaks of the role of the shepherd. He calls upon the pastors or elders of the churches scattered abroad to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you.” The shepherd is to take care of the flock that is local, that is in his community. I think it’s a reference to their responsibility to a local congregation. There may be some benefit for radio preachers or television preachers or traveling evangelists, but there is a primary role for a shepherd to his local congregation and vice a versa, a need of the local congregation to be shepherded. A good pastor tells his congregation not just what they want to hear, but what they need to hear. Without such a pastor, the church tends to tune in to things that they find appealing, which ultimately leaves them with a poor diet and malnourished in the doctrines which are more difficult to accept.
That raises the question though which is, what is meant by shepherd the flock of God? What is the job of a shepherd? Sometimes, it’s helpful to see what something is not supposed to be, in order to understand what they should be. In Ezekiel 34, God speaks against the shepherds saying in vs 2, "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? "You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat [sheep] without feeding the flock. "Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.” These then are unfaithful shepherds.
Faithful shepherds however, in contrast to those in Ezekiel’s day, will feed the sheep. They will not take advantage of their position to feed themselves, to clothe themselves without feeding the flock. They will attend the sick, they will strengthen those who are weak, they will seek the lost, they will go after those who have strayed and bring them back into the fold, and they will not be domineering in so doing.
That’s a pretty high standard. And even the Lord recognizes it as such. Thus He says to Ezekiel in vs 11 of chapter 34, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.
As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.” And in vs 23, “Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.”
God is speaking, obviously, of the Lord Jesus Christ, who Peter identifies in vs 4 as the Chief Shepherd. It is the word of Christ which ultimately feeds the sheep and tends to the sheep. He is the Chief Shepherd, and the pastor is but a under shepherd, faithfully rendering to the sheep what the Chief Shepherd has provided and following in His example.
Peter knew better than anyone the reality of a leader falling short, even to the point of denying Christ in a moment of crisis and failure of the flesh. But Jesus made a point to restore him, and commission him to feed his sheep, in spite of his failure of faith. God made Peter fit for the office. And God must equip shepherds today by the gift of His Spirit who is able to make us fit for service and to equip us to do His will.
So a shepherd is to feed the flock, he is to be spiritually mature and a man of good character, he is to love the sheep even as Christ loved the church, and he is to exercise oversight, meaning to oversee, to inspect, to care for, to look diligently, to keep watch over the souls which he has been entrusted with.
Next, Peter speaks of the shepherd’s readiness. Again, there is a contrast to show how a shepherd is to exhibit readiness. He gives three negatives, followed by three positives in two verses. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly. Not for shameful gain, but eagerly. Not for domineering those under your charge, but being an example to the flock.
Peter gives three negatives, or pitfalls that cause a shepherd to fall short in his position; duty, greed and a misuse of power. I think that in the first negative which is a sense of duty, it can be contrasted to a calling. Perhaps a better description of the first negative is a pastor who is in that position because it’s a career choice. Compulsion speaks of constraint. Someone who perhaps is constrained by their own ambitions. They may be constrained by pride, by ambition. I believe the great problem in church leadership today is that too many men are pastors who are not called by God, but called by men. Jesus talked about a shepherd who was a hireling, and as such did not really care for the sheep. They are constrained by their affections, by their ambition or their pride, they don’t have a servants heart, and they are not called by God.
The second negative which Peter gives is shepherds that are attracted to money. Even in Peter’s day there were false teachers who were in it for the money and would use their position to fleece the sheep. In 1Timothy Paul tells Timothy that an elder should not be a lover of money. In 2 Timothy, he said that false teachers are lovers of money. These television preachers that are always talking about money and flying around the country in private jets an living a lavish lifestyle are the epitome of false teachers who love money.
I heard the other day that Benny Hinn has a mansion overlooking Dana Point in Laguna Nigel, Ca. I’ve been there, there is a famous surf spot at the base of the cliff. The Ritz Carlton is perched up on the cliff and according to this report Benny Hinn has a house somewhere near by. That has to be a multimillion dollar property. I had a business partner once who took money out of our capital and used it to give Benny Hinn $10,000 for a private prayer session with him. He charges $10,000 per session. He flies around the country in his own private jet. And yet he claims to be a shepherd of the flock of God. I can only say I don’t want to be in his shoes when he stands before the throne of God and gives an account for what he has done as a false shepherd of God’s flock.
However, I do want to affirm that it is okay to pay the pastor. The financial abuses of false teachers do not annul that. In fact, it’s the responsibility of the church to take care of the pastor’s financial needs. 1Cor. 9:14 says, “So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” And Paul said to Timothy that those that are faithful in the Word and doctrine should be worthy of double honor. But money should not the motive for becoming a shepherd.
The third shortcoming of shepherds is a misuse of their position. They lord it over the flock, Peter says. They are domineering. Instead Peter says that they should be examples to the church of good behavior, of a humble spirit. In Matthew In Matt. 20:25 Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” The pastor should be an example in service, in humility.
So if shepherds are not to be motivated by position, or money or power, then what is their motivation supposed to be? Peter answers that in vs 4, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” The reward will be when Jesus comes again. The prize for shepherds does not come in this life, but in the next one. I have to admit that sometimes is a little frustrating. In my flesh I want to enjoy good things in this life, just like everyone else does. But I know that God uses my circumstances to keep me doing what He wants me to do. I suppose that if I had what I would like to have, I would not be as concerned about the things that God would have me do.
And so like Paul said, I have learned to be content with humble means. But it does cause me to look forward to the glory that is ahead and the reward that will be given to faithful stewards. And unlike the fading glory of this life, and the things which we must leave behind which we worked so hard for, in the next life there is laid up in store for me a glory and a reward which will never fade away. And whatever sacrifices I might have made in this life will be worth it all when that day comes.
Finally, we look at the sheep’s responsibility. Shepherding requires sheep. What does the Bible teach about sheep? Sheep need feeding, tending to, caring for. On their own they are subject to getting lost, hurt, confused, scared, or becoming lunch for a hungry lion. They have no way to clean themselves. They have little to no sense of direction. They can’t find water or proper pasture without guidance. And the Bible says that we are like sheep; all we like sheep have gone astray. Jesus said in Matt. 9:36 that the Jews were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus said My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me. David said we are the sheep of His pasture. David likens himself to a sheep saying that the Lord was His shepherd in Psalm 23.
After Peter was restored to the Lord after his betrayal at the crucifixion, Jesus asked him three times if Peter loved Him. And in response to Peter’s affirmation that he loved Him, Jesus said, feed my sheep, tend my sheep. Jesus, who is titled the Great Shepherd of the sheep in this passage by Peter, has entrusted his sheep to shepherds who will tend his sheep and feed his sheep.
And now that the shepherds have been exhorted to be faithful, Peter turns his attention to the flock. He says in vs.5, “You younger men, likewise, be subject to [your] elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Actually, in the Greek it is not necessarily addressed to young men, but those that are younger, or new, or youthful. So we may take that to be in contrast to the elders who are supposed to be spiritually mature, to those who are less so.
The first thing that Peter lays stress on is to be subject to the elders, or to the shepherd. Being subject to authority has been a constant theme in Peter’s epistle. Wives are to be subject to their husbands. Servants submissive to their masters. All are to be subject to the government. And now we see that the church should be subject to the shepherd.
Now that requires humility. Because in our nature we like our independence. Some even go so far as to say that they don’t need a pastor. They don’t need to belong to a local flock. And they certainly won’t submit to a shepherd’s leadership. But that is not the attitude of humility that Peter says God approves of. Submission requires humility. It requires humility to receive instruction.
So actually Peter quotes from Proverbs here to make his point that we need to clothe ourselves with humility. Proverbs 3:34 says, “Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor or grace.” Pride is the original sin. Pride was the sin of Lucifer. And God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humility is a willingness to give others first place, to show others consideration, to serve others, to not think so highly of yourself that you cannot take instruction. If a shepherd is faithful to expound the word of God, then the humble in heart will accept it as the word of God, and not find offense in being told what God has said. Pride is really an offense towards God. And an unwieldiness to submit to the authority that God has ordained is rebellion not against man, or even against the church, but against God Himself.
And let us not forget, that judgment begins with the house of God. God will hold you accountable for what you did with what you have received. And even though God places a stricter judgment upon the pastor/teacher, yet He will certainly also judge the one who is under the charge of the shepherd, but will not submit to the word of God spoken through the pastor. God hates pride. Let us submit to one another, and let us feast fully on the word of God, that we might grow in the grace of God.
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
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