First Epistle of Peter
EXHORTATIONS TO ELDERS
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:1 (KJV)
"The elders"
Here the apostle briefly leaves the general theme of suffering to exhort a special class of readers. In chapter 2:18-25, he especially exhorts Christian household slaves. Then in 3:1-6, Christian wives, especially with unsaved husbands. Then in 3:7, it is husbands. Here in 5:1-4 he has elders in mind. Then in verse 5 he mentions the younger.
The fact that he first speaks to elders and then to the younger indicates that he does not have the office of elder in mind, but the aged brethren. It was expected that these elders would do the work of overseers as we conclude from verses 2-4. They were the ones who were left in charge of the flock.
All older men in the body of Christ should be fit to serve as overseers. However, those weak in character were not to function in this office. We have the qualifications of overseers listed in 1 Timothy 3:2, 3 and in Titus 1:6-8. The terms "elder" and "overseer" are often used interchangeably in the Word. One has reference more to the man, while the other to the work he does.
The Greek word for "elder" is "presbuteros". The Greek word for "overseer" is "episcopos". Some in the religious make a great ado about the appointment of elders. There seems to be nothing here that would indicate a special appointment. We do have their appointment by Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14:23. The word "ordained" there means "chosen". Titus also appointed some as we read in Titus 1:5. These men of God merely recognized in these elders that which was done by the Holy Spirit (notice Acts 20:17). Verse 28 of Acts 20 is part of the exhortation to these elders: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." If the Holy Spirit had not made them overseers, man's appointment could not make them so. Man should recognize this appointment by the Spirit, but even if he does not, such a one is an overseer anyway because he is doing the work. In other words, if a man is doing the work of an elder, he is an elder, whether recognized or not.
It is well to notice that elders or overseers are always mentioned in the plural, when speaking of them in connection with any assembly of the body of Christ. It is given in the plural here. Notice also Acts 20:17, "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church." In some circles the term "bishop", which means "overseer", is applied to only one man in a church and sometimes to only one man in charge of a group of churches. This is never so in the Word.
"I exhort, who am also an elder"
All need exhorting – even elders. However, not everyone can do this work. The younger should never presume to do it. Peter speaks as an elder to elders. This is as it should be. It is highly improper for novices to rebuke elders. Writing to young Timothy, Paul says, "Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father" (1 Tim. 5:1). No young man should presume to go beyond this. Peter might have demanded as an apostle, but instead he puts himself on the level with those he exhorts.
Peter never makes high claim for himself. Here he just claims eldership. In chapter 1, verse 1, he calls himself "an apostle of Jesus Christ". This is his highest claim. Some exalt him to the primal place among the apostles, but Peter never claimed it. James seems to take the leadership in Acts, chapter 15. In 2 Peter 1:1, Peter calls himself "a servant of Jesus Christ". "Servant" would be better translated "bond slave". This should teach us a lesson in humility. Let's never claim great things for ourselves, nor accept a place higher than the Word of God grants us. The Lord will exalt the lowly and abase the proud.
"and a witness of the sufferings of Christ"
As an addition reason, Peter brings this in for the right to exhort the elders. He has seen Christ suffer and die on the cross. As a witness, he was perhaps above others. He was with Christ from the first to the last. He was one of the first chosen and always took a prominent place. He was often named first and was one of the favored three. He was prominent at the crucifixion. Notice, he does not here, nor anywhere in his writings, say anything about his denial of Christ. This, of course, is human. To have seen Christ was one of the qualifications of an apostle. To be a qualified shepherd of the sheep we need a vision of the sufferings of Christ.
"and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed"
Here, again, we have the sufferings and the glory linked together. These two are never far apart in Peter's mind. He connects the two in chapter 1:7, 11 and 4:13. Then, once more they are together in 5:10. It is a great consolation to the suffering saint to know that glory is just beyond.
Peter had glimpses of the glory when he was still on earth. He was one of the favored three on the Mount of Transfiguration. He saw the light of the glory of Christ shine out through His clothing. He also saw Christ after the resurrection. The glory he mentions here is the glory that shall be revealed at the second coming of Christ. This is a glory that we will all see and share. It might be added that only as one has the assurance that he will be a partaker of the glory will he be able to shepherd the flock of God acceptably.
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:2 (KJV)
The language of the shepherd and the sheep is used in verses 2 to 4. Here we have the work of the elders as the under-shepherds. The word "feed" would perhaps be better translated "tend". This, of course, includes feeding the sheep but would also imply guarding, governing, leading, restraining, etc.
"Feed the flock of God"
Feeding the flock of God is the first and most important work of elders. To thrive and be content, sheep need good pasture. This the shepherd must supply. Elders must supply the flock with good food or they will not thrive and the church will not grow. The lambs will stray away seeking places where the pasture is good – a most unhealthy situation.
One of the qualifications of an elder is "apt to teach" (1 Tim. 3:2). And then in 1 Timothy 5:17 we read, "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor; especially they who labour in the word and doctrine." Evidently, in the early church elders did much of the teaching of the Word. To the detriment of a proper understanding of the Word of God, the religious world has instituted "clergy", who, for the most part, have assumed this work, but it is not part of New Testament principles and methods. The clerical system was no doubt brought about principally because elders failed to feed the flock properly. Many a man-made and man-developed religious organization today is suffering for the same reason. To properly minister the Word demands much study and exercise before the Lord.
If elders are not able to do this work properly because of lack of capabilities, they should encourage some gifted servant of the Lord to visit them. If possible, it would be well for a gifted servant to locate there and help as much as possible until such a time as the elders can acceptably carry on without him. Far too many elders of today spend their time dealing with material things such as money, attendance, buildings, budgets, etc. No wonder the body of Christ is suffering so much today! We need elders who can teach and who will!
It is well to remember that the Word of God is the food needed by the flock. Far too often the people of God are fed on husks. Human philosophies are substituted for the Word of God. In worship services today one can hear far too much about political and social things, even in some places book reviews and biographies of famous men or sports events. The flock of God will starve on this kind of diet. What they thrive on is Bible teaching, especially that which exalts the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be sure that we heed the exhortation by Paul to Timothy, "Preach the word" (2 Tim. 4:2).
Peter is here passing on the Lord's commission gave to him. In John 21:15-17 the Lord says to him, "Feed my lambs". Then the second time it should be "Tend my sheep", and the third time, "Feed my sheep". Peter had been commissioned with the elder's work and perhaps, therefore, in verse 1 he calls himself a fellow elder.
"the flock of God"
It is important to notice the expression, "the flock of God". Sometimes we hear men say "my flock" or "my sheep". If they are true sheep, they are not men's but God's. An elder, in fact none of us, should presume that any of God's people are our possession. The Lord Jesus purchased them with His blood and they are His. He says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). It would make us have a greater respect for any congregation of the body of Christ if we always realized that it was the "flock of God". In Ezekiel 34:1-10, we have a prophecy against the shepherds of Israel who fed themselves, but not the sheep. In verses 2 and 3 we have this, "Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed; but ye feed not the flock". Then in Ezekiel 34:11-16, we have the example of the good shepherd who gave Himself for the sheep. Read this portion over very carefully and if it is your lot to be a shepherd try to be the kind pictured here.
"which is among you"
This would indicate that the work of these elders was of a local character. Their work was especially in connection with their local testimony. While it might be all right to be interested in and to help other nearby groups, their special work was in their own gathering. They were in and of and should be for their local congregation.
"taking the oversight thereof"
This is another aspect of the elder's work – to oversee or watch over the flock of God. This is as important as feeding the flock. The eastern shepherds watch over their sheep night and day. As here, the elders are called overseers in Acts 20:28 and so they should be. In some places, Christians may be missing for weeks and not one elder, or anyone for that matter, pays little or no attention.
The story is told of one sister who was absent from her congregation for about six weeks. When she returned, one of the elders began to reprimand her. She turned the tables. She had been very sick and had left word with the church office that she would like an elder to visit her, but none did and in fact no one in the congregation even knew she had been sick.
Another story is of a young man was led to Christ by an elder. This elder often came over to instruct him in the Word and if he missed any meeting this overseer would go and see him almost immediately to find out why. A young man with this kind of leadership could easily grow up to be a faithful Christian and perhaps one day became an elder himself.
Some elders seem to think that all there is to the work is to attend worship services regularly and attend meetings of the elders and make decisions on subjects such as budgets, who the preacher will be, what to spend the collection on, etc. Many saints need individual care and attention. There is a great need for personal work among the elders, as well as all Christians. There are new members of the body of Christ to be helped. Some sadly will never be more than babes unless elders get involved and teach them. Then there are Christians who have had their feelings hurt and some who have fallen into some sin. We have already mentioned absentees. The aged should be visited, as well as the sick and broken hearted. Many homes have troubles. Without a proper shepherd, some of these sheep will never make it. We need spiritual leaders, shepherds who will keep the flock close to the Lord Jesus Christ.
In eastern countries, there are many enemies of the sheep; bears, snakes, leopards, wolves, and formerly even lions. It was the shepherd's work to guard against these. The Christian has many enemies, too, and the overseer must help overcome these. The world, the flesh and the devil all work against the Lord's people. Some of God's flock are spiritually sick and wounded by Satan. Such need a brave and kind shepherd, and a helping hand.
"not by constraint, but willingly"
One should not do the work of an elder because it is forced upon him. This may, on occasion, actually happen today. In some places the elders were appointed by the congregation. In other words, names of men who were considered qualified to be an elder were put before the congregation and if, over a certain period of time, no one found fault the men were put in as elders. Therefore, some may undertake this work although irksome to them. They may undertake it reluctantly or half-heartedly and so accomplish nothing. Unless the work is undertaken willingly and happily for Christ's sake, it might as well be left undone. A sick or wandering soul needs a cheerful and willing hand to lift it up. When one realizes that he is serving Christ and His flock in a most important way, then surely he will be delighted to do this work for His sake.
"not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind"
The things of God have, in some places, been turned into a well-oiled machine to take in money. Perhaps the Spirit of God foresaw this commercializing of the work and wrote this to forewarn against it. "Filthy lucre" means literally "base gain" and surely much is done for base gain today. All of us can tell of examples from so-called radio and television 'preachers'.
We would never say that it is wrong to put one's full time to this work, looking to the Lord to meet the needs of the way. Nor would it be wrong for the Lord's people to support such as the Lord might lead. Perhaps there were some such in the early church. But no doubt many a congregation of the body of Christ would profit immensely if there were some capable local brethren doing the work of preaching, visiting in homes and hospitals, etc., instead of paid professional men with degrees from man-made colleges. But from the elder's side, it should never be done from the viewpoint of money received; it should be a spontaneous, blessed desire coming out of love in the heart to Christ and to His people.
Let us never be like the watchman spoken of in Isaiah 56:10 and 11, "His watchman are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs, which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter."
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:3 (KJV)
"lords"
The Spirit also no doubt foresaw that some would try to lord it over God's flocks, and so forewarns in this verse. Many today take the position of rulers and the people must knuckle down to their ways. They expect to be obeyed. The unscriptural title of "reverend" smacks of worship. The elders are to care for God's sheep, but not have dominion over them. There is nothing worse than a domineering man assuming a high place in the church. Sadly, some shepherds drive the sheep with sticks and stones. In the eastern lands, the shepherd leads, calling them by name and they follow him. You cannot drive God's sheep. Trying to do so will just drive them away. They must be lead.
Diotraphes in 3 John is an example of one who lords it over the flock of God. John speaks scathingly of him. He loved to have the preeminence. He would not receive John into the church and spoke against him with malicious words. He also refused to receive others and cast them out of the church. Such are like that today, too. The Lord warns against this spirit of domineering in Matthew 20:25, 26. We are told not to lord it over one another, but to serve.
In 1 Peter 5:2 we have the warning against love of money. In this, our third verse, we have a warning to those that love power. This type of nature must be restrained.
"over God's Heritage"
The word, "God's" does not appear in the original. It should just read "over heritage" or "possessions". Some lord it over God's flock as though it was their own possession. This must never be. Remember it is not ours but God's. None of us has any business lording it over another's possessions and certainly not God's.
"but being ensamples to the flock"
As already mentioned, the eastern shepherds do not drive but lead the sheep. So the elders should not drive but show the way to the sheep. They should be examples in word and deed. In connection with chapter 2:21-24 we have already seen how Christ is our example.
In writing to Timothy, Paul counsels him to be an example of the believers and perhaps elders should be so in the same way. "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12).
"In word", that is, both in public speaking and in private conversation. "In conversation" would be better translated "behavior" or manner of life. "In charity", that is "in love". This should be emphasized. The elders should manifest the first fruit of the Spirit (See Gal. 5:22).
"In spirit" would not speak of the Holy Spirit, but rather of enthusiasm, as we often use the term "spirit" in ordinary conversation.
"In faith", that is in trusting the Lord for things of life.
Finally, they should be examples "in purity". What a sad thing it is to have a leader in a congregation get mixed up in some impure thing. What a reproach to the name of the Lord and the body of Christ.
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:4 (KJV)
"chief shepherd"
The Lord Jesus is the chief shepherd, not Peter. Peter was an under-shepherd and so were the elders to whom he was writing. No man should ever presume to himself this preeminent place that belongs only to Christ.
In John 10:11, Christ is the good Shepherd that gave His life for the sheep. This speaks of His past work. In Hebrews 13:20, we have Him as the great Shepherd. In this connection we have His resurrection and His present work for the sheep. In our verse (1 Pet. 5:4), as the chief Shepherd, we have His coming again and His future work for the sheep.
"the chief shepherd shall appear"
We are living in the dispensation between His two comings. He was here once and He is coming back again. By faith we serve Him now, although we have never seen Him. But, we shall all see Him someday. We will see Him at His appearing. That will be a great day for Him and for us, too.
"ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away"
We may suffer with Him now and serve Him faithfully with very little apparent recognition by the world or by the people of God, but the day of our reward is not too far off. Every little trial and every little service will receive its due recognition then.
The faithful elders are to "receive a crown of glory". Some may ask, "Is this a literal crown?" No one can say for sure. Most are inclined to believe it is a symbol of the reward the faithful ones receive. The winner of a race in the games of that day was crowned with a garland of victory. This was woven of ivy or oak or some other leaves. The victors in the Christian race will likewise be crowned with a garland of victory. These earthly crowns lasted but a very few days, but the crowns that the Lord gives will never fade away.
We read of crowns in other places in the Word. In 1 Thessalonians 2:19 we read of the "crown of rejoicing". This certainly is not a literal crown because the Thessalonians whom Paul led to Christ would in that day be his crown of rejoicing. Are there any whom you have led to Christ and who will in that day be your crown of rejoicing?
In 2 Timothy 4:8 we read of "the crown of righteousness". Paul said, "this the righteous judge would give him in that day, but not to him only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." Surely every true Christian that is walking uprightly loves to think of the coming of Christ. None need miss this crown.
In James 1:12 we read of "the crown of life". This is promised to them that endure temptations or trial and to them that truly love Him. This is a crown that every Christian should receive, too. Certainly we love Him. If not, we may well question our salvation. "If any man love not the Lord
Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha" (1 Cor. 16:22). Here is the test: do we love Him enough to suffer trial for His name's sake?
Our Lord Jesus Christ was crowned, too. They gave Him a "crown of thorns" (Matt. 27:29). Thorns speak of the curse of God because of sin. The word to Adam in Genesis 3:18 is "Thorns also and thistles shall it being forth to thee". This crown showed man's contempt and hatred of our Lord Jesus.
In Hebrews 2:9 we read of Him being "crowned with glory and honour" – How different man's thoughts from God's. Man gave Him the lowest place; God gives Him the highest. Those who are faithful shepherds will share this crown of glory with Him.
These great rewards that are promised to us should spur us on to greater devotion and greater service. Likewise, they should encourage us to patiently endure any persecution or trial that may come our way. Remember, the glory is but a little way behind the suffering.
