David B. Curtis
David B. Curtis
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Good morning, Bereans. We are continuing our study of 1 Peter this morning and will be looking at the first four verses of chapter 5. Last week we focused on, "So I exhort the elders among you…shepherd the flock of God that is among you." This is Peter's exhortation to the elders to shepherd the flock of God. What is the shepherd's main duty to the sheep? It is to feed them the Word of God.
Peter's audience understood shepherding, so he teaches them by comparing a church leader's relationship to His Church with a shepherd's relationship to his sheep. In order to really understand what Peter is saying, we need to have some understanding of sheep and shepherds.
Throughout the Tanakh, we see that Yahweh has had a special love for shepherds. Who were some of the shepherds who were close to Yahweh? Do any come to mind? The Scriptures tell us that Abel, the son of Adam, was a shepherd who "found favor with God" (Genesis 4). In Genesis 21, Abraham is described as a man with many herds of sheep. Jacob is a shepherd for his uncle Laban (Genesis 30). Joseph was shepherd to his father Jacob's flocks (Genesis 37). Moses went from prince of Egypt to shepherd of Midian (Exodus 3). David was a shepherd of his father's flocks (1 Samuel 16:11). And Amos, the Judean shepherd, was God's prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Amos 1:1).
Now, let me ask you this: Who was the most well-known Shepherd in the Tanakh? It was Yahweh! Peter's audience not only understood the agrarian reality of shepherding and caring for a flock, but they knew enough about the Tanakh to know that Yahweh Himself was presented as a Shepherd. Yahweh frequently compared His relationship with Israel to that of a Shepherd with His sheep.
This shepherd/sheep imagery is really not very helpful to us 21st-century American Christians who know next to nothing about sheep. The more we understand about shepherds and sheep, though, the more we will get out of this imagery.
In Weldon Keller's book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, he gives some very interesting insights into the habits of a flock of sheep and how they reflect on Yeshua's role as Supreme Shepherd of the New Covenant Church.
He tells us that: Sheep depend on the shepherd for their well-being. Sheep are sociable animals that travel together in a large flock, but not too close together—they like their personal space. Sometimes sheep lose their connection to the flock and tend to stray, which can lead to disaster. The sheep is the only animal in the world that can be totally lost within a few miles of its home. If a sheep is taken into unfamiliar territory, it becomes completely lost. It has no sense of direction. It has no sense of orientation. Sheep are so prone to get lost that if they go astray, they are helpless to find food or water. They are unaware of the dangers of the world. At the beginning of the spring when the streams and rivers are full and running deep, just before sheering, the shepherd must keep the sheep away from the swiftly moving water. Sometimes it is even necessary for the shepherd to dam up a portion of the stream so that his animals can drink [Psalm 23:2b, "He leads me beside quiet waters…"]. If the shepherd doesn't protect them in this way, the thirsty sheep will wade out into the rapidly flowing water. When their thick, wool coats absorb too much water, they fall over and drown.
Most animals are able to smell water at a distance. Not sheep. If sheep are allowed to wander too far from their own pasture, they can sense no water hole, even though it is nearby. Without someone to guide them, they will die of thirst.
No animal in the world is as defenseless as a sheep. They have absolutely no defense. They can't kick. They can't scratch. They can't bite. They can't jump. And they can't run. They just stand in place and die. Without defense mechanism and without the shepherd, they would never survive.
The sheep learn the sound of the voice of their shepherd so that when he calls to them, they will come to him, but they will run from the voice of a stranger. In the same way that the shepherd understands his flock, our Lord Yeshua, the Good Shepherd, knows our weaknesses as well as our strengths and needs.
Notice what Mark tells us about Yeshua:
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34 ESV
He felt compassion for them because sheep without a shepherd are a disaster. They panic, and they do not know where to go for food and water. They are constantly in danger.
Even though the opening of Peter's letter is written to the elect who are scattered throughout Asia Minor, we know he is writing to other congregations as well because in chapter 5 he addresses the elders, the leaders of these congregations.
In verses 1 and 2, we see that Peter uses three different terms for the leaders of the church. He calls them elders in verse 1 but calls them both shepherds and overseers is verse 2. In some churches, these are three separate positions (elders, pastors, overseers/bishops), but in Scripture, they are not. They are used interchangeably for the same office, just as Peter uses them in this passage.
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 1 Peter 5:1 ESV
This particular term, "elder," emphasizes their maturity and is an official title of the office. The term "overseer" emphasizes the function of their leadership. And the term "shepherd" emphasizes the roles of teaching and feeding. So, they are mature men who have an office in which they lead and feed.
"So I exhort the elders among you"—"I exhort," is a present active indicative which indicates an urging, an appeal. It is a term that you're probably somewhat familiar with—parakalo. The Holy Spirit is called the paraklete. It means to come along side and call, to come alongside and encourage someone in a certain direction, to urge them, to appeal to them.
There is a play on the term elder (presbuteros) in 1 Peter 5:1 and 5. The term is apparently used as a title of leadership (1 Peter 5:1) and a designation of age (1 Peter 5:5). This term is basically the Jewish tribal designation of leadership.
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. Numbers 11:16 ESV
So, the idea of the elder came into church life from Jewish culture. The word "elder" simply speaks of the maturity and wisdom that an older person should have, making them qualified for leadership.
The word suggests the importance of age in ancient society: older men assumed positions of leadership. Ancient societies, like pre-industrial societies today, defer to age, which is associated with wisdom.
But the terms "bishop" or "overseer" (episcopos) were the Greek city-state designation for leadership.
"As a fellow elder"— in the Greek this is one word made up from the combination of the term presbuteros and the preposition syn (which implies "joint participation with"). We could render this "co-elder." Peter puts himself on the same level as all the other elders of the church. As an apostle (1:1), Peter had authority over these churches. Though Peter was clearly the prominent disciple among the twelve, he claimed no special privilege or position (such as being the pope of the early church). Instead, Peter saw himself only as one fellow elder among all the elders in the church.
"And a witness of the sufferings of Christ"— the word "witness" here is martus from which we get our word martyr. It means one who personally saw and one who personally testifies to what he saw. It's translated as "witness," but it's the Greek word for "martyr." Why? Because so many people who witnessed for Christ ended up as martyrs, the word came to mean one who is killed for witnessing.
The term "suffering" refers to the crucifixion. This discussion about Yeshua's suffering as both redemptive and as an example believers are to emulate, forms a major theme in 1 Peter.
The gospels do not state that Peter was personally present at the crucifixion. Only John is specifically said to have been there. But Peter may well have been among "all his acquaintances" who observed the event from afar.
And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. Luke 23:49 ESV
Over and over again, he talks about the sufferings of Christ because they were so basic to the gospel and so hard for the Jews to accept.
"As well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed"—we're going to look at this with verse 4 because they both refer to the second coming.
shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 1 Peter 5:2 ESV
"Shepherd the flock of God that is among you"—this may be the clearest statement in the New Testament of the job description of elders. The normal meaning of the word poimen is "shepherd" (to protect, feed, care for, and lead). Shepherds are not distinct from bishops or elders or leaders. The terms are simply different ways of identifying the same people. Textual evidence indicates that all three of these terms refer to the same person.
From what Yeshua says to Peter in John 21:15-17, then, we see that the primary responsibility of the shepherd is to feed the flock by teaching them the Scriptures. These are the church leaders; whether you call them "elder, overseer, or pastor," their primary responsibility is to teach the Word of God. This is what Yeshua called Peter to do, this is what Paul did, and this is what Paul calls the Ephesian elders to do.
The rest of verses 2 and 3 begins a series of contrasting qualifications for church leaders. Three contrasts follow that clarify the proper motivation and manner of an elder's ministry.
"Exercising oversight, not under compulsion"—the elders should serve as "overseers" of the flock. The word used here is the verb form of the word episkopeō which means to be an overseer, superintendent, supervisor, etc. This word emphasizes the nature of the work as involving authority – the right to supervise and oversee the work of others.
"Not under compulsion"—means a man should not be in leadership out of duty but out of delight. Paul says that an overseer should "aspire to the office" (1 Timothy 3:1). It shouldn't be a work that one is forced to do but a work in which one finds delight. The only compulsion should be the Divine compulsion. As Paul said, "For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16).
"But willingly, as God would have you"—the word "willingly" is from the Greek word hekousiōs, an adverb that means "voluntary, of one's own accord, spontaneously." It is used of someone who is willing to do something without being forced or pressured. When a man has a pastor's heart, he loves the sheep and serves them because he wants to, not because he has to.
"Not for shameful gain, but eagerly"—what does this tell you about the elders?
This suggests that elders were paid for their ministry. If elders were not paid for their ministry, how could they do it for shameful gain? Peter is warning against taking up the work because of a desire for material gain.
In the qualifications for an elder that Paul gives to Timothy, he says that an elder must be
not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 1 Timothy 3:3 ESV
The one really devoted to serving the Lord is not in it for the material benefit.
Peter may have had a problem at one time with shameful gain because he had asked Yeshua at one point in his life:
"See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" Matthew 19:27 ESV
It is important to note, however, that just because church leaders are not to be in the work for the money, does not mean that they shouldn't be paid. The Scripture clearly teaches that the laborer is worthy of his wages.
If you have listened to me for any length of time, you know that we don't talk about money very often. We have asked for money for people who were in need, and you have been more that generous. It just seems self-serving to me to talk about giving. But today I'm going to talk about it anyway. Paul said this,
Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. Philippians 4:17 ESV
I talk about this not because I seek a gift but because I want you to understand what the Bible says about giving. Since we started this church 29 years ago, I have been full-time. I missed 1 paycheck in the beginning years. And people wonder how can I be full-time at a church of 20 people. It's because of the money that comes in from people who watch us on the internet. To them, I say "Thank you" because if it weren't for you and your generosity, Berean wouldn't exist. This fellowship is in good financial condition, therefore, what I'm about to say has nothing to do with need. OK, let's look at the Scriptures. Let's start with what Paul told the Corinthians.
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. 1 Corinthians 9:7-14 ESV
The context pertains to paying the preacher. Yeshua taught that the laborer is worthy of his hire. When the Lord sent out his apostles and the other 70, he taught this very basic principle:
Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Luke 10:3-7 ESV
Yeshua commanded his disciples to receive their living from the people to whom they ministered the gospel. This command calls for obedience, not from the ministers, but from the members of the church.
Paul established beyond question the clear principle that a Bible teacher has the right to be supported materially by the church.
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages." 1 Timothy 5:17-18 ESV
"Double honor" refers both to the respect that is due to faithful pastors who teach the Word and to financial support. We are to support those elders who rule well. The word "rule" is proistemi, which means "to lead, care for, manage, guide, and protect." F.F. Bruce translates it as "elders who direct the affairs of the church well." We are also to support those who work hard at preaching and teaching. That is those who give themselves to the study of the Word of God. So, we are to give to support the Bible teachers of the church.
Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Galatians 6:6 ESV
The word Paul utilizes for "the one who is taught," is the Greek word katecheo, which is the word we use for catechize. Its basic meaning is "to instruct." The use of the present passive participle demonstrates that Paul means these believers are involved in a regular, ongoing ministry of being taught the Word of God. It was not a sporadic participation, but a normal part of the Christian's life to be instructed in the Word of God. We will do well to maintain this practice.
We observe throughout the Bible the need for God's people to be taught. One of the most striking evidence for this is found in the book of Ezra. We find in the companion book of Nehemiah that the people of God would stand for hours to listen to the reading and exposition of Scripture (8:1-8). The very first group of believers brought to faith in Christ at Pentecost gave themselves continually to "the apostle's doctrine." In other words, they studied the doctrines of the Word on a regular basis (Acts 2:42). Timothy was told to take the things which he had learned and to "commit them to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (II Tim. 2:2).
Being a regular part of the study of God's Word and its exposition is the normal, biblical pattern for the Christian. To avail yourselves of this regular diet of the Word means that you will reap its benefits. To neglect the study of the Word, to absent yourself from the exposition of the Word, demonstrates unfaithfulness and places that person in the line of reaping the consequence of neglecting the Word.
While the believer is to be "taught," there are also those "who teach[es]." The church must exist on the basis of those who instruct others in the Scriptures. Let programs go! Let pageantry go! Let big organization go! But do not diminish the ministry of teaching the Word of God! And what is to be the content being taught? The statement "And let the one who is taught the word" explains that it is the clear, unadulterated Word of God (Greek, logos) which is to be expounded regularly to others in the body of Christ. In a day when teaching the Word has taken a backseat to all sorts of other activities, we must be steadfast in its priority.
The word for "share" is a present imperative verb. This gives it the force of a command, not a suggestion. It also implies that this is to be the regular practice and duty of the Christian who is being taught. So, we are to give to support the Bible teachers of the church.
Believer, if you are being taught the Word of God, you should be helping to support the person who is teaching you.
Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Galatians 6:6 ESV
This is not a suggestion; it is a command. You have an obligation to support those who teach you. Let me say this to those of you who attend a brick and mortar church. If you are being taught the Bible, you should be supporting that church. If you don't feel that you are being taught, you should be looking for another church.
Apart from what the Scripture says about giving, let me just appeal to common sense. If you attend a church, that church has bills. Who should pay them? If you belong to any club or organization, you pay dues. That's how they stay open. So, if you attend a church, it has a mortgage or rent, electricity bills, internet bills, etc. Who should pay those bills? They should be shared by all who benefit from the building, should they not? Anything else is socialism.
Peter goes on to say that a shepherd is
not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:3 ESV
"Not domineering over those in your charge"— another vice Peter warned about was the potential desire of the pastor to "lord over" people and abuse his power. The word "domineering" (katakurieuo) is a strong word. It takes the word kurios (Lord), and precedes it with kata. This preposition intensifies the concept of "lord over," making it mean literally to dominate someone or to completely domineer a situation.
This, no doubt, was something found in the disciples in their early ministry. You often found them arguing about who would be greatest in the kingdom of God. Yeshua preached on this same human failing when He told the disciples
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:25-28 ESV
Yeshua gave them the example of humility of service when He washed the Apostles feet at the Last Supper (John 13:4-5). An elder of the church cannot be a dictator. His task is to stimulate, not to rule.
The word translated "those in your charge" meant "apportioned by lot," and thus came to refer to anything portioned out. It underscores the fact that the flock belongs to God and is entrusted to overseers as those who will answer to God.
"But being examples to the flock"—church leaders are to feed and lead by example. God expects elders to live lives such that the members can imitate them.
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7 ESV
Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. Philippians 3:17 ESV
I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 1 Corinthians 4:16 ESV
That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 1 Corinthians 4:17 ESV
Paul says, "I want you to imitate me, so here's Timothy." Timothy was a reproduction of Paul. Paul couldn't be there, so he sent Timothy because he was just like him. Timothy is a model of what we all should be. We are all called to pattern our lives after Paul who patterned his life after Yeshua.
A church is a very, very good place for a megalomaniac to push himself up to a place of prominence where he can act in very ungodly and wicked ways.
And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 1 Peter 5:4 ESV
"And when the chief Shepherd appears"—here Christ is called by the compound term archi plus poimen, meaning the high or first shepherd. In Hebrew 13:20 Christ is described as "the great Shepherd." All other leaders ("elders" or "overseers") are under-shepherds.
Let's go back and join verse one to verse 4: "as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed…4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory."
Peter says that he is a partaker in the glory that is about to be revealed. "That is going" is the Greek word mello. Whenever mello in the present active indicative is combined with an infinitive, it is consistently translated "about to." Peter told his first century audience that the glory was "about to" be revealed. The Greek word "mello" means "is about to," but is never translated in the literal fashion by major translations in eschatological passages. I wonder why?
In Vines Expository Dictionary of Greek Words, on page 1038, Vine shows mello's primary meaning as "to be about (to be or do). It is used of purpose, certainty, compulsion, or necessity."
The word "revealed" is the Greek word apokaluptō which means "to take off the cover, that is, disclose: - reveal." The word "appears" here is phaneroō. It means when He is "manifest," when He is "revealed"—at His Second Coming.
So, the glory was about to be revealed when the chief Shepherd appeared at the second coming which was to happen in that generation. Let's talk about the glory that was to be revealed.
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:4 ESV
This verse is eschatological. The words "appears and appear" are from the Greek phaneroō. It is the same word that we just saw in 1 Peter 5:4. It is referring to the second coming. The futurist looks at this verse and says, "When the Lord returns some day in the future, we will be revealed with Him in glory." The problem with this is that the Lord said he would return in that generation to the very people he spoke to. And he kept his word. He has already returned, therefore, whatever this is talking about has already happened! Whatever this verse is talking about happened in A.D. 70, when the Lord returned in the destruction of Jerusalem.
The words "appear" are the Greek word phaneroo, which means "to render apparent (lit. or fig.): -appear, manifestly declare, (make) manifest." The idea is that, if the believer is securely concealed within Yeshua, then, when He appears in glory, so must they. We see these same Greek words used in 1 John 3.
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 ESV
When Christ returned, all believers were made like Him. To be like Him is to have His righteousness. Salvation was not a completed event in the lives of the first-century believers. It was their hope, and they looked forward to its soon arrival.
What is the glory in which we have appeared? To answer this question, look with me at Hebrews 2.
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. Hebrews 2:10 ESV
God's purpose in redemption involved "bringing many sons to glory," and that job was given to the Son. What glory is He talking about? It's the same glory promised in Psalm 8 and in Hebrews 2:7 ("You have crowned him with glory and honor"). This is the glory from which we have fallen in our sin and rebellion against God. But now God has provided a "great salvation." He sent His Son to taste death for us, to deliver us from the futility, defeat, misery, and condemnation of sin and death, and to lead us to glory.
Believers, we have been glorified! Glorification is nothing more than dwelling in God's presence.
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16 ESV
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Yeshua the Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ESV
we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:12 ESV
To be in glory is nothing more than dwelling in God's presence and dwelling in God's presence became a reality for all believers in AD 70.
Most believers don't understand that we live in a different age than Paul did. Paul lived in what the Bible calls the "last days"- they were the last days of the Old Covenant age. Those "last days" began with the ministry of Christ and ended at AD 70, when the Jewish temple was destroyed. We now live in what the Bible calls "the age to come," that is, the New Covenant age.
The forty-year period, from Pentecost to Holocaust was a time of transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. In this transition period, the New Covenant had been inaugurated but not consummated. It was a time of "already but not yet." In this forty-year period, the church was moving from infancy to adulthood and from immaturity to perfection. The ongoing tension of this transition period from the Old to the New Covenant is what much of the New Testament talks about.
During the transition period, the Old Covenant was "passing away, becoming obsolete and ready to vanish away."
In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8:13 ESV
Paul told the first-century saints that they were being transformed into glory.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV
"But we all" is referring to believers in contrast to unbelievers. Believers during the transition period were "being transformed" into the image of God.
Believers, Christ is our life. He is in the presence of God, and, therefore, we are in the presence of God - in glory. Since this is true of us, it should have an effect on how we live. Since Christ is our life, He should be the focus of our life.
Peter told his readers that when the chief Shepherd appeared: "you will receive the unfading crown of glory." He came back, and when He did, he rewarded those who had fulfilled their role in accordance with the mandate and example that He had given. That reward was "the unfading crown of glory." The crown of glory is a heavenly reward for faithful elders. The Lord taught that there would be rewards in heaven.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:12 ESV
Yeshua mentions rewards nine times in the Sermon on the Mount. The parables of the talents and minas show that there will be rewards in heaven for faithful service. Paul talks about eternal rewards in 1 Corinthians 3 and Colossians 3. We don't put much emphasis on it, but faithful service will be rewarded in heaven.
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