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1 Peter 5:1–3
“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; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” (vv. 2–3).
Having taught all Christians how to endure suffering faithfully (1 Peter 4:12–19), Peter turns in today’s passage to address church leaders specifically. This makes good sense, for persecution puts a strain on a congregation, and it often falls on church elders first so that persecutors can more quickly silence the Christian community by taking out its most prominent spokesmen. Moreover, church elders under the pressure of suffering are more apt to exercise their authority sinfully than when things are going well.
The Apostle begins his instruction for elders by calling himself “a fellow elder” (5:1). As an Apostle, Peter had more authority than local church leaders, but his greater authority did not set him above the admonitions that he gives to other elders. He needed to be reminded of what it means to be a faithful leader as well. Peter also notes that he was a witness of Christ’s sufferings and a fellow partaker of the glory to come (v. 1). He did not speak about suffering as one who escaped it. He, too, would be rewarded only if he persevered in faith.
After establishing that his instructions to elders also apply to himself, Peter calls elders to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you” (v. 2). Shepherding includes the full scope of teaching God’s Word to His people and leading them for the good of their souls. Pastors and elders, Matthew Henry comments, are tasked with “preaching to [the church] the sincere word of God, and ruling them according to such directions and discipline as the Word of God prescribes.”
Engaging in this work is not enough in itself to be a faithful elder, however. One must have right motives, including a willingness to perform the task and a heart that is not in it for shameful gain (v. 2). Pastors and elders should have a desire for the ministry and should not minister only because they feel compelled by outside forces to do so. They must be free of the love of money and content with a sufficient wage if they are paid—and congregations that have the resources are to pay their pastor enough to reasonably care for himself and his family (1 Cor. 9:1–14; 1 Tim. 3:1–3; 5:17).
Finally, elders must not be “domineering” (1 Peter 5:3). They must be the opposite of the shepherds described in Ezekiel 34:1–10 who ruled with “force and harshness.” Henry writes that pastors and elders are not to be “tyrannizing over [believers] by compulsion and coercive force, or imposing unscriptural and human inventions upon them instead of necessary duty.”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Paul tells Timothy that if a man aspires to be an elder, he desires a noble task (1 Tim. 3:1). Yet an aspiring pastor or elder should enter the ministry not for shameful gain but out of a sincere love for Christ and desire to serve His flock. Let us thank God for godly undershepherds who exercise faithful oversight as examples to the flock of what godliness in all of life looks like.
For further study
- Jeremiah 23:9–40
- Ezekiel 34:11–31
- Luke 22:24–27
- Hebrews 13:17
The bible in a year
- Nehemiah 6–8
- Acts 3:11–4:22