What did Peter teach about the role of elders within the body of Christ? In this short article I examine 1 Peter 5 to find out.
1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder…
We see that this chapter is directed towards a plurality of elders. Peter wants to both instruct, encourage and strengthen them.
We know that Jesus said of Peter…
Matthew 16:18
upon this rock I will build my church
Also in Ephesians 2:20 Paul said that the church is
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets
Peter was a foundational member of the early church, yet he simply identified himself as an elder, no greater than those whom he was addressing.
1 Peter 5
2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
In verse 2&3 Peter outlined the responsibilities of an elder
- Feed the flock
- Oversee the flock
- Be examples to the flock
This sounds like the role of a shepherd.
Pastor poimen means shepherd which tells me that the words elder and pastor are interchangeable.
I think of sheep as those who are not grounded in the foundational teachings of the bible, like newborn babes in need of milk as mentioned in 1 Peter 2
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
Just as babes need to be nursed by a mother, sheep need a shepherd to feed and oversee them.
The end of 1 Peter 2 alludes to the role of a shepherd.
24 …by whose stripes ye were healed.
25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
These verses give me the image of a lost sheep returning to it’s shepherd to have it’s wounds bound up.
The purpose of binding up the broken limb of a sheep is to both heal and strengthen it.
Isaiah prophesied that this was what the messiah would do.
Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted…
Ezekiel 34 is the antithesis to this
2… Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
Peter instructs the elders in 1 Peter 5:2&3 how to perform their role…
Not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, neither as being Lords over God’s heritage but being ensamples to the flock
Constraint means by force “with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them” (Ez. 34:4). Notice also that the sheep are God’s heritage meaning they belong to God, not the elder/pastor.
When Matthew 7:15 speaks of “false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing” it is referring to people who rule with force and cruelty, who make money off the flock, hence they feed himself upon them. Such people think they have ownership of the sheep.
1 Peter 5
5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
This verse instructs the younger to submit to the elder. This is not necessarily about chronological age. Someone can be younger than another, yet more spiritual mature than them.
In any case vs 5 says
all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility.
There is no room for pride in the body of Christ.
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Jesus cares for us because he is the “chief shepherd”.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
In verse 8 our “adversary the devil” is likened to a “roaring lion”.
In the Middle East shepherds had to protect their sheep from lions. We know the story of how David killed a lion who was preying upon his flock. David had a shepherd’s heart and was therefore chosen by God to lead Israel.
An elder has to have a shepherd’s heart. Peter himself had a shepherd’s heart which he demonstrated in writing this very chapter.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
Peter was not interested in lording over the elders, rather he wanted to strengthen them, remembering that Jesus is the chief shepherd, he owns the sheep.
No comments:
Post a Comment