Elders as Shepherds
October 23, 2016

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-5

I. Church elders shepherd the sheep for the right reasons.

A. 1 Peter 4:17: “It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.” Judgment begins not with unbelievers but with believers. In 1 Peter 5:1 we see that God begins His judgment of believers with an even narrower section of those believers. God begins His judgment of the church with the elders. In this way Peter follows the pattern of the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. See Ezekiel 9:6. God held the leaders responsible for the state of the nation of Israel. And today Peter says God holds the elders responsible for the state of the church.

B. Peter tells elders exactly what God requires of them in vs. 2-3. He tells the elders to shepherd the flock of God that is among you. Then he tells them three times to shepherd the church like this, not that. 1) They should shepherd willingly, not under compulsion. 2) They should shepherd eagerly, not for shameful gain. 3) They should shepherd as examples, not domineering over people. Mark 10:45 tells us how Jesus was our Good Shepherd: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

II. Church elders shepherd the sheep for the right reward.

A. Peter says that church elders should not serve for the money. But that does not mean they are not serving for a reward. It’s just a different reward than money. The reward is described in vs. 4. “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” What is the reward that faithful elders will receive when Jesus returns? An unfading crown of glory. Peter is using the imagery of the Greek Olympic games in this passage. Today at the Olympic Games the athletes who win receive a gold medal.

B. In Peter’s day the victorious athletes received a wreath of leaves that they wore on their heads like a crown. And the leaves contained a red flower whose color was brilliant and unfading. Can you imagine what it would be like to win a gold medal at the Olympics? By wearing that gold medal around your neck you would be honored as the best in the world in your sport. And you would bring honor to your nation as a representative of it. This is the type of honor that Jesus Himself will bring to elders who are good and faithful servants of His. What a fantastic reward!

III. Church elders shepherd the sheep with the right attitude: humility.

In verse 5 Peter brings the entire church into this discussion with the elders. Peter says that both the elders and the entire church should behave in a similar way. First, he instructs those who are not elders to be subject to the elders. That does not mean that you stay quiet if you have questions or concerns for or about the leadership. But it means that you are respectful. Then Peter speaks to the entire church in vs. 5. He says, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” Peter says to both the elders and the entire church, “Be humble. Don’t think that you know it all. Don’t act like it’s my way or the highway. Listen to each other. Submit to each other.”

Application:
Thank Jesus for being our Chief Shepherd, and pray for your shepherds the elders.

Sources:
The letter of 1 Peter
Commentaries on 1 Peter by David Helm, Karen Jobes and I.H. Marshall