Thursday, October 2, 2014
1 Peter 5:1-2a Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you ...
SHEPHERDS OF THE FLOCK
Peter knew that leaders in the church need guidance and encouragement in their work. And Peter was well qualified to offer this.
First of all, Peter was himself an elder in the church. He had served as a leader in the church in Jerusalem before persecution drove the apostles out into the larger world. And there is reason to believe that Peter was writing this particular letter from the city of Rome, where we believe he served as an elder shortly before he was martyred for the faith.
Peter was also particularly suited to counsel shepherds because he had witnessed the suffering and death of the Good Shepherd. He had been taught by Jesus himself, both before Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, and after. He knew the importance of Christ's cross--that it was the only way sinners could stand before God in the final judgment.
Peter was also qualified to counsel the leaders of God's people because, like them, he was part of the flock also. He too looked forward to sharing in the glory of heaven when Christ returned to round up his flock on the Last Day.
It's notable that before telling the elders of the churches the details of how to shepherd the people, Peter reminds them of two important events: (1) the suffering of Christ, by which their sins were atoned for, and (2) the glory to come, which was the sure hope of everyone who looked to Christ as their Savior. This made up the prime substance of their shepherding work: Remind the people of the forgiveness they had because of Christ's suffering in their place, and remind the people of the glory that was to come to those who held on to Christ by faith.
