1. I PETER 5 COMME TARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE To the Elders and the Flock 1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christs sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: BAR ES, The elders which are among you I exhort - The word elder means, properly, one who is old; but it is frequently used in the New Testament as applicable to the officers of the church; probably because aged persons were at first commonly appointed to these offices. See Act_11:30, note; Act_14:23, note; Act_15:2, note. There is evidently an allusion here to the fact that such persons were selected on account of their age, because in the following verses (1Pe_5:4) the apostle addresses particularly the younger. It is worthy of remark, that he here refers only to one class of ministers. He does not speak of three orders, of bishops, priests, and deacons; and the evidence from the passage here is quite strong that there were no such orders in the churches of Asia Minor, to which this Epistle was directed. It is also worthy of remark, that the word exhort is here used. The language which Peter uses is not that of stern and arbitrary command; it is that of kind and mild Christian exhortation. Compare the notes at Phm_1:8-9. Who am also an elder - Greek: a fellow-presbyter, ( sumpresbuteros.) This word occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means that he was a co-presbyter with them; and he makes this one of the grounds of his exhortation to them. He does not put it on the ground of his apostolical authority; or urge it because he was the vicegerent of Christ; or because he was the head of the church; or because he had any pre-eminence over others in any way. Would he have used this language if he had been the head of the church on earth? Would he if he supposed that the distinction between apostles and other ministers was to be perpetuated? Would he if he believed that there were to be distinct orders of clergy? The whole drift of this passage is adverse to such a supposition. And a witness of the sufferings of Christ - Peter was indeed a witness of the sufferings of Christ when on his trial, and doubtless also when he was scourged and mocked, and when he was crucified. After his denial of his Lord, he wept bitterly, and evidently then followed him to the place where he was crucified, and, in company with others, observed with painful solicitude the last agonies of his Saviour. It is not, so far as I know, expressly said in the Gospels that Peter was pre sent at the crucifixion of the Saviour; but it is said Luk_23:49 that all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things, and nothing is more probable than that Peter was among them. His warm attachment to his Master, and his recent bitter repentance for having denied him, would lead him to follow him to the place of his 2. death; for after the painful act of denying him he would not be likely to expose himself to the charge of neglect, or of any want of love again. His own solemn declaration here makes it certain that he was present. He alludes to it now, evidently because it qualified him to exhort those whom he addressed. It would be natural to regard with special respect one who had actually seen the Saviour in his last agony, and nothing would be more impressive than an exhortation falling from the lips of such a man. A son would be likely to listen with great respect to any suggestions which should be made by one who had seen his father or mother die. The impression which Peter had of that scene he would desire to have transferred to those whom he addressed, that by a lively view of the sufferings of their Saviour they might be excited to fidelity in his cause. And a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed - Another reason to make his exhortation impressive and solemn. He felt that he was an heir of life. He was about to partake of the glories of heaven. Looking forward, as they did also, to the blessed world before him and them, he had a right to exhort them to the faithful performance of duty. Anyone, who is himself an heir of salvation, may appropriately exhort his fellow- Christians to fidelity in the service of their common Lord. CLARKE, The elders which are among you - In this place the term , elders or presbyters is the name of an office. They were as pastors or shepherds of the flock of God, the Christian people among whom they lived. They were the same as bishops, presidents, teachers and deacons, Act_14:23; 1Ti_5:17. And that these were the same as bishops the next verse proves. Who am also an elder - A fellow elder; one on a level with yourselves. Had he been what the popes of Rome say he was - the prince of the apostles; and head of the Church, and what they affect to be - mighty secular lords, binding the kings of the earth in chains, and their nobles in fetters of iron; could he have spoken of himself as he here does? It is true that the Roman pontiffs, in all their bulls, each style themselves servus servorum Dei, servant of the servants of God, while each affects to be rex regum, king of kings, and vicar of Jesus Christ. But the popes and the Scriptures never agree. A witness of the sufferings of Christ - He was with Christ in the garden; he was with him when he was apprehended. and he was with him in the high priests hall. Whether he followed him to the cross we know not; probably he did not, for in the hall of the high priest he had denied him most shamefully; and, having been deeply convinced of the greatness of his crime, it is likely he withdrew to some private place, to humble himself before God, and to implore mercy. He could, however, with the strictest propriety, say, from the above circumstances, that he was a witness of the sufferings of Christ. A partaker of the glory - He had a right to it through the blood of the Lamb; he had a blessed anticipation of it by the power of the Holy Ghost; and he had the promise from his Lord and Master that he should be with him in heaven, to behold his glory; Joh_17:21, Joh_17:24. GILL, The elders which are among you I exhort,.... The apostle returns to particular exhortations, after having finished his general ones, and which chiefly concern patient suffering for Christ; and having particularly exhorted subjects to behave aright to 3. civil magistrates, servants to their masters, and husbands and wives mutually to each other, here proceeds to exhort "elders" to the discharge of their office and duty; by whom are meant, not the elder in age, or the more ancient brethren in the churches, though they are distinguished from the younger, in 1Pe_5:5 but men in office, whose business it was to feed the flock, as in 1Pe_5:2 and though these might be generally the elder men, and whose office required, at least, senile gravity and prudence, yet they were not always so; sometimes young men, as Timothy, and others, were chosen into this office, which is the same with that of pastors, bishops, or overseers; for these are synonymous names, and belong to persons in the same office: and these are said to be "among" them, being members of the churches, and called out from among them to the pastoral office, and who were set over them in the Lord, and had their residence in the midst of them; for where should elders or pastors be, but with and among their flocks? they were fixed among them; and in this an elder differs from an apostle; an elder was tied down to a particular church, whereas an apostle was at large, and had authority in all the churches; and these the Apostle Peter does not command in an authoritative way, though he might lawfully have used his apostolic power; but he chose rather to exhort, entreat, and beseech, and that under the same character they bore: who also am an elder; or, "who am a fellow elder"; and so the Syriac version renders it; and which expresses his office, and not his age, and is entirely consistent with his being an apostle; for though that is an higher office than a pastor, or elder, yet it involves that, and in some things agrees with it; as in preaching the word, and administering ordinances; and is mentioned to show the propriety and pertinency of his exhortation to the elders; for being an elder himself, it was acting in character to exhort them; nor could it be objected to as impertinent and unbecoming; and since he was still in an higher office, on which account he could have commanded, it shows great humility in him to put himself upon a level with them, and only entreat and beseech them; he does not call himself the prince of the apostles and pastors, and the vicar of Christ, as his pretended successor does, but a fellow elder: and a witness of the sufferings of Christ; as he was even an eyewitness of many of them; of his exceeding great sorrow in his soul, of his agony and bloody sweat in the garden, and of his apprehension, and binding by the officers and soldiers there; and of the contumelious usage he met with in the high priest's hall, where was mocked, blindfolded, buffeted, and smote upon the face; if not of his sufferings on the cross; since it is certain John was then present; and quickly after we read of Peter and he being together, Joh_19:26 and therefore a very fit person to exhort these elders to feed the churches under their care with the preaching of a crucified Christ; since he, from his certain knowledge, could affirm his sufferings and his death: moreover, he was a witness, that is, a minister, and preacher of the sufferings of Christ, and of the doctrines of peace, pardon, justification, and salvation through them; as appears from all his sermons recorded in the "Acts of the Apostles", and from these his epistles: and besides, he was a partaker of the sufferings of Christ; he bore witness to him, by suffering for him; and as the Apostle Paul did, filled up the afflictions of Christ in his flesh; he, with other apostles, were put into the common prison by the Jewish sanhedrim, for preaching Christ, as he afterwards was by Herod; and had, doubtless, by this time, gone through a variety of sufferings for the sake of Christ and his Gospel, as he afterwards glorified God by dying that death, which his Lord and master signified to him before hand; and therefore a very proper person to exhort these elders to discharge their work and office, and persevere in it, whatever they were called to suffer for it: 4. and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed; which some think has reference to the transfiguration of Christ upon the mount, where Peter was present, and saw the glory of Christ, and of those that were with him, Moses and Elias, and enjoyed their company, and heard their conversation with so much pleasure and delight, that he was for continuing there; and which was an emblem and pledge of the glory of Christ, that was afterwards to be revealed, and still is to be revealed, and so the Syriac version renders it, "a partaker of his glory": of the glory of Christ, see 1Pe_4:13 or it regards the eternal glory and happiness of the saints, which is at present hid, and unseen, but shall be revealed at the last time, at the coming of Christ, when he shall appear in his glory, both to the saints, in them, and upon them; a glory which shall be both upon body and soul; and this the apostle calls himself a partaker of, as in Christ, his head and representative, and because of his interest in it, his assurance of right unto it, and meetness for it, and the certainty of enjoying it; nothing being more sure than this, that those that suffer with Christ, and for his sake, shall be glorified with him. Now, the exhortation of a person in such an office, as before expressed, and of one that was an eyewitness of Christ's sufferings, and had endured so much for Christ, and had had so large an experience of his grace, and such full assurance of glory, must carry great weight and influence in it, and is as follows. HE RY, Here we may observe, I. The persons to whom this exhortation is given - to the presbyters, pastors, and spiritual guides of the church, elders by office, rather than by age, ministers of those churches to whom he wrote this epistle. II. The person who gives this exhortation - the apostle Peter: I exhort; and, to give force to this exhortation, he tells them he was their brother-presbyter or fellow-elder, and so puts nothing upon them but what he was ready to perform himself. He was also a witness of the sufferings of Christ, being with him in the garden, attending him to the palace of the high-priest, and very likely being a spectator of his suffering upon the cross, at a distance among the crowd, Act_3:15. He adds that he was also a partaker of the glory that was in some degree revealed at the transfiguration (Mat_17:1-3), and shall be completely enjoyed at the second coming of Jesus Christ. Learn, 1. Those whose office it is to teach others ought carefully to study their own duty, as well as teach the people theirs. 2. How different the spirit and behaviour of Peter were from that of his pretended successors! He does not command and domineer, but exhort. He does not claim sovereignty over all pastors and churches, nor style himself prince of the apostles, vicar of Christ, or head of the church, but values himself upon being an elder. All the apostles were elders, though every elder was not an apostle. 3. It was the peculiar honour of Peter, and a few more, to be the witnesses of Christ's sufferings; but it is the privilege of all true Christians to be partakers of the glory that shall be revealed. JAMISO , 1Pe_5:1-14. Exhortations to elders, juniors, and all in general. Parting prayer. Conclusion. elders alike in office and age (1Pe_5:5). I ... also an elder To put ones self on a level with those whom we exhort, gives weight to ones exhortations (compare 2Jo_1:1, 2Jo_1:2). Peter, in true humility for the Gospels sake, does not put forward his apostleship here, wherein he presided over the elders. In the apostleship the apostles have no successors, for the signs of an apostle have not been transmitted. The presidents over the presbyters and deacons, by whatever name designated, angel, bishop, or moderator, etc., though of the same ORDER as the presbyters, yet have virtually succeeded to a superintendency of the Church analogous to 5. that exercised by the apostles (this superintendency and priority existed from the earliest times after the apostles [Tertullian]); just as the Jewish synagogue (the model which the Church followed) was governed by a council of presbyters, presided over by one of themselves, the chief ruler of the synagogue. (Compare Vitringa [Synagogue and Temple, Part II, chs. 3 and 7]). witness an eye-witness of Christs sufferings, and so qualified to exhort you to believing patience in suffering for well-doing after His example (1Pe_4:19; 1Pe_2:20). This explains the therefore inserted in the oldest manuscripts, I therefore exhort, resuming exhortation from 1Pe_4:19. His higher dignity as an apostle is herein delicately implied, as eye-witnessing was a necessary qualification for apostleship: compare Peters own speeches, Act_1:21, Act_1:22; Act_2:32; Act_10:39. also implying the righteous recompense corresponding to the sufferings. partaker of the glory according to Christs promise; an earnest of which was given in the transfiguration. CALVI , n exhorting pastors to their duty, he points out especially three vices which are found to prevail much, even sloth, desire of gain, and lust for power. In opposition to the first vice he sets alacrity or a willing attention; to the second, liberality; to the third, moderation and meekness, by which they are to keep themselves in their own rank or station. He then says that pastors ought not to exercise care over the flock of the Lord, as far only as they are constrained; for they who seek to do no more than what constraint compels them, do their work formally and negligently. Hence he would have them to do willingly what they do, as those who are really devoted to their work. ToCORRECT avarice, he bids them to perform their office with a ready mind; for whosoever has not this end in view, to spend himself and his labor disinterestedly and gladly in behalf of the Church, is not a minister of Christ, but a slave to his own stomach and his purse. The third vice which he condemns is a lust for exercising power or dominion. But it may be asked, what kind of power does he mean? This, as it seems to me, may be gathered from the opposite clause, in which he bids them to be examples to the flock. It is the same as though he had said that they are to preside for this end, to be eminent in holiness, which cannot be, except they humbly subject themselves and their life to the same common rule. What stands opposed to this virtue is tyrannical pride, when the pastor exempts himself from all subjection, and tyrannizes over the Church. It was for this that Ezekiel condemned the false prophets, that is, that they ruled cruelly and tyrannically. (Ezekiel 34:4.) Christ also condemned the Pharisees, because they laid intolerable burdens on the shoulders of the people which they would not touch, no, not with a finger. (Matthew 23:4.) This imperious rigour, then, which ungodly pastors exercise over the Church, cannot beCORRECTED , except their authority be restrained, so that they may rule in such a way as to afford an example of a godly life. 1The elders By this name he designates pastors and all those who are appointed for the government of the Church. But they called them presbytersor elders for honors sake, not because they were all old in age, but because they were principally chosen from the aged, for old age for the most part has more prudence, gravity, and experience. But as sometimes hoariness is not wisdom, according to a Greek proverb, and as young men are found more fit, such as Timothy, these were also usually called presbyters, after having been chosen into thatORDER . Since Peter calls himself in like manner apresbyter, it appears that it was a common name, which is still more evident from many other passages. Moreover, by this title heSECURED for himself more authority, as though he had said that he had a right to admonish pastors, because he was one of themselves, for there ought to be mutual liberty between colleagues. But if he had the right of primacy he would have claimed it; and this would have been most suitable on the present occasion. But though he was an Apostle, he yet knew that authority was by no means delegated to him over his colleagues, but that on the contrary he was joined with the rest in the participation of the same office. A witness of the sufferings of Christ This may be explained of doctrine, yet I prefer to regard it as referring to his own life. At the same time both may be admitted; but I am more disposed to embrace the latter view, because these two clauses will be more in harmony, that Peter speaks 6. of the sufferings of Christ in his own flesh, and that he would be also a partaker of his glory. For the passageAGREES with that of Paul, If we suffer together, we shall also reign together. Besides, it avails much to make us believe his words, that he gave a proof of his faith by enduring the cross. For it hence appears evident that he spoke in earnest; and the Lord, by thus proving his people, seals as it were their ministry, that it might have more honor and reverence among men. Peter, then, had probably this in view, so that he might be heard as the faithful minister of Christ, a proof of which he gave in the persecutions he had suffered, and in the hope which he had of future life. (53) But we must observe that Peter confidently declares that he would be a partaker of that glory which was not yet revealed; for it is the character of faith to acquiesce in hidden blessings. BARCLAY 1-4, THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH (1 Peter 5:1-4) 5:1-4 So, then, asYOUR fellow-elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as a sharer in the glory which is going to be revealed, I urge the elders who are among you, shepherd the flock of God which is in your charge, not because you are coerced into doing so, but of your own free-will as God would have you to do, not to make a shameful profit out of it, but with enthusiasm, not as if you aimed to be petty tyrants over those allotted to your care, but as being under the obligation to be examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Few passages show more clearly the importance of the eldership in the early church. It is to the elders that Peter specially writes and he, who was the chief of the apostles, does not hesitate to call himself a fellow-elder. It will be worth our while to look at something of theBACKGROUND and history of the eldership, the most ancient and the most important office in the Church. (i) It has a Jewish background. The Jews traced theBEGINNING of the eldership to the days when the children of Israel were journeying through the wilderness to the Promised Land. There came a time when Moses felt the burdens of leadership too heavy for him to bear alone, and to help him seventy elders were set apart and granted a share of the spirit of God (NUMBERS 11:16-30). Thereafter elders became a permanent feature of Jewish life. We find them as the friends of the prophets (2 Kings 6:32); as the advisers of kings (1 Kings 20:8; 1 Kings 21:11); as the colleagues of the princes in the administration of the affairs of the nation (Ezra 10:8). Every village and city had its elders; they met at the gate and dispensed justice to the people (Deuteronomy 25:7). The elders were the administrators of the synagogue; they did not preach, but they saw to the good government andORDER of the synagogue, and they exercised discipline over its members. The elders formed a large section of the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jews, and they are regularly mentioned along with the Chief Priests and the rulers and the Scribes and the Pharisees (Matthew 16:21;Matthew 21:23; Matthew 26:3; Matthew 26:57; Matthew 27:1; Matthew 27:3;Luke 7:3; Acts 4:5; Acts 6:12; Acts 24:1). In the vision of the Revelation in the heavenly places there are twenty-four elders around the throne. The elders were woven into the very structure of Judaism, both in its civil and its religious affairs. (ii) The eldership has a Greek background. Especially in Egyptian communities we find that elders are the leaders of the community and responsible for the conduct of public affairs, much as town councillors are today. We find a woman who had suffered an assault appealing to the elders for justice. When corn is being collected as tribute on the visit of a governor, we find that "the elders of the cultivators" are the officials concerned. We find them connected with the issuing of public edicts, the leasing of land for pasture, the ingathering of taxation. In Asia Minor, also, the members of councils were called elders. Even in the religious communities of the pagan world we find "elder priests" who were responsible for discipline. In the Socnopaeus temple we find the elder priests dealing with the case of a priest who is charged with allowing his hair to grow too long and with wearing woollen garments--an effeminacy and a luxury of which no priest should have been guilty. We can see that long before Christianity took it over "elder" was a title of honour both in the Jewish and in the Graeco-Roman world. THE CHRISTIAN ELDERSHIP (1 Peter 5:1-4CONTINUED ) When we turn to the Christian Church we find that the eldership is its basic office. 7. It was Paul's custom to ordain elders in every community to which he preached and in every church which he founded. On the first missionary journey elders were ordained in every church (Acts 14:23). Titus is left in Crete to ordain elders in every city (Titus 1:5). The elders had charge of the financial administration of the Church; it is to them that Paul and Barnabas delivered the money sent to relieve the poor of Jerusalem in the time of the famine (Acts 11:30). The elders were the councillors and the administrators of the Church. We find them taking a leading part in the Council of Jerusalem at which it was decided to flingOPEN the doors of the Church to the Gentiles. At that Council the elders and the apostles are spoken of together as the chief authorities of the Church (Acts 15:2; Acts 16:4). When Paul came on his last visit to Jerusalem, it was to the elders that heREPORTED and they suggested the course of action he should follow (Acts 21:18-25). One of the most moving passages in the New Testament is Paul's farewell to the elders of Ephesus. We find there that the elders, as he sees them, are the overseers of the flock of God and the defenders of the faith (Acts 20:28-29). We learn from James that the elders had a healing function in the Church through prayers and anointing with oil (James 5:14). From the Pastoral Epistles we learn that they were rulers and teachers, and by that time paid officials (1 Timothy 5:17; the phrase double honour is betterTRANSLATED double pay). When a man enters the eldership, no small honour is conferred upon him, for he isENTERING on the oldest religious office in the world, whose history can be traced through Christianity and Judaism for four thousand years; and no small responsibility falls upon him, for he has been ordained a shepherd of the flock of God and a defender of the faith. THE PERILS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE ELDERSHIP (1 Peter 5:1-4CONTINUED ) Peter sets down in a series of contrasts the perils and the privileges of the eldership; and everything he says isAPPLICABLE , not only to the eldership, but also to all Christian service inside and outside the Church. The elder is to accept office, not under coercion, but willingly. This does not mean that a man is to grasp at office or to enter upon it without self-examining thought. Any Christian will have a certain reluctance to accept high office, because he knows only too well his unworthiness and inadequacy. There is a sense in which it is by compulsion that a man accepts office and enters upon Christian service. "Necessity," said Paul, "is laid upon me; Woe to me, if I do not preach the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:16). "The love of Christ controls us," he said (2 Corinthians 5:14). But, on the other hand, there is a way of accepting office and of rendering service as if it was a grim and unpleasant duty. It is quite possible for a man to agree to a request in such an ungracious way that his whole action is spoiled. Peter does not say that a man should be conceitedly or irresponsibly eager for office; but that every Christian should be anxious to render such service as he can, although fully aware how unworthy he is to render it. The elder is to accept office, not to make a shameful profit out of it, but eagerly. The word for making a shameful profit is aischrokerdes (Greek #146). The noun from this is aischrokerdeia, and it was a characteristic which the Greek loathed. Theophrastus, the great Greek delineator of character, has a character sketch of this aischrokerdeia. Meanness--as it might be translated--is the desire for base gain. The mean man is he who never sets enough food before his guests and who gives himself a double portion when he is carving the joint. He waters the wine; he goes to the theatre only when he can get a freeTICKET . He never has enough money to pay the fare and always borrows from his fellow-passengers. When he is selling corn (American: grain), he uses a measure in which the bottom is pushed up, and even then he carefully levels the top. He counts the half radishes left over from dinner in case the servants eat any. Rather than give a wedding present, he will go away from home when a wedding is in the offing. Meanness is an ugly fault. It is quite clear that there were people in the early church who accused the preachers and missionaries of being in the job for what they could get out of it. Paul repeatedly declares that he coveted no man's goods and worked with his hands to meet his own needs so that he was burdensome to no man (Acts 20:33; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 Corinthians 9:12; 2 Corinthians 12:14). It is certain that thePAYMENT any early office-bearer received was pitifully small and the repeated warnings that the office-bearers must not be greedy for gain shows that there were those 8. who coveted more (1 Timothy 3:3; 1 Timothy 3:8; Titus 1:7; Titus 1:11). The point that Peter is making--and it is ever valid--is that no man dare accept office or render service for what he can get out of it. His desire must ever be to give and not to get. The elder is to accept office, not to be a petty tyrant, but to be the shepherd and the example of the flock. Human nature is such that for many people prestige and power are even more attractive than money. There are those who love authority, even if it be exercised in a narrow sphere. Milton's Satan thought it better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. Shakespeare spoke about proud man, dressed in a little brief authority, playing such fantastic tricks before high heaven as would make the angels weep. The great characteristic of the shepherd is his selfless care and his sacrificial love for the sheep. Any man who enters on office with the desire for preeminence, has got his whole point of view upside down. Jesus said to his ambitious disciples, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But 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 slave of all" (Mark 10:42-44). THE IDEAL OF THE ELDERSHIP (1 Peter 5:1-4CONTINUED ) One thing in this passage which defies translation and is yet one of the most precious and significant things in it is what we have translated "petty tyrants over those allotted to your care." The phrase which we have translated those allotted is curious in Greek; it is ton (Greek #3588) kleron (Greek #2819), the genitive plural of kleros (Greek #2819) which is a word of extraordinary interest. (i) It begins by meaning a dice or a lot. It is so used in Matthew 27:35 which tells how the soldiers beneath the Cross were throwing dice (kleroi, Greek #2819) to see who should possess the seamless robe of Jesus. (ii) Second, it means an office gained or assigned by lot. It is the word used in Acts 1:26 which tells how the disciples cast lots to see who should inherit the office of Judas the traitor. (iii) It then comes to mean an inheritance allotted to someone, as used in Colossians 1:12 for the inheritance of the saints. (iv) In classical Greek it very often means a public allotment or estate of land. These allotments were distributed by the civic authorities to the citizens; and very often the distribution was made by drawing lots for the various pieces of land available for distribution. Even if we were to go no further than this, it would mean that the office of the eldership and, indeed, any piece of service offered to us is neverEARNED by any merit of our own but always allotted to us by God. It is never something that we have deserved but always something given to us by the grace of God. But we can go further than this. Kleros (Greek #2819) means something which is allotted to a man. InDeuteronomy 9:29 we read that Israel is the heritage (kleros, Greek #2819) of God. That is to say, Israel is the people specially assigned to God by his own choice. Israel is the kleros (Greek #2819) of God; the congregation is the kleros (Greek #2819) of the elder. Just as Israel is allotted to God, an elder's duties in the congregation are allotted to him. This must mean that the whole attitude of the elder to his people must be the same as the attitude of God to his people. Here we have another great thought. In 1 Peter 5:2 there is a phrase in the best Greek manuscripts which is not in the King James or the Revised Standard Versions. We have translated it: "Shepherd the flock of God, which is in your charge, not because you are coerced into doing so, but of your own free-will as God would have you to do." As God would have you to do is in Greek kata (Greek #2596) theon (Greek #2316), and that could well mean quite simply like God. Peter says to the elders, "Shepherd your people like God." Just as Israel is God's special allotment, the people we have to serve in the Church or anywhere else are our special allotment; and our attitude to them must be the attitude of God. 9. What an ideal! And what a condemnation! It is our task to show to people God's forbearance, his forgiveness, his seeking love, his illimitable service. God has allotted to us a task and we must do it as he himself would do it. That is the supreme ideal of service in the Christian Church. MEMORIES OF JESUS (1 Peter 5:1-4CONTINUED ) One of the lovely things about this passage is Peter's attitude throughout it. HeBEGINS by, as it were, taking his place beside those to whom he speaks. "Your fellow-elder" he calls himself. He does not separate himself from them but comes to share the Christian problems and the Christian experience with them. But in one thing he is different; he has memories of Jesus and these memories colour this whole passage. Even as he speaks, they are crowding into his mind. (i) He describes himself as a witness of the sufferings of Christ. At first sight we might be inclined to question that statement, for we are told that, after the arrest in the garden, "All the disciples forsook him and fled" (Matthew 26:56). But, when we think a little further, we realise that it was given to Peter to see the suffering of Jesus in a more poignant way than was given to any other human being. He followed Jesus into the courtyard of the High Priest's house and there in a time of weakness he three times denied his Master. The trial came to an end and Jesus was taken away; and there comes what may well be the most tragic sentence in the New Testament: "And the Lord turned and looked at Peter...and Peter went out and wept bitterly" (Luke 22:61-62). In that look Peter saw the suffering of the heart of a leader whose follower had failed him in the hour of his bitterest need. Of a truth Peter was a witness of the suffering that comes to Christ when menDENY him; and that is why he was so eager that his people might be staunch in loyalty and faithful in service. (ii) He describes himself as a sharer in the glory which is going to be revealed. That statement has a backward and a forward look. Peter hadALREADY had a glimpse of that glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. There the sleeping three had been awakened, and, as Luke puts it, "they kept awake and they saw his glory" (Luke 9:32). Peter had seen the glory. But he also knew that there was glory to come, for Jesus had promised to his disciples a share in the glory when the Son of Man should come to sit on his glorious throne (Matthew 19:28). Peter remembered both the experience and the promise of glory. (iii) There can surely be no doubt that, when Peter speaks of shepherding the flock of God, he is remembering the task that Jesus had given to him when he had bidden him feed his sheep (John 21:15-17). TheREWARD of love was the appointment as a shepherd; and Peter is remembering it. (iv) When Peter speaks of Jesus as the Chief Shepherd, many a memory must be in his mind. Jesus had likened himself to the shepherd who sought at the peril of his life for the sheep which was lost (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:4-7). He had sent out his disciples to gather in the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6). He was moved with pity for the crowds, for they were as sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36; Mark 6:34). Above all, Jesus had likened himself to the Good Shepherd who was ready to lay down his life for the sheep (John 10:1-18). The picture of Jesus as the Shepherd was a precious one, and the privilege of being a shepherd of the flock of Christ was for Peter the greatest privilege that a servant of Christ could enjoy. COFFMAN, rse 1 This chapter concludes the epistle with exhortations concerning the eldership and the general attitude of submission and obedience for all (1 Peter 5:1-11), ending with salutations and benediction (1 Peter 5:12-14). The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: (1 Peter 5:1) In this verse, "There is neither self-exaltation nor disparagement, nor any hint of primacy, such as some have claimed for Peter."[1] The storm of persecution coming upon the church naturally focused Peter's mind upon "the need for adequate leadership."[2] The elders which are among you ... Since these men are those exercising the oversight of the church (1 Peter 5:2), the church officials of that name are meant here. Significantly, in some of the 10. older manuscripts "exercising the oversight" is omitted, probably for the purpose ofDENYING the eldership the same authority which came, in time, to be attributed to "bishops" only. However, as Hunter noted, "In New Testament times the government of the local church was in the hands of a body of men called almost indifferently elders or overseers (bishops)."[3] Other New Testament synonyms for the same office are presbyters, pastors, shepherds and stewards. See more on this under 1 Peter 5:2. Which are among you ... As ZerrNOTED , "Elders have no authority over disciples among whom they are not residing."[4] This is the reason that the apostles commanded elders to be ordained in "every church" (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). Whom am a fellow-elder ... The authority of the eldership is in the group sharing the office and is not to be exercised individually, each elder himself being subject, as is the whole church, to the eldership. Zerr noted that "Thayer defines the word elder as a fellow-elder."[5] Who am a witness of the sufferings of Christ ... Primarily, this is a reference to Peter's apostleship; for as Hart said: The qualifications of an apostle in the strict sense limited the office only to those who were companions of the Twelve in all the time from John's baptism to the Assumption, or at least witnesses of the resurrection (Acts 1:22).[6] Construing "witness of the sufferings" as meaning an eyewitness of the crucifixion, however, some are "inclined to doubt this, for we are told that after the arrest in the garden, 'all the disciples forsook him and fled' (Matthew 26:56)."[7] But there is noVALIDITY to the view that Peter did not actually see the crucifixion. He could well have been among the number mentioned by Luke who beheld the event "from afar" (Luke 23:49); for Mark,SHORTLY after saying that all the apostles forsook him and fled, placed Peter in the courtyard as an observer of the trials (Mark 14:50-54); and even beyond this, there is the fact that Peter witnessed the agony in Gethsemane. Who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed ... Selwyn thought this clause has reference to the transfiguration which Peter, along with James and John, had witnessed during the Lord's ministry, saying: Peter had experienced and was known to have experienced theSPECIAL revelation of the glory that had been restored to Jesus at the Ascension ... and would be manifested to all when he came again at the End.[8] [1] Roy S. Nicholson, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 10 (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1967), p. 299. [2] David H. Wheaton, New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 1247. [3] Archibald M. Hunter, The Interpreter's Bible. Vol. XII (New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), p. 147. [4] E. M. Zerr, Bible Commentary, 1Peter (Marion, Indiana: Cogdill Foundation, 1954), p. 265. [5] Ibid. [6] J. H. A. Hart, Expositor's Greek Testament, Vol. V (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), p. 76. [7] William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1976), p. 268. [8] E. G. Selwyn, The First Epistle of St. Peter (London: Macmillan and Company, 1946), p. 229. ELLICOTT, (1) The elders which are among you . . .The best text preserves the word therefore after elders. In view, that is, of these hopes and threats, of the present persecution, and of the coming judgment, St. Peter gives his solemn charge to those who shared with him the responsibility of office in the Church. The word rendered exhort is that common New Testament word (parakal), which we miss in English, including encouragement and entreaty, and even consolation, as well as exhortation. (See, e.g., Acts 4:36,) The whole of this Epistle is an example of such 11. paraclesis. Who am also an elder.St. Peter is giving no irresponsible advice. He knows by experience the dangers which beset the office. The head Christian of the world, and writing from the thick of the persecutionALREADY begun in Rome, the Asiatic elders cannot set his advice down as that of some easy layman who is untouched by the difficulty. It can hardly be said, therefore, that this is an example of St. Peters humility, as though he recognised in himself no higher office than that of these presbyters. The effect is, on the contrary, to make the recipients of the Letter feel that he is using a strong argument fortiori. And a witness of the sufferings of Christ.The Greek word calls attention, not so much to the fact of his having been a spectator, an eye-witness, but rather to the fact of his bearing testimony to the sufferings. Here again, too, it is in Greek the sufferings of the Christ. (SeeNOTE on 1 Peter 1:11.) Not only did St. Peter know, by bearing office himself, what the dangers of office were, but he was able to testify how the Messiah Himself, the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, had suffered, from which it was natural to conclude that all Christians also were destined to suffer. And also a partaker of the glory . . .This splendid assurance follows naturally from being a witness of the sufferings of the Christ. I am in as much danger as any of you, the Apostle says, but I can testify that the Christ Himself suffered thus, and therefore I knew that we who suffer with Him are even now partakers of the glory, though a veil at present hides. it. St. Peter insists in the same way on our present possession of what will not be shown us for a time in 1 Peter 1:5. BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, The elders which are among you I exhort. Elders exhorted 1. In that he, an elder, exhorts them, elders, note that ministers are fittest to teach ministers and to judge of their actions. When we dislike anything in a minister, it were wisdom to ask the judgment of some godly minister before we censure. 2. In that he requireth nothing at their hands but what he himself did, note that the most forcible way of teaching, whether private or public, is, first, to do that in our own persons which we require of others. He is an ill captain that bids his soldiers go fight, himself in the meantime tarrying behind. 3. In that he beseecheth, note his modesty and humility. (John Rogers.) The office, spirit, and reward of a faithful ministry The apostle Peter, after various exhortations to strengthen the brethren, turns at the close of his Epistle to his fellow ministers, and gives them his parting counsel. St. Peter calls the Church the flock of God. It is not mans flock, but Gods, which He hath purchased with His own blood. Our Saviour spoke of the Church as His flock-My sheep, My lambs-and Himself as the Good Shepherd. Each believer will have his own history. There will be peculiarities in it, not found in any other-in what way he wandered; where Jesus found him-in the house of God, on the bed of sickness, at the grave of some one dear to him as his own soul. When thus brought home to the fold, he becomes one of those sheep to whom Jesus gives eternal life. He feels that he is not his own, that he has been bought with a price and can no longer live to his own will, but to the will of Him that loved him. But though thus made one of the flock of Christ, the believer has not yet reached heaven; he must be fed, cared for, guided on his way there, and it is for this end, as well as to add to this flock, that the office of the ministry was instituted. Jesus so loves the souls of men, for whom He died, that He commits them only to those who love Him, 12. and will feed His flock. Having thus considered the office of the ministry, let us consider the spirit in which it is to be exercised-not of constraint, but willingly, of a ready mind, neither as lording it over your charge. There may be a constraint in taking upon us this office and ministry, but it is such a constraint as St. Paul had when he said, Necessity is laid upon me; woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! The love of Christ constraineth me. We may shrink from it from a sense of our utter insufficiency for such a work. Isaiah said, I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips. There may be a shrinking from the work from these causes, and at the same time a willing and ready mind. The constraint St. Peter speaks of is where there is no heart for the work, where there are secular motives of base gain or ambition. Where there is this constraint, a penurious, stinted service will be rendered. Christ praises the angel of the Church of Ephesus for labour unto weariness. This is what Christ praises in His servants. Neither as being lords over Gods heritage, the Church. Our Saviour had warned His apostles against the spirit of ambition which was found in the world. You know, He said to them, that the great ones of this world exercise lordship over men, but it shall not be so among you. And last of all in the qualifications of the Christian minister, we are to be examples to the flock in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity. Having thus considered the office of the ministry, and the spirit in which it is to be exercised, let us now notice the reward of the faithful minister. And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory which fadeth not away. The service of Christ in the ministry of the gospel is not without its reward. It has its reward, not only in prospect, after it is finished, but by the way, in the life which now is. Our work brings us in contact with Divine truth, which grows upon us in interest and delight, so that we are overmastered by its power and glory. This truth raises the soul above itself on the wings of faith and hope, and makes us heavenly minded, which is life and peace. There is a satisfaction growing out of the nature of our work, so that the labour itself is its own exceeding great reward. Our work, again, brings us into a loving sympathy with the Man of Sorrows. The gospel we preach began first to be preached by the Lord Himself. And as He was grieved at the unbelief and hardness of heart of those who heard Him, as He wept over Jerusalem, so does every faithful minister of Christ mourn over those who obey not the gospel and neglect its great salvation. (J. Packard, D. D.) Address to the young elders It is quite plain that St. Peter is here addressing distinctively not elders in age, but eiders by office. Age might enter then, more than now, into the question of fitness; nevertheless, what made a presbyter was not age, but ordination. And when we see gathered together a goodly band of youthful ministers, we do well to say to them, Remember, you have an office given you which reckons not by years, but by graces; you have to walk the aisles of your church, to tread the streets of your parish, as men (in one sense) prematurely old-as men of that truest dignity, which consists not in wealth, not in rank, not even in age, but in bearing Christs commission. St. Peter counts this so honourable an office that he will claim even for himself none higher. Another apostle, his friend and chosen brother, describes himself in like manner in two of his writings, only as the elder (2Jn_1:1). They well knew, both of them, the higher compulsion of sympathy, above anything that mere power or official dignity can exercise. 1. I will say a word upon the dedication. The Christian clergyman is a dedicated man. Do you heartily believe that your motive in asking ordination is honest, truthful, pure? Is it the choice of your heart? Do you mean to give your life to it? You must not be satisfied with that sort of average ambiguous twilight state which the world 13. considers good enough for a lay Christian. 2. Thus the dedication passes on into the commission. You dedicate yourselves to Christ, and He gives you His commission. It would be absolutely intolerable to one who knows himself to have to feel, when he robes himself in his vestry for the exercise of one of his clerical functions, that he is volunteering his counsels for that time to a body of rational spiritual beings who have just as good a right to teach him. Bearing this well in mind, still we say, Without Christs commission we could not speak: with it a dying man may be bold to speak to dying men. 3. Next to the sanctity, the twofold sanctity, of the office, let me strongly urge upon you its Divine humanity. The secret of all influence is, Be human. One word of genuine kindness, of hearty compassionate sympathy, will be worth ten thousand expositions of your claim to reverence: it will open hearts otherwise barred against you, and, letting you in, will let in Christ after you. And as in your intercourse, so also in your preaching. Let it indeed assert strongly the direct revelation and inspiration of your gospel. But in the application of this Divine gospel, speak as a man to men; speak as one who knows its necessity to himself, as one who knows the nature, the life, the heart, to which he has to offer it, and has learned, not from hooks but from men, what is that heart sickness too, and eager inward thirst, to which Christ his Lord came to minister, and has of His infinite mercy set him to minister in His absence, in His presence! 4. Need I say, then, in the fourth place, that the Christian ministry is a work? It is no pastime. It is no outside perfunctory propriety. It is a work. Be able to say, I am an elder of Christs Church, and therefore my time, my strength, nay life, is the Churchs, is Christs. 5. Who shall deny then this other avowal-that the ministry is a difficulty? Do you suppose, ye who pass by, that a clergymans ordination sets him above the most trying snares of world, flesh, or devil? 6. Then let me record, for your encouragement, this one other characteristic-the ministry an honour, a privilege, and a blessing. There is a special coronet for the faithful presbyter, over and above that which he shall share with the lowliest of the redeemed. In this life if is his, if he be earnest in his work, to enjoy a gratitude scarcely given to another-the gratitude of lives remodelled, the gratitude of souls saved. (Dean Vaughan.) Peter exhorting the elders I. A well-equipped soldier. 1. An elder. (1) In age. (2) In knowledge. (3) In experience. (4) In position. 2. A witness. Of Christs- (1) Suffering; 14. (2) Atonement; (3) Love; (4) Sympathy; (5) Humanity. 3. A partaker-of the glory which shall be revealed. Come ye blessed of My Father, etc. II. A humble-minded saint. This was not one of St. Peters early characteristics. But he had learnt by experience to form a true opinion of his real position in the sight of God, and of the many infirmities which pertain to fallen humanity. This chastened spirit is particularly manifested- 1. By the position assumed. Fellow elder. There is no assumption of extra wisdom or superior knowledge. 2. By the method of his teaching. Not I command, decree, enforce; simply I exhort. He would suggest, remind, urge on. What a heavenly spirit! (J. J. S. Bird, B. A.) A witness of the sufferings of Christ.- A witness and a partaker I. A witness of the sufferings of Christ. So far as possible, let us be witnesses with Peter. 1. An eyewitness of those sufferings. In this we cannot participate, nor need we desire to do so. 2. A faith witness of those sufferings. (1) He had personally believed on Jesus at the first. (2) He had further believed through after communion with Him. 3. A testifying witness of those sufferings. (1) He bore witness to their bitterness when borne by Jesus. (2) He bore witness to their importance as an atonement. (3) He bore witness to their completeness as a satisfaction. (4) He bore witness to their effect in perfect salvation. 4. A partaking witness of those sufferings. (1) In defence of truth he suffered from opposers. (2) In winning others he suffered in the anguish of his heart. (3) In serving his Lord he suffered exile, persecution, death. What he witnessed in all these ways became a motive and a stimulus for his whole life. II. A partaker of the glory to be revealed. It is important to partake in all that we preach, or else we preach without vividness and assurance. 1. Peter had enjoyed a literal foretaste of the glory on the holy mount. We, too, have our earnests of eternal joy. 15. 2. Peter had not yet seen the glory which shall be revealed, and yet he had partaken of it in a spiritual sense: our participation must also be spiritual. Peter had been a spiritual partaker in the following ways: (1) By faith in the certainty of the glory. (2) By anticipation of the joy of the glory. (3) By sympathy with our Lord, who has entered into glory. 3. Peter had felt the result of faith in that glory. (1) In the comfort which it yielded him. (2) In the heavenliness which it wrought in him. (3) In the courage with which it endowed him. (C. H. Spurgeon.) Partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.- Partaking as well as preaching Tis a very sad thing when preachers are like printers, who compose and print off many things, which they neither understand, nor love, nor experience; all they aim at is money for printing, which is their trade. It is also sad when ministers are like gentlemen ushers, who bring ladies to their pews, but go not in themselves-bring others to heaven, and themselves stay without. (Ralph Venning.) Feed the flock of God. True office bearers in the Church I. Their duty. Feeding, leading, controlling, protecting. II. Their motive. 1. Negatively. (1) Not constrainedly. (2) Not covetously. (3) Not ambitiously. 2. Positively. (1) Voluntariness. (2) Sympathy. III. Their hope. 1. The crown-symbol of dignity. 2. Of glory-not tinselled or tarnished, but unalloyed. 3. That fadeth not away-imperishable. IV. Their spirit. 1. Mutual subjection. 16. 2. Perfect humility. V. Their help. Grace-the favour of God, the greatest and mightiest inspiration of souls. (U. R. Thomas.) The discharge of the ministry I. The duty enjoined. Every step of the way of our salvation hath on it the print of infinite majesty, wisdom, and goodness; and this amongst the rest, that sinful, weak men are made subservient in that great work of bringing Christ and souls to meet, and that the life which is conveyed to them by the word of life in the hands of poor men, is by the same means preserved and advanced. Oh, what dexterity and diligence, and, above all, what affection are needful for this task! Who would not faint in it, were not our Lord the Chief Shepherd, were not all our sufficiency laid up in His rich fulness, and all our insufficiency covered in His gracious acceptance? II. The discharge of this high task we have here duly qualified. The apostle expresses the upright way of it both negatively and positively. 1. There be three evils he would remove from this work-constrainedness, covetousness, and ambition-as opposed to willingness, a ready mind, and exemplary temper and behaviour. (1) We are cautioned against constrainedness, against being driven to the work by necessity, indigence, and want of other means of subsistence, as it is with too many, making a trade of it to live by; yea, making it the refuge and forlorn resource of their insufficiency for other callings. This willingness should not arise from any thing but pure affection to the work. (2) Not for filthy gain, but purely from the inward bent of the mind. As it should not be a compulsive motion from without, so it should not be an artificial motion by weights hung on within, avarice and love of gain. The former were a wheel, driven or drawn, going by force; the latter little better, as a clock made to go by art, by weights hung to it. But there should be a natural motion, like that of the heavens in their course. (3) The third evil is ambition, and that is either in the affecting of undue authority, or the tyrannical exercise of due authority, or to seek those dignities that suit not with this charge. 2. But being ensamples: such a pattern as they may stamp and print their spirits and carriage by, and be followers of you as you are of Christ. And without this, there is little or no fruitful teaching. III. The high advantage. And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, etc. Thou shalt lose nothing by all this restraint from base gain, and vain glory, and worldly power. Let them all go for a crown-that weighs them all down, that shall abide forever. Oh, how far more excellent:-a crown of glory, pure, unmixed glory, without any pride or sinful vanity, or any danger of it-and a crown that fadeth not, of such a flower as withers not. May they not well trample on base gain and vain applause, who have this crown to look to? They that will be content with those things let them be so; they have their reward, and it is done and gone, when faithful followers are to receive theirs. (Abp. Leighton.) 17. Feed the sheep I thought that I was passing by a sheepfold, where the shepherds seemed extremely busy. But they were occupied entirely with the gate and the hurdles, and had turned their backs on the sheep. The pasture was bare and brown, little better in some places than a sandy waste; the water was muddy, and full of dead leaves. The sheep were few in number-thin, emaciated, and looked scarcely more than half alive. What are you doing, friends? I asked of the shepherds. Our master told us to feed his sheep, they replied. We want to attract those sheep out on the mountain side; they are his too. And what are you doing to attract them? Do you not see? We are gilding the gate and the hurdles, in the hope that, when the sun shines on them, those outside sheep will be attracted by curiosity. Then when they come inside we can feed them. And why do you not feed those that are inside? Oh, they are in; they are safe enough! They can pick up food for themselves. We have not time to attend to them as well as attract the outsiders, and the latter business is by far the most important. We have a further attraction also: we play on the shepherds pipe. The outside sheep often come round to listen. But, friends, it is for the sheep inside that my concern is awakened. Your Master said, Feed My sheep. Your gilding and music will never feed them. Oh, no; those are for the sheep outside. We do feed them inside. Look, here is grass, and there are turnip troughs. Do you call it grass? Parched, poor, uninviting stuff! My good friends, these troughs want cleansing and filling. Do you think we have any time for that? We must attend to these other things. Surely not to the neglect of the main thing? To what are you attracting these sheep? To what are you dooming the others? Attraction to starvation is not a very attractive idea. Then you would have us to spend all our time on the sheep inside, and never gather the others in at all? By no means. I would have you to attract the outsiders; but I would have them attracted by fresh food and clear water, not by golden hurdles and shepherds pipes. Trust me, the true way to attract lost sheep is by letting them see that the found sheep are better off than they are. That is exactly what we are trying to do. Therefore we gild the hurdles to entice them to come and look into the fold. And when they come and look in, you show them-what? A bare patch of ground, and a few half-starved sheep. My poor mistaken friends, the day is coming-ay, and fast too-when you will stand alone behind your gilded hurdles; for the fold will be left empty. The sheep will either be starved to death, or will have dragged their emaciated limbs to other fields than yours, where there is yet green grass left, and the fountain of living water is fresh and pure. Will you put down the paint pot and lay aside the reed, and begin at once to clear out the water and refill the troughs? It is not yet quite too late. It soon will be. Does the parable need interpretation? Will the shepherds listen? (Emily S. Holt.) Taking the oversight thereof.- Ministerial oversight It is not enough for ministers to preach, yea, sacredly and diligently, but they must besides take a particular oversight of their flock, and looking into the conversation and behaviour, and applying themselves accordingly in admonition, exhortation, comfort. If a minister know any of his people riotous or profane, he must rebuke them; if any out of the way, admonish them; he must hearten them that be in a good course to go on still, and must comfort them that languish under their sins, temptations, and fears; in a word, deal with every one as the cause requireth. 1. This rebukes those ministers that be absent from their people usually or continually. How can these take care of them that come not at them but rarely, except 18. they could indent with the devil, never to trouble their people, or tempt them in their absence. 2. It rebukes those also that living among their people, yet care not thus, but think themselves discharged that they meet them at Church on Sunday, and then preach them a sermon, whereas all the week after they consider not of them. (John Rogers.) Not for filthy lucre.- Gods servants-their ruling motive You cannot serve two masters-you must serve one or other. If your work is first with you, and your fee second, work is your master, and the Lord of work, who is God. But if your fee is first with you, and your work second, fee is your master, and the lord of fee, who is the devil; and not only the devil, but the lowest of devils-the least erected fiend that fell. So there you have it in brief terms-work first, you are Gods servants; fee first, you are the fiends. And it makes a difference, now and ever, believe me, whether you serve Him who has on His vesture and thigh written, King of kings, and whose service is perfect freedom; or him on whose vesture and thigh the name is written, Slave of slaves, and whose service is perfect slavery. (John Ruskin.) Gold a contemptible motive for service The noblest deeds which have been done on earth have not been done for gold. It was not for the sake of gold that our Lord came down and died, and the apostles went out to preach the good news in all lands. The Spartans looked for no reward in money when they fought and died at Thermopylae; and Socrates the wise asked no pay from his countrymen, but lived poor and barefoot all his days, only caring to make men good. And there are heroes in our days also, who do noble deeds, but not for gold. Our discoverers did not go to make themselves rich when they sailed out one after another into the dreary frozen seas; nor did the ladies, who went out to drudge in the hospitals of the East, making themselves poor, that they might be rich in noble works; and young men, too, did they say to themselves, How much money shall I earn? when they went to the war, leaving wealth and comfort, and a pleasant home, to face hunger and thirst, and wounds and death, that they might fight for their country and their queen? No, there is a better thing on earth than wealth, a better thing than life itself, and that is, to have done something before you die, for which good men may honour you, and God your Father smile upon your work. (C. Kingsley.) Too much money for a clergyman Mr. Fletcher, of Madeley, was once offered a living in a small parish in the county of Durham; the duty was light, the stipend 400, and the surrounding country very charming. Mr. F. thanked the donor for his kind offer, but at the same time declined it, saying, There is too much money for me, and too little labour. Neither as being lords over Gods heritage.- Ministerial authority 1. Ministers must not exercise civil authority and temporal power over their people, 19. but use a spiritual rule over them, by teaching them, etc., and ruling them by the Word of God. 2. Ministers must not carry themselves proudly and disdainfully. 3. Nor must a minister rule them with violence (Eze_34:18). (John Rogers.) Not lords Bernard of Clairvaux wrote to Pope Eugene, Peter could not give thee what he had not; what he had he gave: the care over the Church, not dominion. Ensamples to the flock.- Power of example Of Mr. Henry Townley, who died in 1861, Dr. Henry Allon, his pastor, said in his funeral sermon: I doubt whether a holier man than Henry Townley has ever lived I have often, in his presence, felt humbled and awed at his manifest sanctity and consecration. I never remember to have left him without shame and penitence, and prayer that God would forgive my shortcoming, and make me like him. When the Chief Shepherd shall appear.- The Chief Shepherds appearance I. The style and character here appropriated to our Divine Redeemer. 1. Shepherd. (1) He has received His Church as a charge from the hand of the Father. (2) He has ransomed the sheep with His most precious blood. (3) He lives to gather the wanderers into His fold, by the power of His Spirit and the instrumentality of His Word. 2. Chief Shepherd. (1) His infinite dignity. (2) His official supremacy. (3) The preeminent qualities He possesses, for the office with which He has been invested. (a) The comprehensiveness of His knowledge. (b) His almighty power. (c) His exquisite tenderness and sympathy. (4) To Him all the subordinate agents in His kingdom are responsible. II. This chief shepherd is about to appear. 1. This fact is most certain. 2. The circumstances of His second coming will be marked with peculiar splendour. III. The recompense which will be awarded at that solemn hour, to those who have faithfully fulfilled the duties of the office of under shepherds.- 20. 1. The beautiful imagery employed by the apostle to exhibit this recompense-a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 2. What are the substantial truths couched under this imagery? (1) The approbation of his Master. (2) The visible tokens and pledges of ministerial success. (3) His own personal exaltation and felicity. Learn: 1. The vast importance of the Christian ministry as an ordinance of God for the present and everlasting welfare of His Church. 2. The true honour which is due, and ought to be presented, to those who have faithfully discharged this office on earth, and especially when their course has terminated. (G. Clayton.) The Chief Shepherd I. The title which is here given to Christ as the Chief Shepherd. The very name of shepherd is full of lustre and beauty, of condescension and grace. And whilst other names describe the different parts of Christs work, and the various principles of Christs character, this seems to combine them all. As Prophet, He was to teach His Church, to convey to it the lessons of Divine wisdom; as Priest, He was to make atonement for the sins of His people; as King, He was to rule over them in the gentleness and sanctity of His sway; but as He is the Chief Shepherd, we have the wisdom and goodness which instructs, the grace and mercy which unfolds, the power which rules, the authority which legislates, all in one. 1. He is called the Chief Shepherd. In relation, without doubt, to the inferior and subordinate shepherds. For the universal Church, in all its subdivisions, is His vast sheepfold, and the ministers of religion are the shepherds in subordination to Him. And, according to the manners of the East, and in ancient and early times, there was one-the Chief Shepherd whose own the sheep were. It is in reference to this, that Christ, in the passage before us, is called the Chief Shepherd. 2. It describes, also, the dignity of His person, and the glory of His perfections. In every respect He is chief-chief among the angels, having a name as much more excellent than they, as His nature is more excellent than theirs. He is first among the priests: Adam was a priest, Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Melchisedec, and Moses were priests; and then come the descendants of Ham in their rank and order; but Christ is Chief Priest. So He is among the prophets; He infinitely transcended Moses. He is so among the kings; King of kings and Lord of lords, the blessed and only Potentate, whose power and splendour overwhelms them all. And so He is among the shepherds-the Chief Shepherd, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and ending. 3. He is Chief Shepherd also in having set a perfect example of a shepherds duty in watchfulness, care, and love. What instructions He delivered; with what authority, dignity, and power! 4. And, finally, He is called Chief Shepherd on account of His exaltation and majesty in the heavenly world. He has a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. 21. II. The appearance which He shall hereafter make in glory; and the word appear denotes that He is now hidden. The God of this world has blinded the eyes of many, that they neither see nor believe. And as it respects bodily vision, He is hidden also from His own people; for we walk by faith and not by sight. 1. But the passage before us speaks of His appearance; He is to be made manifest. As the heavens were opened at the baptism, and the Holy Ghost descended visibly in the shape and appearance of a dove, so are the heavens hereafter to be opened, and the Chief Shepherd will appear and descend again. 2. And respecting the time of this appearance, it is reserved in the bosom of heaven, as a deep secret-not one of the holy angels is permitted to know-not one of the spirits of the just made perfect, have any more apprehension of the time of the second advent than you or I have. 3. Respecting the purpose of His coming. It is not to teach, to suffer, and to die; this He did once, and will do it no more. He will come, it is said, without a sin offering unto salvation; He will come to accomplish the resurrection of all the dead. 4. And as to the manner of the Advent. I take it that all which was seen and heard at Sinai, the greater revelation of Divine power and justice, when the sign of the Son of Man was seen in heaven, and Jerusalem was overturned, is but a faint type and foreshadow of that which shall then be. Oh, all miracles, all prodigies of Divine power, which have taken place from the beginning of the world to this day, will be as nothing amidst all the miracles which shall then be accomplished. It will be a day of God emphatically, in which it will he seen what God can do. 5. And now let those of us who are in the ministry learn what we are to look for. Contempt there may be from men, but there will be honour of God. (J. Stratten.) Ye shall receive a crown of glory.- The faithful minister I. I shall describe the nature, qualifications, and duties of the ministerial office as stated in the context. 1. I shall consider the duties which this figurative description of the pastoral office implies. (1) It is incumbent on a Christian shepherd to feed the flock. And what is the provision with which he is to feed them? Food for the mind and heart, suited to their condition as rational beings, as fallen sinners, and as immortal creatures, the truth as it is in Jesus. (2) Inspection of the state of the flock is another duty implied in this figure. We should know the circumstances of our people, the sorrows which oppress, the cares which perplex, the sins which beset them, and the difficulties which embarrass them, in order that we may give to each a portion of meat in due season. (3) Protection of his flock is also the duty of a shepherd. Is not Satan perpetually going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour? Is not the spirit of the world ever watching for an opportunity to devastate the interests of piety in our churches? Are there not heresies ever lurking about the pastures of truth? 22. (4) Affectionate tenderness is generally associated with the character of a shepherd. (5) A faithful minister will enforce all his instructions by his example. 2. The apostle states in a negative form the manner in which the duties of the pastoral office are to be entered upon and discharged. (1) A minister is not to take upon him the oversight of flock under constraint, but with a willing mind. (2) We are forbidden to take the oversight of the flock for the sake of filthy lucre. (3) A Christian minister is not to lord it over Gods heritage. He has no dominion over the conscience; his power in the church is ministerial, not legislatorial. II. I shall consider his subordination and responsibility to Christ. These are implied in the expression, the Chief Shepherd. It is needless to say that this refers to our Divine Lord. This epithet implies- 1. His superiority to all others. They are mere men of the same nature as their flocks; He in His mysterious and complex person unites the uncreated glories of the Godhead with the milder beauties of the perfect man. They (in a good sense of the term) are hired pastors; He is the great Proprietor of the sheep. They partake of the infirmities of the people; He is holy, harmless, and undefiled. They are encompassed with ignorance, and with the best intentions often err in the direction of the church. Unerring wisdom characterises all His dispensations. They possess affection for their flock, but the warmest bosom that ever glowed with ministerial love is as the frigid zone itself compared with the love of His heart. They are weak, and are often ready to sink under the multiplied cares of office; but though the government is upon His shoulder, He fainteth not, neither is weary. They are mortal, and continue not by reason of death; He is the blessed and only Potentate, who only hath immortality, and reigns, as Head over all things to His Church, not by the law of a carnal commandment, but by the power of an endless life. 2. This epithet implies the authority of Christ. He, in this respect, is the Chief Shepherd. It is exclusively His right to rule in the Church, to regulate all its concerns and all its officers. III. Turn we now to contemplate the faithful ministers glorious reward. 1. The reward will be bestowed when the Chief Shepherd shall appear. 2. But I must consider of what the reward is to consist. He shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. (1) The figure implies honourable distinction. The crown was an emblem of honour. The faithful pastor will no doubt be singled out amidst the solemnities of the last day, and occupy a station where every eye will behold him. He will receive a public testimony of approbation from the Chief Shepherd. (2) Perfect felicity is evidently implied in this figurative description of a ministers reward. The crown of victory was worn on days of public rejoicing, and he who wore it was considered the happiest of the festive throng, and the centre of the universal joy. He received the congratulations of the admiring multitude as having reached the summit of human happiness. The apostle, therefore, intended to include the idea of perfect happiness in his beautiful illusion. The holy pastor shall partake, in common with his people, of all those sublime felicities which the 23. Father hath prepared for them that love Him. (3) Eternal duration is ascribed by the apostle to the honour and happiness promised in the text. (J. A. James.) EBC, HOW TO TEND THE FLOCK ST. PETERS last lesson was full of consolation. He showed that it was from Gods hand that judgments were sent upon His people to purify them and prepare them for His appearing. With this thought in their minds, he would have the converts rejoice in their discipline, confident in the faithfulness of Him who was trying them. He follows this general message to the Churches with a solemn charge to their teachers. They are specially responsible for the welfare of the brethren. On them it rests by the holiness of their lives and the spirit in which they labor to win men to the faith. "The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Tend the flock of God which is among you. Therefore"-because I know that the blessed purpose of trial is not always manifest, and because the hope of the believer needs to be constantly pointed to the faithfulness of God-I exhort you to tend zealously those over whom you are put in charge. "Elders" was the name given at first to the whole body of Christian teachers. No doubt they were chosen at the beginning from the older members of the community when the Apostles established Churches in their missionary journeys. "They appointed for them elders in every Church"; (Act_14:23) and it was the elders of the Church of Ephesus that Paul sent for to Miletus. (Act_20:17) And St. Peter here contrasts them very pointedly with those of younger years, whom he addresses afterwards. But after it became an official title the sense of seniority would drop away from the word. It is clear from this passage that in St. Peters time they were identical with those who were afterwards named bishops. For the word, which follows presently in the text and is rendered "exercising the oversight" is literally "doing the work of bishop, or overseer." And in the passage already alluded to (Act_20:15-28) those who at first are called elders are subsequently named bishops: "The Holy Ghost hath made you bishops to feed the Church of God" (R.V.). As the Church grew certain places would become prominent as centers of Christian life, and to the elders therein the oversight of other Churches would be given; and thus the overseer or bishop would grow to be distinct from the other presbyters, and his title be assigned to the more important office. This had not come about when St. Peter wrote. The humility which he is soon about to commend to the whole body the Apostle manifests by placing himself on the level of those to whom he speaks: "I, who am a fellow-elder, exhort you." He has strong claims to be heard, claims which can never be theirs. He has been a witness of the sufferings of Christ. He might have made mention of his apostleship; he might have told of the thrice-repeated commission which soon supplies the matter of his exhortation. He will rather be counted an equal, a fellow- laborer with themselves. Some have thought that even when he calls himself a witness of Christs sufferings he is not so much referring to what he saw of the life and death of Jesus, as to the testimony which he has borne to his Master since the Pentecostal outpouring and the share which he has had of sufferings for Christs sake. If this be so, he would here too be reckoning himself even as they, as he clearly intends to do in the words which follow, where he calls himself a sharer, as they all are, in the glory to which they look forward. Thus in all things they are his brethren: in the ministry, in their affliction, and in their hope of glory to be revealed. 24. He opens his solemn charge with words which are the echo of Christs own: "Feed My sheep"; "Feed My lambs." Every word pictures the responsibility of those to whom the trust is committed. These brethren are Gods flock. Psalmists and prophets had been guided of old to use the figure; they speak of Gods people as "the sheep of His pasture." But our Lord consecrated it still more when He called Himself "the good Shepherd, that giveth His life for the sheep." The word tells much of the character of those to whom it is applied. How prone they are to wander and stray, how helpless, how ill furnished with means of defense against perils. It tells, too, that they are easy to be led. But that is not all a blessing, for though docile, they are often heedless, ready to follow any leader without thought of consequences. But they are Gods flock. This adds to the dignity of the elders office, but adds also to the gravity of the trust, a trust to be entered on with fear and trembling. For the flock is precious to Christ, and should be precious to His shepherds. To let them perish for want of tending is treachery to the Master who has sent men to His work. And how much that tending means. To feed them is not all, though that is much. To provide such nurture as will help their growth in grace there is a food store in Gods word, but not every lesson there suits every several need. There must be thoughtful choice of lessons. The elders of old were, and Gods shepherds now are, called to give much care how they minister, lest by their oversight or neglect- "The hungry sheep look up, but are not fed." But tending speaks of watchfulness. The shepherd must yield his account when the chief Shepherd shall appear. Those who are watchmen over Gods flock must have an eye to quarters whence dangers may come, must mark the signs of them and be ready with safeguards. And the sheep themselves must be strengthened to endure and conquer when they are assailed; they cannot be kept out of harms way always. Christ did not pray for His own little flock of disciples that they should be taken out of the world, only kept from the evil. Then all that betokens good must be cherished among them. For even troy germs of goodness the Spirit will sanctify, and help the watchful elder, by his tending, to rear till they flourish and abound. To this general precept St. Peter adds three defining clauses, which tell us how the elders duty may be rightly discharged, and against what perils and temptations he will need to strive: "exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according unto God." How would the oversight of an elder come to be exercised of constraint in the time of St. Peter? Those to whom he writes had been appointed to their office by apostolic authority, it may have been by St. Paul himself: and while an Apostle was present to inspire them enthusiasm for the new teaching would be at its height: many would be drawn to the service of Christ who would appear to the missionaries well fitted to be entrusted with such solemn charge and ministry. But even an Apostle cannot read mens hearts, and it was when the Apostles departed that the Churches would enter on their trial. Then the fitness of the elders would be put to the test. Could they maintain in the churches the earnestness which had been awakened? Could they in their daily walk sustain the apostolic character, and help forward the cause both by word and life? Christianity would be unlike every other movement whose officers are human if there were not many failures and much weakness here and there; and if the ministrations of elders grew less acceptable and less fruitful, they would be offered with ever-diminishing earnestness, and the services, full of life at the outset, would prove irksome from disappointment, and in the end be discharged only as a work of necessity. And every subsequent age of the Church has endorsed the wisdom of St. Pauls caution, "Lay hands hastily on no man." Fervid zeal may grow cool, and inaptitude for the work 25. become apparent. Nor are those in whom it is found always solely responsible for a mistaken vocation. As St. Pauls words should make those vigilant whose office it is to send forth men to sacred ministries, so St. Peters warning should check any undue urging of men to offer themselves. It is a sight to move men to sorrow, and God to displeasure, when the shepherds work is perfunctory, not done willingly, according to God. In some texts the last three words are not represented, nor are they found in our Authorized Version. But they have abundant authority, and so fully declare the spirit in which all pastoral work should be done that they might well be repeated emphatically with each of these three clauses. To labor "according to God," "as ever in the great Taskmasters eye," is so needful that the words may be commended to the elders as a constant motto. And not only as in His sight should the work be done, but with an endeavor after the standard which is set before us in Christ. We are to stoop as He stooped that we may raise those who cannot raise themselves; to be compassionate to the penitent, breaking no bruised reed, quenching no spark in the smoking flax. The pastors words should be St. Pauls, "We are your servants for Jesus sake, his action that of the shepherd in the parable: When he findeth it, he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing." Such joy comes only to willing workers. "Not yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind." We do not usually think of the Church in the apostolic age as offering any temptation to the covetous. The disciples were poor men, and there is little trace of riches in the opening chapters of the Acts. St. Paul, too, constantly declined to be a burden to the flock, as though he felt it right to spare the brethren. The lessons of the New Testament on this subject are very plain. When our Lord sent forth His seventy disciples, He sent them as "laborers worthy of their hire"; (Luk_10:7) and St. Paul declares it to be the Lords ordinance that they which proclaim the Gospel should live of the Gospel. (1Co_9:14) To serve with a ready mind is to seek nothing beyond this. But it is clear both from St. Pauls language (1Ti_1:7) and from this verse that there existed temptations to greed, and that some were overcome thereby. It is worthy of note, however, that those who are given up to this covetousness are constantly branded with false teaching. They are thus described by both the Apostles. They teach things which they ought not, (Tit_1:2) and with feigned words make merchandise of the flock. (2Pe_2:3) The spirit of self-seeking and base gain (which is the literal sense of St. Peters word) is so alien to the spirit of the Gospel that we cannot conceive a faithful and true shepherd using other language than that of St. Paul: "We seek not yours, but you." "Neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock." This too, is a special peril at all times for those who are called to preside in spiritual offices. The interests committed to their trust are so surpassingly momentous that they must often speak with authority, and the Churchs history furnishes examples of men who would make themselves lords where Christ alone should be Lord. Against this temptation He has supplied the safeguard for all who will use it. "My sheep," He says, "hear My voice." And the faithful tenders of His flock must ever ask themselves in their service, is this the voice of Christ? The question will be in their hearts as they give counsel to those who need and seek it, what would Christ have said to this man or to that? The same sort of question will bring to the test their public ministrations, and will make that most prominent in them, which He intended to be so. Thus will be introduced into all they do a due proportion and subordination, and many a subject of disquiet in the Churches will thereby sink almost into insignificance. At the same time the constant reference to their own Lord will keep them in mind that they are His servants for the flock of God. While he warns the elders against the assumption of lordship over their charges, the Apostle adds a precept which, if it be followed, will abate all tendency to 26. seek such lordship. For it brings to the mind of those set over the flock that they too are but sheep, like the rest, and are appointed not to dominate, but to help their brethren.. "Making yourselves ensamples to the flock." Christs rule for the good shepherd is, "He goeth before them, and the sheep follow him". (Joh_10:4) The weak take in teaching rather from what they see than from what they hear. The teacher must be a living witness to the word, a proof of its truth and power. If he be not this, all his teaching is of little value. The simplest teacher who lives out his lessons in his life becomes a mighty power; he gains the true, the lawful lordship, and "Truth from his lips prevails with double sway." The Apostles knew well the weight and influence of holy examples. Hence St. Paul appeals continually to the lives of himself and his fellow-workers. We labor, he says, "to make ourselves an ensample unto you that ye should imitate us"; (2Th_3:9) Timothy he exhorts, "Be thou an ensample to them that believe," (1Ti_4:12) and Titus, "In all things showing thyself an ensample of good works". (Tit_2:7) Nothing can withstand the eloquence of him who can dare to appeal to his brethren, as the Apostle does, "Be ye imitators together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample," (Php_3:17) and "Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ". (1Co_11:1) Such pattern shepherds have been the admiration of every age. Chaucer, among his pilgrims, describes the good parson thus:- "The lore of Christ and His Apostles twelve He taught, and first he followed it himself." Such are the lives of shepherds who remember that they are even as their flocks: frail and full of evil tendencies, and needing to come continually, in humble supplication, to the source of strength and light, and to be ever watchful over their own lives. These men seek no lordship; there comes to them a nobler power, and the allegiance they win is self- tendered. "And when the chief Sh