A SHEPHERD’S COMMISSION
A letter from Peter
1 Peter 5 – Part 1
Advice for Elders and
Young Men
1 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an
elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his
glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to
you: 2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over
it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because
you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned
to your care, but lead them by your own good example. 4 And when the
Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and
honor.
5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority
of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to
one another, for
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.
but gives grace to the humble.
Peter commences from a base of equality noting that he
himself, is also an elder who has been a witness to the life, ministry and suffering
of Jesus. Like his fellow apostles, he is in awe of the ministry thrust upon
him. There is nothing dictatorial about his language, but rather it is couched
in the spirit a genuine plea: As a fellow
elder, I appeal to you. Perhaps Paul best sums up the attitude of authentic
Christian leadership; humility and a sense of a divine and irrevocable calling.
Yet preaching the Good News is not
something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for
me if I didn’t preach the Good News! (1 Corinthians 9:16 - NLT)
Care for the flock
Peter’s advice to his elders could have come out any modern
pastoral care manual beginning with the very basic but crucial: Care for the flock. In the 10th
chapter of John Jesus is cast as the epitome of
the caring shepherd of the
flock. Here is a very pertinent and telling example of what caring for the
flock is crucially all about, even to the point of death.
Watch over the flock
There is a discerning sensitivity needed in any pastoral
care program and Peter is acutely aware of it when he says: Watch over the flock. We live in a day
and age when there are many unwanted intrusions into our lives and our
lifestyles: we don’t need another from our Christian community. Watching
indicates an activity kept at arm’s length. Now not all will instinctively have
such skill and it will need to be developed, monitored and used wisely.
Nothing puts a damper on a community more than a Christian
leader who carries out their responsibilities with dour resolve. Peter wants
his elders to serve willingly, not grudgingly. Probably no
modern religious movement suffered more opposition and suffering that the early
Army, yet they are able to put pen to paper and write: There is pleasure in His service, more than all. Christian leaders who find their ministry an
unwelcome or irritating imposition should immediately step down, such an
attitude cannot be disguised no matter how pleasant the image projected.
Not for what you will get out of it
Sadly, we seem to be living in an age where a lot of
Christian ministry is paid ministry rather than that which the Christian
community previously relied on, willing and dedicated volunteers with a heart
and passion for their community. Peter wants his elders to serve; not for what you will get out of it.
I suspect the concept of full-time paid ministry maybe well
come from the mega-church movement and has been transported and imposed on
smaller Christian communities where it may well be culturally out of place and
damaging, since it may well steal the opportunities of those in the royal
priesthood to serve and minister.
The other side of this coin is that when pastoral care is
given from a thoughtful, caring and loving heart there can’t help but be the
reward of spiritual blessing and spiritual fulfilment.
Eager to serve God
There is a wide understanding here of which those
ministering in pastoral care need to be mindful; they are eager to serve God. When Christians in the royal priesthood
catch a glimpse of the fact that what they are really doing is working with the
King, it places a whole new dimension on ministry. They are not just carrying
out some mundane, inconsequential role; they are serving God in helping others
relate to Him. The spiritual quality of another’s life in the kingdom lifestyle
is enriched and validated because they are eager
to serve God. There is no greater sense of worth and fulfilment in
Christian ministry, than to know you have helped another along the kingdom
path.
Don’t lord it over the people
No matter how far we are personally in our own spiritual
growth we are never far from our own humanness, and the temptation to adopt a
superior attitude, especially when things are going well, is never far below
the surface, and Peter knew this. Don’t
lord it over the people, he writes. One of the dangers of working in
pastoral care is that sometimes the ability to see another’s troubles much
clearer, can leads us to all too quickly point it out. This compounds a sense
of superiority and, and at times, judgment. What really should happen is that
they need to be assisted in working through their own troubles. Such a resolution
is always more impactful and permanent since they have been able to identify
their issue, own them and find their own solution.
Peter concludes his advice to pastoral carers with the most
basic of Christian ideals, that of a good, Christian example. Lead them by your own good example, he
writes and we need to tease this out a little for the reality is that we are
all earthen vessels, given to failure and errant judgment. Consequently, how
can we lead by example from a place of imperfection? The word authentic comes to mind and must be the starting
point, for what others are looking for above everything else, is someone who
will help the,m who is honest, authentic and genuine. The reality of human
nature is that people soon see through those who are trying to project an image
or using clever buzz words or word spin. The reality is that people will soon
forgive the fallibilities of those seeking to minister to them when they
understand that there is genuine love and care.
For those shepherds who have faithfully dedicated their
lives to genuinely caring for others there is the reward for good and faithful
service: And when the Great Shepherd
appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.
Peter closes this section off with a timely warning to you who are younger. We need to
understand that youth has its energy, it’s brashness and sometimes its
ignorance. In many Christian communities, the energy to make thing happen can
be found among those who are young, and it needs to be genuinely acknowledged
from leadership, respected and utilised for the good of the whole community.
The downside is that it lacks the wisdom of the years, and
left to its own direction, ventures into areas where it can damage the
community. I note a push these days to cater in some Christian communities for
mainly the under 45s. While I understand something of the objective to stem the
tide of that age group leaving the Christian community, it is a dangerous and
ill thought out strategy. It leaves aside the necessary wisdom available, it
creates unnecessary division, some of which may well be impossible to heal, and
it tends to be isolationists and disruptive of authentic community. Such
outcomes are the exact opposite of what Peter’s holy nation is seeking to
achieve.
Peter touches on what must be one of the great essential
qualities all Christian communities seek after, if they are to be authentic.
Regardless of age, colour or gender, we must dress [ourselves] in humility
as [we] relate to one another. Pride
and arrogance have no place in the royal priesthood of the holy nation.
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