When Peter calls the elders to "shepherd the flock of God that is among you," He is drawing on an image that is deeply rooted in the Scriptures. Perhaps we are most familiar with David, the Shepherd King. Psalm 23 is doubtless the most familiar reference to how Yahweh is our Great Shepherd. And we love to speak of our Savior as the "Good Shepherd." More than 30 hymns in our hymnal refer to Christ as the "shepherd."

The first shepherd in the Bible was Abel. The first shepherd was the first man to bring a pleasing sacrifice to God. The first shepherd was also the first man to die, as Cain murdered his brother. Sheep-herding was a common occupation in the nomadic society of the early patriarchs. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had large flocks, and their sons were shepherds. Remember that Joseph was sold into slavery by his shepherd-brothers. And when Israel went down into Egypt, they became the shepherds of Pharaoh's flocks. Long before Israel was settled in the Promised Land, long before they became gardeners, Israel herded sheep. In Numbers 27:17, Joshua is the first leader of Israel who is referred to as a shepherd of Israel. But from the time of David, the kings and rulers of Israel are regularly called "shepherds."

Yahweh, the one true God, is declared to be the shepherd of Israel in Psalms 23, 28 and 80. And he appointed kings, judges, and elders to be shepherds in Israel, exercising his authority for the good of the people. But Ezekiel 34 speaks of the failure of these shepherds. The shepherds of Israel have been feeding themselves. Rather than feeding the sheep, they have been devouring the sheep (v3). The condemnation of the shepherds speaks of what they should have been doing (v4-6). So God declares on oath that he will bring judgment against the shepherds (v7-10). You can see where Jesus teaching on the Good Shepherd and the Lost Sheep comes from (Luke 15, John 10). Jesus is saying that he is doing what Yahweh promised that He would do (v11-16). Jesus came to seek for that which was lost, to bring back the strayed, and bind up the injured, to strengthen the weak, and destroy the strong. 

Ezekiel 34 is doubly interesting because God then turns to the sheep. You might think that since the shepherds are responsible for the sheep, God would judge the shepherds and pardon the sheep. But Ezekiel continues: v17-22. When the shepherds fail to lead in the right way, the result is not that the sheep are innocent. Rather, the sheep then turn to their own selfish ways. The warning for shepherds is that if you fail in your calling, the flock will receive judgment together with you! Ezekiel, after all, is the prophet who taught Israel that their corporate identity did not remove their individual responsibility. (Ezekiel 18:4--"the soul who sins shall die.") When shepherds fail, the result is that the sheep begin to fight and quarrel. The sheep that have good pasture trample on the rest to prevent other sheep from eating; after drinking themselves, they muddy the water so that the rest have nothing. The strong sheep "thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad." "Strong," you see, does not mean "strong in the Lord." Weak does not mean spiritually weak. The strong sheep is one who has the power to intimidate the weak. God promises that he will judge between the strong and the weak, between the fat and the lean. He will give them one shepherd-"my servant David." The people of God need a shepherd. They need someone who will feed them. Someone who will ensure that the weak get enough food, and that the strong do not get too much. They need someone who will judge their quarrels and defend them from their enemies (v23-26, 30-31).

Now we are ready to understand 1 Peter 5. Remember, Peter has been explaining how the church must pass through suffering on her path to glory. Judgment is beginning with the household of God. The final judgment has been proclaimed in Jesus Christ, and so those who are in him now are sharing in the sufferings of Christ, so that they might partake of the glory that will be revealed in him. Therefore, Peter reminds his hearers, "Let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good" (4:19).

It is because of this judgment that Peter then addresses the elders. "So" connects back to the previous section. Because of the fiery trials that will come upon the flock, God has provided shepherds to lead and to feed. Jesus Christ is the chief Shepherd. He will care for his sheep, and the means he has chosen to care for them is to provide pastors, elders, and deacons.

Wait, you might say, but isn't this what God did for Israel? God gave them elders as shepherds--and the result wasn't very good! Remember Ezekiel 34? It is true that elders in the church may still fail. It is true that when elders fail, the church bites and devours each other. But Peter's exhortation reminds us that while elders today have the same calling: "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you." There is a different power than any known by the Old Testament elders. "So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed." 

Peter could have appealed to his unique status as an apostle to give these directions, but that would defeat his purpose. Peter wants to show the elders the similarity between his calling and theirs. So he calls himself a "fellow elder" and identifies his calling with theirs. He had a unique role as an apostle in providing the foundation for the church. He was there when Jesus was crucified. He witnessed the sufferings of Christ in a unique way that very few did. But he was also an elder, a shepherd of the flock, and as an elder He is a witness of the sufferings of Christ. 

It is the calling of all elders to be witnesses of the sufferings of Christ. The Greek word is martus--from which we get our word "martyr." A martus--a witness--is one who bears witness, or testifies, of the sufferings of Christ. But how could these elders, who had never seen Jesus--much less seen him on the cross--how could they be witnesses of the sufferings of Christ? Remember 4:13? "Rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings." Or 4:1? "Whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin." The elders are witnesses of the sufferings of Christ because they have themselves shared in his suffering. This is not unique to elders. All Christians will suffer with Christ. But elders are to be examples to the flock (5:3), not merely in their teaching, but also in their life. The way that an elder handles trial and tribulation should be a model to the flock, walking in the footsteps of Christ from suffering to glory. Watch your elders. Watch Jay. Watch Andy. Watch Yon. Imitate them as they imitate Christ. 

But notice that Peter does not merely emphasize suffering. As we have seen, (over and over again!) Peter does not focus on suffering for its own sake! No, the calling of the shepherd is both to witness to the sufferings of Christ, AND to partake in the glory that is going to be revealed. There is a glory in the eldership that is not obvious to the casual observer. The reason why it is not obvious is because it has not been revealed yet! But the verb suggests that Peter sees his participation in this future glory to be as present a reality as his witness to the past sufferings of Christ. The elders partake of the glory of the risen Christ. And again, this is not unique to elders. Peter has already made it clear that all of us partake of the sufferings of Christ, and all of us even now partake of the glory that will be revealed. It has not yet been revealed. It has not yet been made visible to all. But as the elders are examples to the flock in their witness to the sufferings of Christ, so also they are examples in their participation in his glory.

What does this mean? How are the elders witnesses of the sufferings of Christ, and partakers of his glory? This is the point of Peter's exhortation. He has reminded the elders of the office that they share with him, and now he reminds them of the special calling that rests upon the elders of Christ's church. "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight."

Next week we will look at the character of the elder/shepherd. Today we will content ourselves simply with this call.

The elders are witnesses of the sufferings of Christ, and partakers of his glory, as they shepherd the flock. What does a shepherd do? As Ezekiel 34 indicated to us, a good shepherd does three things: He leads his flock; He feeds his flock; and he defends his flock from all their enemies. As we conclude with these three things, consider well the men you have nominated for office. AND, consider your own progress in these areas, for every man should strive to be ready to serve as an elder--since an elder is simply a mature Christian man. (And Paul suggests that the older women in the church should play an analogous role with the younger women-Titus 2) 

1) A shepherd leads his flock. I once--to my shame--thought that shepherd was a misnomer. Elders frequently do not act like shepherds, but like sheep dogs. Have you ever seen a shepherd out with his sheep? He will be calmly strolling along with his sheep running along with him (some in front, some behind--they don't always stay behind him, you know!) But the shepherd is far too calm a figure. The sheep dogs are the ones that catch your eye. They are frenetically running in circles, barking and yelping, occasionally snapping at a sheep that is beginning to stray. THAT sounds like an elder! Jesus is the good shepherd who gently leads his flock, and the elders are the busy sheep dogs who keep the flock in line. 

When an elder starts to think like a sheep dog, there's trouble ahead. You see, the sheep don't really like sheep dogs. They obey the sheep dogs only because sheep dogs have a loud bark and a hard bite. A sheep dog, after all, is nothing more than a tame wolf. Christ has no sheep dogs. He has called shepherds to care for his flock. When you call a pastor, don't call a sheep dog. Don't call a man who will run round and round trying to keep you all in the right path. Call a man who will lead you by walking in the right path himself. Jesus said, "my sheep know my voice." A faithful shepherd will speak with the voice of Jesus Christ, and will call you to walk in the right way.

Now admittedly, there is a drawback to not having sheep dogs. There are times when the sheep go astray. If we had a pack of vigilant sheep dogs, then perhaps no one would ever go astray, but Christ would be holding us in the church by fear of these half-tamed wolves, not leading us by his voice. The shepherd leads by walking in the right way, and calling to the sheep. And when a lamb turns aside from the path, he goes after the sheep. This means that the elders need to know the flock. The elders need to be attentive to the spiritual needs of the flock. If someone is straying, it is not likely that they will be advertising it! The elders need to know you well.

The Reformed tradition has generally accomplished this goal through visitation, where the elders visit you in your homes at least once every year. It should not be a scary thing to meet with the elders, but a joy, because they are seeking to lead you in the way of life. The key is that when you have spiritual concerns, when you are suffering trials and tribulations, your first thought should be, "I need to talk to my elders." 

2) A shepherd feeds his flock with the Word of God. As an elder leads, he begins to get to know the different strengths and weaknesses in the flock. Over time, he gradually comes to understand what food is best for them. Some are weak and need encouragement. Others are headstrong and need admonition. Some are ignorant and need careful teaching. Others are rebellious and may need rebuke. The faithful shepherd learns to speak to the flock in a way that they can hear. And as he leads them, he feeds them. The two activities cannot be divorced. As you look for a pastor, look for a man who knows how to feed the flock. Talk to his previous church. Talk to the elders (all of them--not just the ones he gives as references!) It is important that he be a good preacher, but there are good preachers who do not know how to feed the flock. They feed some of the sheep well, but others go hungry. The great challenge for any elder, and especially any pastor, is to learn how to feed the whole flock!

3) A shepherd defends his flock from all their enemies. Remember the story of David? How he defended his sheep from the lion and the bear? Sheep aren't always that smart. Sometimes they stray into dangerous situations. The shepherd must be prepared to face worse things than lions! I knew an elder who provided refuge for a battered wife, only to face a gun-toting husband who threatened to murder him and his whole family! Most enemies are not quite like that! And again, the shepherd's staff against the enemies of the sheep, is the Word of God. Your elders are called to protect you from the powers of the world, the flesh, and the devil. They do this through their teaching and through their example. And, exercising the authority of Christ, they do this through church discipline. If a wolf should sneak into the flock, they are to ensure that he does no harm to the sheep. But a shepherd must be trained how to spot a wolf in sheep's clothes. How do you spot a counterfeit? Do you do it by studying all possible counterfeits? No, you do it by studying sheep. The shepherd must study the Word of God to find out what a sheep is supposed to look like. The shepherd must also study his flock. Sheep come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. An inexperienced shepherd may see a big sheep knock over a little sheep, and think, "Aha! A wolf in sheep's clothing! Get rid of him!" when all that was needed was an admonition to the big sheep, warning him of his need for gentleness. How do you know the difference? Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice." If the shepherd speaks in the voice of the Savior, then the sheep will respond.

The calling of the shepherd is to lead, to feed, and to defend the flock. Let us pray that God will provide such shepherds for this flock.

Copyright © 2003 Peter J. Wallace