Last 5 Days
To Shepherd by the Example of Christ
1 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: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
The concept of the elders is from the Jewish culture and has its roots traced back to the Old Testament times (Exodus 3:16, 12:21, 19:7). The concept of elders does not refer to people who were more senior in age but to the office of leadership within the community. It was the practice of Paul and Barnabas to appoint elders in each of the churches they planted. (Acts 11:30, 14:23, 15:2-6, 22-23, 16:4, 20:17, 21:18, James 5:14). The office of a pastor came as a modern development from here.
The key role of the pastor is to shepherd the flock of God, and this image of shepherding God’s people is common both in the Old and New Testament. Shepherding the flock of God includes feeding the sheep and performing the duty of oversight. The shepherd leads his sheep to green pasture and ensure that they are protected from ferocious animals in the wilderness.
Here, after establishing the role of the elder, Peter goes on to expand it through three sets of contrasts (“not…but”) (1) not under compulsion, but willingly, (2) not for shameful gain, but eagerly, (3) not domineering, but by being example to the flock. Jesus had pointed out in Mark 10:42 that secular leadership calls upon leaders to domineer over the people they led, but it is not so for those following after Him. We are called to serve, and whoever would be great among you must be your servant. We are not to dominate, but to lead by being an example and by love. Jesus modelled this to us by washing the feet of the disciples, and Paul wrote to “walk according to the example you had in us (Phil 3:17)” and to be “imitators of me, as I imitate Christ（1Cor11:1）”.
In theory, no Christians will disprove of such leadership model, but in practice, it is challenging. This is especially counter cultural in our context, and such leadership model is seemingly slow and inefficient in getting things done. The “my way or the highway” method can be fast and effective in getting things accomplished, but by whose measure of effectiveness are we basing it on? Sheep are one of the stupidest animals who are prone to lose their ways and not listen to instruction. It would be far more effective to break each of their legs or to hit them with the staff in order for them to obey, but Peter reminds us that the flock belongs to God and they are loved by Him. As leaders, we are to love and feed our sheep just as Christ love us. Do not domineer, but to be an example of love to the sheep you lead.
Dear leaders, would you follow after the leadership example of our great shepherd and to lead in the biblical model He has left behind? Trust that He will provide whatever is necessary for you to complete your responsibility. When Christ returns and on that day when we account for our works, may the Lord find us faithful and we will then receive an unfading crown of glory.