TAKING CARE OF
GOD’S FLOCK
When you look at today’s text, you will notice that Peter
is talking to elders. Elders are also known as shepherds or pastors. The word
“pastor” comes from shepherding imagery in the Bible. So your next thought
might be, “What does this have to do with me?” Good question.
I was
tempted to go a few ways with this text:
1) I could change the terminology around so that each of
you would see yourself in the text. You are all servants and these principles
all apply to you. But that isn’t really being fair to the meaning that Peter
intended.
2) I could be direct and tell you that you are all
shepherds in one way or another. Someone is looking to you for guidance and
leadership: children, friends, your students, etc. While that is true in many
respects, that still does not accurately deal with the text.
3) I could take the opportunity to tell you all the
things that pastors do in the church and make a defense for pastoring. But that
would either sound like bragging or complaining.
Such
manipulation of the text gives the impression that Scripture can be used and
twisted to our own purposes. That is not an impression I want to give you. Then
I would not be a good pastor.
Peter’s
intention in this final appeal is to challenge the leaders of the church to
embrace their purpose in the congregation and for the congregation to support
their leaders. Remember that the church Peter wrote to was in a state of
crisis; persecution and threats of persecution were a constant reality. In the
midst of a hostile world that didn’t care for holiness and holy people,
churches needed pastors to be sure of their calling, committed to the Word of
God, and zeroed in on Jesus as our goal.
This
message is for you. If you are part of this church and you want to know what
your role is in relation to the pastors, this message is for you.
1. The Shepherd’s Calling
Peter addresses the elders in the church. “Elders” is not
a term we use here, though some churches in our conference do have elders. I
don’t think they use “elder” as a term for their pastors. Elders, in our
current use of the term, refer more to administrators and church boards.
That is
not what Peter means here. He says, “To
the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings
who also will share in the glory to be revealed…” (5:1). Then he says, “Be
shepherds…” and that is how we know that he means pastors, not administrators.
“Elders”
is an OT term. In ancient Israel, certain men were chosen on the basis of their
maturity and wisdom to give guidance to God’s people. In the absence of priests
and the temple, the people worshiped at synagogues where elders presided over
the teaching and ministry. When the early church began to organize itself they
adopted the term “elder” for their leaders. As Paul the Acts missionaries went
about planting churches, they appointed elders in all of the churches (Acts 11,
14:23, 20:17-38).
To these
elders, Peter makes an appeal: “Be
shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them…”
(5:2a). Few of us have experience with sheep, so the imagery might be lost on
us. Like most animals they are probably kind of dumb. So we are being compared
to dumb sheep who need shepherds. Or to put in a better light: we need godly
men who love the Word of God to remind us of God’s love in crisis times. But
what does Scripture have to say about the calling of a shepherd?
Three
words come to us from the Bible in response: Leading, Feeding, and Guarding.
Leading: When the Bible uses the shepherd
metaphor it often refers to leadership. Ezekiel 34 compares Israel’s leaders to
shepherds (not in a good way). But a prophecy from Micah 5:2 promised a good
shepherd would come and lead the people. Matthew quotes this prophecy in 2:6, “…for out of you will come a ruler who will
be the shepherd of my people Israel.” Sheep need a shepherd because left to
themselves they tend to wander off. Without spiritual leaders, churches would
tend to scatter when a crisis hits.
Feeding: Out of Peter’s own experience
we find that shepherding the flock of God involves feeding. Before Jesus left
his disciples to go back to His Father, he had this conversation with Peter, (READ
Jn. 21:15-17). Feeding of course refers to the teaching of the Word. Sheep are
prone to nibbling on the grass till they get down to the roots. They need to be
continually moved to find fresh grass. The job of pastors is to keep the
congregation moving around the Bible and feeding on all its truths.
Guarding: Paul, in his farewell to the
Ephesian elders, charged them, “Keep
watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own
blood,” (Acts 20:28). Part of the job of a pastor is to guard the flock from
“wolves in sheep’s clothing” or false teachers and their teaching.
Leading,
feeding, and guarding duties form the primary responsibilities of the pastor of
a church. Peter’s challenge is an imperative (“Be shepherds”) which means it is
a command to watch over the church as shepherd over his flock.
2. The Shepherd’s Heart
Elders are called to be shepherds. Elders also need a
shepherd’s heart. That is, they need to have the right attitude towards the
work of being a shepherd of God’s flock. Peter gives us three “not-buts” to
describe the proper attitude:
a) His attitude
towards his work – Would you want a pastor who did not want to do his job?
We talked about the calling of a pastor, but what if you have a pastor who
doesn’t feel called?
Here’s
the first “not-but”: “…not because you
must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be…” (5:2b). I read
an unbelievable statistic about pastors in the U.S. Barna says that 1700
pastors leave the ministry each month down south. It’s a tough gig. But Peter
reminds us that if we serve we should not serve because people have pushed us
into serving; that’s just disastrous for the church. The church does not need
reluctant leaders. If an elder or pastor does not feel called by God to be a
pastor, he will not be successful.
b) His attitude
towards his compensation – What is the motivation to be a pastor? Peter
makes this distinction in the second “not-but” “…not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve…” (5:2c).
Three
wrong motives are easily identified: Money
– one should not become a pastor to get rich (or more reasonably – because it
is merely a means of employment). Paul instructed Timothy that elders in his
church should not be “lovers of money,” (1 Ti. 3:3). Honors – one should not become a pastor because of the prestige.
Jesus talked about spiritual leaders who like to be seen, who like to be seated
in places of honor, and who enjoy the titles, like being called “pastor,” (Mt.
23:5-7). Power – Some people seek
leadership positions simply to gain an advantage over others. Elders must be
eager, but not eager for benefits, rather, eager to serve.
c) His attitude
towards his people – The last “wrong” motive flows into the next “not-but.”
Peter wrote, “…not lording it over those
entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock,” (5:3). Peter and the
disciples learned this lesson the hard way when they began arguing over who was
the greatest and when James and John asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left in
the kingdom of God. Jesus replied to this ambitiousness in Mark 10:42-45
(READ). The elders are to rule over (oversee) the flock as undershepherds of
our Lord. But those who “lord it over” the flock are those who have come to see
the church as their own possession. Pastors who talk about “my church” or “my
ministry” forget that Jesus called pastors to serve in the same manner as Jesus
served. Christ did not consider equality with God something to be grasped…and
made himself a servant, even a slave, dying a slave’s death on the cross.
That’s our example of leadership; that’s the example elders are supposed to
leave for the flock. Being an example, leading the way, does not mean doing
every job in the church; it means that elders use their gifts in plain sight so
that others will be encouraged to use their gifts with similar courage.
Three
words that stand out in this part of the text and that apply to pastors are
these: willing, eager, and example.
3. The Shepherd’s Reward
Why do we do it? Why do pastors take on one of the most
stressful jobs in the world? According to statistics, pastoring is not a
desirable occupation. Why do it then?
Peter
states it simply, “And when the Chief
Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade
away,” (5:4). The “crown of glory” refers to a laurel wreath that athletes
would win in the games. Usually made of leaves or flowers, this reward was a
great honor for the victors who would wear them with pride.
The
crown of glory that the Chief Shepherd gives is similar but eternal and
unfading. This crown is the glory of having obeyed Jesus and followed him into
the ministry, suffering and all. What comforts pastors in this verse is the
knowledge that the labors of love no one knows about are recorded in God’s
book. Deeds done in the name of Jesus are remembered. All the prayers pastors
pray for their people, all the confidential works, all the unrecorded hours put
into the leading of the church, are not wasted nor forgotten by our Lord.
Christ’s
own hands upon their heads are the crown of glory for the faithful elders who
dare to lead God’s people. The sheep are His sheep; the shepherds are His sheep
too. He is not the model shepherd; He is the Shepherd.
4. And Sheepish Humility
Now Peter turns to the congregation and says “submit.”
Remember that your elders are servant-leaders in the pattern of Jesus; they are
not lording it over you but serving willingly, eagerly, and doing their best to
be like Jesus. To these kinds of leaders, Peter beckons the congregation to
submit.
The
writer of Hebrews makes a similar appeal, “Obey
your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who
must give an account. Obey them so their work will be a joy, not a burden, for
that would be no advantage to you,” (Heb. 13:17).
To be
sure, there is a mutual humility encouraged in these verses, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility
toward one another…” (5:5a). Peter has in mind that wonderfully disturbing
event when Jesus washed his feet and the feet of the other disciples in John
13. That’s what “clothe yourselves” actually means. The word means “apron” and
thus “put on an apron of humility” just as Jesus put a towel around his waist
and knelt to wash feet.
Let us
wash each other’s feet in this sense. We do not walk the dusty streets of
Jerusalem in sandals, nor do we step in camel dung on our sidewalks. We can
wash our own feet just fine. But that is not the point, is it? Elders or
pastors are servants of the congregations, but the congregation reciprocates by
serving the pastor. Each of us has a job to do in the church. Foremost is the
task of caregiving. Pastors cannot do this task alone, and neither are they
supposed to. Whether you have a title or not, caring for the church is a
member’s responsibility. This is a mutual relationship.
I recall attending an evening service at our church with
my parents when I was five years old. Something had grabbed my heart that
evening, I can’t remember what, but it tugged at my soul. On the way home, I
remember telling my mom and dad that I wanted to be like Billy Graham.
To a
five year old, “being like Billy Graham” meant being a preacher. But something
else struck me about Billy Graham, and that was his passion for the Lord Jesus
and His Word.
I forgot
that confession until I was fifteen and attending counselor-in-training camp at
Red Rock. There at a fireside, overcome with what the Spirit had shown me that
week, I declared “I think God wants me to be a pastor.”
I have
now served as a pastor for 25 years. And, beginning in 1989 at Crestview
Fellowship until today, I would have to say these have been the toughest 25
years of my life. I’m no Billy Graham. I’m not a super-pastor or a mega-church
pastor. I haven’t written 50 books like Piper. By the grace of God I’m just doing
the best I can.
And do
you want to know something weird? I really cannot imagine doing anything else.
I guess that crown of glory keeps me going.
This is
what pastors are called to; this is what a shepherd’s heart is like; and this
is what pastors look forward to – it all comes down to Jesus.
If your
desire is to build up the body of Christ, Peter urges you to submit to the
Chief Shepherd and to His undershepherds who work for Him. In humility we serve
each other, for the name of Christ compels us.
May the God of Peace, who through the blood of the
eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd
of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he
work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for
ever and ever.
AMEN
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