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1 Peter 5 – Elders and Jesus
The central idea within the instructions to elders is also prevalent within 1 Peter which adds depth to the mentioning of suffering and glory in the context instructing elders.
What is the key principle by which elders shepherd? Is it by being an example? Is it being willing? By studying the chiastic structure, we find the center point made by Peter – something I had not paid enough attention to. That guiding principle is so essential, it is also connected to the other thoughts presented within this small segment. That includes the past suffering of Jesus and His future return. What is the key principle? Read below and let me know what you think.
It is found in 1 Peter 5:2.
I. According to God – Key Principle
- “According to God” is the guiding principle. Our suffering and our submission in this world, just as Jesus’s suffering and submission, are connected to how elders shepherd – “according to God”.
- “According to God” is also the guiding principle for Jesus’s return and our future glory – “according to God”.
- “According to God”. Isn’t that a good rule to use for everything?
- “According to God” – that is the key to shepherding.
II. According to God – Chiastic Structure
Here is the chiasm showing how this principle is the center of Peter’s argument. After that I will demonstrate how central the idea of “according to God” is in 1st Peter.
A – PRESENT ELDERS AND ELDER: Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder
B – PAST SUFFERING AND FUTURE GLORY: and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,
C – PRESENT SHEPHERDING OF MEN: shepherd the flock of God among you
D – HOW TO AND HOW NOT TO: overseeing NOT under compulsion, BUT willingly,
E – KEY TO EVERYTHING: according to God;
D’ – HOW TO AND HOW NOT TO: and NOT for dishonest gain, BUT with eagerness; NOR yet as lording it over those allotted to you, BUT being examples to the flock.
C’ – FUTURE APPEARANCE OF SHEPHERD: And when the Chief Shepherd appears,
B’ – FUTURE REWARD: you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
A’ – PRESENT YOUNGERS AND ELDERS: You younger (men – not in Greek), likewise, be subject to your elders.
III. According to God’s Will – 1 Peter
The centrality of “according to God” in Peter’s instructions to elders at the beginning of 1st Peter 5 follows multiple references to suffering according to *God’s will* throughout the body of Peter’s 1st epistle:
- 1 Pet.2:15 CSB – “For it is *God’s will* that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.”
- 1 Pet.3:17 CSB – “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be *God’s will*, than for doing evil.”
- 1 Pet.4:2 CSB – “in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for *God’s will*.”
- 1 Pet.4:19 CSB – “So then, let those who suffer according to *God’s will* entrust themselves to a faithful Creator while doing what is good.”
SADLY, when we study Peter’s instructions to elders, we generally ignore the larger context of 1st Peter. Perhaps we would be less likely to do so if we would ask, “Why is that there?” when we read Peter’s reference to “sufferings” and “glory” at the end of 5:1. Those two themes fill the letter and, as the references above show regarding suffering, are foci of the letter’s body which is concluded with Peter’s instructions to elders.
Studied in context, we learn that godly men are perfected for shepherding:
- Through their familiarity with Jesus’ sufferings through which He accomplished the will of God and the blessing of humankind.
- By realizing that it is when the sheep suffer that elders’ have their greatest opportunities to “shepherd the flock among them”.
- That the willing eagerness that must characterize shepherds is found in emulating the Chief Shepherd’s willingness to suffer “according to God’s will” and seeking the glory that God will provide through Him.
When all this is taken together, we can see the power of contextual study which leads to a deeper understanding of how we are to act “according to God”.
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