5:1
Now Peter turns to more general matters of everyday life and church life. At the start of the letter Peter had identified himself as an apostle, now he identifies himself as an elder. Peter did not consider his being an apostle to make him superior to other Christians. Peter is addressing the elders as one of them. He was also a witness of Christ’s sufferings. Any theology that downplays Christ’s sufferings is seriously in error, and in our experiential knowledge of Christ, sharing in His sufferings is a vital component. We also need to remember that we will share in His glory. We need to hold the suffering and the glory in balance. Focusing on one at the expense of the other will lead to serious error.
5:2
Remember that Jesus told Peter to look after the sheep (John 21:15-19). Peter passes this command on to the elders. The job of an elder is to feed the sheep, to be a shepherd. Elders are to watch over them. This includes looking out for danger, and if the sheep are starting to stray the shepherd needs to bring them back to Christ’s way. The shepherd also guides the sheep to good pasture (Ps 23). The Elder is to serve as a willing servant, not under compulsion, and definitely not pursuing dishonest gain. Now it is perfectly right and proper that some who serve in the church should be paid, and paid a reasonable amount, but if greed starts to take a hold then that person is in a very bad place.
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