In 5:2 Peter says, “Shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not by way of compulsion, but willingly, according to God; not seeking gain by base means, but eagerly.” To shepherd the flock of God requires suffering for the Body of Christ, as Christ suffered (Col. 1:24). This will be rewarded with the unfading crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4).
Literally, the Greek word rendered “flock” is little flock. This refers to the church of God (Acts 20:28), which is small in number (Luke 12:32) compared to the world. It is a little herb for the supply of life, not a big tree for birds to lodge in (Matt. 13:31-32), not a huge religion like Christendom.
According to this verse, elders are not rulers; they are shepherds. Sometimes a shepherd may have to rule the flock, but that is not the ruling of a king. It is a ruling of someone who cares for the flock. Shepherding is a proper care exercised over the flock. The flock needs to be cared for, protected, and led in the right direction. They need to be brought to a place where they can eat and drink. This is shepherding.
In 5:2 Peter does not tell the elders to shepherd their own flock. He charges them to shepherd the flock of God. The flock is not the elders’ possession, but God’s possession. In a sense, the elders are employed by God to shepherd His flock.
The elders should not regard the church in which they are taking the lead as belonging to them. In the New Testament we are told that the church is of Christ, is of God, and is of the saints. The church is called the church of Christ, the church of God, and the church of the saints (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 1:2; 14:33). But the church is not the church of the apostles or the church of the elders. The church definitely does not belong either to the apostles or to the elders. But because the church is composed of the saints, it is the church of the saints. Because the church has been redeemed by Christ, it is the church of Christ. Because the church has been regenerated by God, it is the church of God. However, it is possible for an apostle to think since a certain church has been raised up through his ministry, that that church belongs to him. Likewise, the elders may think, because they are taking the lead in the church, that the church is theirs. But Peter makes it clear that the elders are to shepherd the flock of God, not their own flock.
The word “overseeing” in verse 2 means taking the oversight, looking diligently to be aware of the situation. Years ago I thought that the overseeing was to observe who is wrong and who is right, who is doing well and who is doing poorly. Later I came to realize that to oversee is mainly a matter of overseeing the need. For example, when a shepherd is overseeing the flock, he is not concerned with who is right and who is wrong. He is concerned with the need of the flock. His oversight is related to protecting the flock, leading the flock, and feeding the flock. The shepherd exercises oversight in order to supply the flock with whatever is needed.
Both Peter and Paul use the word “oversee.” But they do not use the word “rule” with respect to the elders. To oversee is to observe the situation, condition, and need. It is to take care of the church with all the saints. Parents do not watch over their children in order to find out their faults. Parents oversee their children in order to protect them and care for them. Because parents have a loving care for their children, they exercise oversight concerning the children’s activities. This does not mean the parents rule the children; it means that the parents protect them and care for them by taking oversight concerning them.
The elders must realize that the Lord has not appointed them to be rulers exercising authority over others. Ruling over others is something ugly and base. The elders should never rule over anyone. In the Gospel of Matthew the Lord Jesus said that He is the only Lord and Master and we all are brothers (Matt. 23:8,10). This means that the elders, the leading ones, are also no more than brothers. More than a century ago, the so-called Brethren saw this truth, dropped all denominational names, and simply called themselves brothers. Actually, the title “Brethren” is a nickname given them by others. In the church we all are brothers, and no one should presume to rule over anyone.
In 5:2 Peter says that the elders should oversee not by way of compulsion, but willingly, according to God. The elders should be willing to take care of others, to look after them, to protect them. They should not be compelled to do this.
By the context we can see that to oversee does not mean to rule; it does not mean to be a king. In the natural life, everyone likes to rule over others. There is no need to compel someone, to force him, to be a ruler. The words “not by way of compulsion” indicate that to oversee is to care for the church, not to rule over it.
As Peter says, the elders should oversee “willingly, according to God.” To oversee according to God means according to God’s nature, desire, way, and glory, not according to man’s preference, interest, and purpose. The elders should not oversee according to their opinion, concept, or likes or dislikes. Instead, they should oversee according to God’s choice, desire, intention, and preference. The elders must oversee the church altogether according to God’s thought, feeling, will, and choice. They must oversee according to God’s likes and dislikes.
Both Paul and Peter speak in their writings concerning elders. However, I would say that what Peter touches in 5:1-4 is even deeper than what Paul touches in 1 Timothy and Titus. Peter’s word here is even more serious than what Paul says.
In 5:2 Peter warns the elders not to seek gain by base means, but to eagerly exercise oversight. This means that the elders should not take advantage of the eldership and use it as a means to gain money. They should eagerly take the oversight like parents who eagerly exercise care over their children.
In verse 3 Peter goes on to say, “Nor as lording it over the allotments, but becoming patterns of the flock.” To lord it over others is to exercise lordship over those who are ruled (Matt. 20:25). Among the believers, besides Christ there should be no lord. All should be servants, even slaves (Matt. 20:26-27; 23:10-11). The elders in the church can only take the leadership (not the lordship), which all the believers should honor and follow (1 Thes. 5:12; 1 Tim. 5:17).
In verse 3 Peter directly tells the elders not to lord it over the church. All the elders should be slaves of the saints. It is not adequate for the elders even to be servants; they must be slaves. This is something Peter learned from the Lord Himself. Peter heard the Lord Jesus say that those who desire to become great must be slaves. Elders should regard themselves as slaves, and the brothers and sisters as their masters.
Literally, the word “allotments” means lots, portions; hence, allotments, portions entrusted. Here this word refers to the flock. The churches are God’s possession, allotted to the elders as their allotments, their portions, entrusted to them by God for their care.
The church is God’s flock and His possession. The elders have been appointed by God to be shepherds of the flock. Hence, God has allotted the church in their locality to them for their care. The church in a particular locality is God’s possession; it is not the possession of the elders. But God has allotted that church to the elders so that they may care for it and shepherd it. Furthermore, the church is only allotted to the elders for their care temporarily. For eternity the church is God’s possession. Even the elders themselves are a part of the church as the possession of God.
Instead of lording it over the allotments, the elders should become patterns of the flock. This means that they take the lead to serve and care for the church so that the believers may follow.
Verse 4 says, “And when the Chief Shepherd is manifested, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” At the apostle’s time, crowns were given to victors in athletic games and warfare (1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 4:8). Those were corruptible crowns, whose glory faded. The crown given by the Lord to the faithful elders will be a reward for their loyal service. The glory of this crown will never fade. It will be a portion of the glory for the overcomers’ enjoyment in the manifestation of the kingdom of God and Christ (2 Pet. 1:11).
Peter’s word to the elders is brief, but it is meaningful and very touching. I hope that all the elders will take adequate time to delve into these verses in order to touch the depths of the truth revealed here.