1 Pet

1 Pet. 5:1-5

8/3/2008

“Shepherd the Flock of God”

There are some encounters and relationships that are life-changing. I knew of a man, who had a very troubled youth, involved in a gang as well as in all kinds of other problems, as you can imagine. Then he met a girl. Now, he is married to the girl and practices law. You know how Hanna Chang went through a major surgery last year. For over twenty years she suffered a mysterious illness and no doctor could diagnose her problem. Then she met a doctor and her problem was immediately identified and she was operated on. We know that it can work the other way around as well. So many people die every year because of the negligence and incompetence of medical professionals. Who your doctor is can be a matter of life and death, literally.

If a mere man can make that kind of difference in a person’s life, how about the almighty God? A brief encounter with Him should leave a lasting impact. If so, how about having a permanent relationship with Him--having Him as our wise Counselor and Manager through all the difficult times and critical junctures of our life; our Ally, Protector and Champion against our enemies; our Benefactor and Provider for all of our needs; our Encourager and Advocate in times of trouble; our Healer and Comforter in our moments of weakness, etc.? If we were to transport ourselves back to the Ancient Near Eastern culture, we would probably wrap up all those different titles and roles under the title, “Shepherd”. The shepherd of the ancient times had to do it all--guide and herd the flock, feed the flock, protect the flock against wild beasts and do the first-aid treatments on the wounded sheep, etc.

What greater blessing, what greater fortune, can we have than to have the almighty God as our Shepherd? If God should be our Shepherd, what could we want or lack? What could we possibly fear? Is there a labyrinth so complex that He should get lost? Will He ever fail to find lush, green pastures for our feeding? Will He ever fail to find quiet waters for our refreshment and rest? Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, will we have to fear? His rod and His staff--will they not keep us from falling over the cliff and being thrust into destruction? Which wild beast can evade His careful watch and snatch us out of His watchful care? Which enemy can invade and disrupt our meal at the table that the Lord prepared for us? How rich is the oil with which God anoints our head! How abundant is the cup of His blessings! Oh, to think that to have the Lord as our Shepherd is to have His goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our life, that we shall dwell in His house forever! He will leave ninety-nine sheep behind to find and rescue one stray sheep.

And that is precisely what we have in Jesus Christ, isn’t it? If Peter calls Jesus “the chief Shepherd”, it is only because Jesus declared Himself to be our “good Shepherd” (John 10:11, 14). When Jesus said, “I am the good Shepherd”, He probably had in mind Ps. 23, which begins, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1). Jesus is declaring that He is the Lord, whom David called his Shepherd! Jesus probably had in mind also the good shepherd of Ezek. 34. There God rebukes the shepherds of Israel--the leaders of Israel, including its kings and princes and priests and elders--who led God’s flock astray and exploited them instead of nurturing and caring for them. Then God promises to send a good shepherd, who is different from all the false shepherds. But the identity of this good shepherd is mysterious. On the one hand, he is God’s servant David: “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd” (Ezek. 34:23). On the other hand, he is the Lord Himself: “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice” (Ezek. 34:15-16). And we know that this mystery is most wonderfully solved when the Son of God came into this world as the promised Seed of David, as the God-man! As the Seed of David, He is the promised David, the good shepherd of God’s flock. As the Son of God, He is the Lord, the true Shepherd of His flock.

But do you see why the good Shepherd had to be both David and God? Because God had to become man to suffer and die for our sins. When Jesus declares Himself to be the good Shepherd, He is showing how He will be the good shepherd of His flock, how He, as the holy God, can love and tend to His sinful sheep--by laying down His life! Our greatest enemies are not poverty, sickness, unfulfilled dreams, annoying people, dead-end jobs, unattractive appearance, unpopular personality, bad education, abusive parents, unappreciative children, lonesome singleness, unhappy marriage, bear market, inefficient government, etc. The greatest enemies, from which we desperately need protecting and saving, are our sins, which lead to eternal destruction. So the eternal Son of God came as the descendant of David to bear the guilt and shame and punishment of our sins. What amazing love and mercy!

Now we can know for sure without a shadow of the doubt that we are secure in Him, who is our Shepherd. To save His sheep from the jaws of sin and death, to protect us from the attacks of demonic wolves and lions, our good Shepherd was willing to lay down His life! “Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered; / The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered; / For our atonement, while he nothing heedeth, / God intercedeth.” And that is precisely why He is our good Shepherd: He is good at what He does, shepherding His flock. He guides them. He nurtures them. He protects them. He is so good that He does not lose any of His sheep. To protect His sheep, He went so far as to lay down His own life! Because Jesus is our good Shepherd, we don’t have to panic--even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. For He knows His way even through that dark valley: He died and rose again from the dead and entered into eternal glory. As our good Shepherd He will shepherd us all the way to heaven without losing any of His sheep!

Jesus is our good Shepherd. I cannot stress how important it is for us to remember this in life. But this is true even as we talk about our life in the church, under the leadership of church elders--redeemed-but-still-imperfect, forgiven-but-still-sinful elders. Peter calls Jesus “the chief Shepherd”. He does so because there are many under-shepherds--the elders of the church--in the service of the chief Shepherd. But we must not think that Jesus ordained these under-shepherds into His service because there are too many sheep for Him to handle by Himself. Their presence in the church, their service to the church, their ministry to His flock, does not mean His absence! The under-shepherds are just one of the many ways Jesus Himself takes care of His flock! He takes care of His sheep through His Word and His Spirit. He takes care of His sheep through nature and providence. He takes care of His sheep through human agents, through governments and other social institutions. Jesus is the true Shepherd of His sheep and He is personally involved in tending to His flock, to each and every one of His sheep, even to the very least of them.

We must keep in mind that, even when no one seems to be around us and understand us, Jesus is with us, tending to us as our good Shepherd. He never stops being our Shepherd. He never keeps His watchful eyes away from us. He who keeps us neither sleeps nor slumbers. In fact, His care for us is so pervasive, so ubiquitous, so omnipresent, that nothing that happens in our life is outside of His shepherding care. Behind everything that happens in our life, our good Shepherd is there. Yes, He is there at times as the radiant brightness of the sun. At other times, He is there as the dark clouds of rain and storm. But He knows that we need both sunshine and rain to grow--yes, even storms are necessary to make us strong!

Imagine what our life would be without this assurance that Christ is always with us as our good Shepherd! It can drive us crazy. How do we know that our doctor is the right doctor? How do we know that the man or the woman we are courting is the right person, who will make us complete and better rather than drag us down? How do we know that we married the right person for us? How do we know that there is someone better for us somewhere out there? How do you know that the pastor you have is the best one for you? How do we know the elders we elect are the best ones? We don’t because people can change. But this doesn’t mean that we enter into relationships carelessly and thoughtlessly. We must do our homework and use wisdom and discernment. We should do this when we choose our spouse. We should do this when we elect government officials. We should do this especially when we choose our elders, especially because the Lord Himself has prescribed the qualifications for His under-shepherds. But as we do so, we must do it remembering that Jesus Christ is our Shepherd. It is ultimately He, who takes care of us through all the things that happen in our life, through all the people that we meet and have relationship with. When we get in our car and start driving, is it because we trust that every driver on the road with us is responsible and trustworthy? When we make our wedding vow and marry someone, is it because we know everything about that person and what kind of spouse s/he will turn out to be? If we have to know everything, we will never be able to make any commitment in relationship. In fact, we will go crazy! Yet if we can, and do, all these things, it is ultimately because we trust our good Shepherd, in whose nail-pierced hands we find our life. And what better place can there be? This doesn’t mean that we won’t have trials and adversities. But our Shepherd never promised an easy life; He promised a good life, a meaningful life, a worthwhile life. After all, the hands that hold us were once pierced with the rusty nails of Roman crucifixion.

So Peter calls on the people, “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’” (v. 5). This doesn’t mean that you give up all discernment and common sense and allow your elders to do everything they please and walk all over you. If any of your elders abuses you and exploits you and fleeces you for his gain, if any of your elders deprives you of the heavenly Bread and feeds you the venom of legalism or antinomianism, he is a false shepherd and you must appeal to the session for his discipline. This is why it is so good to be a Presbyterian. Presbyterianism, which we believe is the biblical form of church government, provides protection against many forms of abuses, when used rightly. If the session fails, then we can appeal to the South Coast Presbytery, which is made up of the elders of the PCA churches in San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties. If the presbytery fails, we can appeal to the General Assembly, which is made up of all the PCA churches. In this Presbyterian form of government, we see the wisdom of our great Shepherd to protect His flock from the abuses and dangers of both false shepherds and malicious, unrepentant sinners. But we must not forget that it is the great Shepherd of the sheep Himself, who rules over the church through His under-shepherds, the elders. And it is He, who calls on His sheep to subject to the elders.

But the great Shepherd of the sheep, who calls on them to subjection to elders, also calls His under-shepherds to accountability. By referring to Jesus as the chief Shepherd, Peter reminds his fellow elders about their accountability to Jesus Christ, the chief Shepherd. It is He that they serve. It is to His service that they are called. It is in His name that they minister. It is His sheep that they take care of. And it is in His glory that they will share. They are Jesus’ under-shepherds and their calling is to care for the flock of Christ in Christ-like manner. This aspect of accountability is so important because the elders are given so great an authority as Christ’s under-shepherds.

Consider the fact that Peter, who refers to Jesus as the chief Shepherd, refers to himself as their “fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed” (v. 1). Alexander Strauch notes, “This is the first time since the opening verse that Peter personally identifies himself in the letter. Since no other group of people addressed in the letter receives such a persuasive, personal appeal, both shepherds and flock should pay close attention to these instructions” (Biblical Eldership, p. 240). Do you hear what Strauch is saying? If Peter identified himself in this personal way, it was not just because he saw himself as an elder, which he was; it was also because he was aware of the supreme importance of the elder-member relationship in the church. Think about the significance of the shepherd-flock “imagery” Peter uses here. How important is this relationship to a flock of sheep? How important is it for the flock to have a good shepherd? It is a matter of life and death, of quality of life, for the sheep. That is why we should be so relieved and thankful that Jesus is our chief Shepherd. But this shepherd-flock relationship between Christ and His people is extended to the relationship between elders and members.

That is why the authority granted to elders is great. Elders are supposed to represent the chief Shepherd as His under-shepherds. As such, they are given great authority. After all, what does it mean to shepherd the flock of God (v. 2)? To shepherd the flock of God is to “do everything that shepherding requires” (R.C.H. Lenski as quoted by Strauch, p. 242). Implied, then, is that the elders are given all the authority they need to exercise their shepherding duty--“to seek out the lost, gather the scattered, watch over and defend against wild beasts and robbers, to feed and water, to lead” (Charles E.B. Cranfield as quoted by Strauch; p. 242). As God has given Scripture for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness, the elders have the authority to teach the flock of God, to reprove and correct the erring sheep and to train in righteousness the flock of God so that they may be competent, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). In this era of self-esteem and positive reinforcement, this may be hard for us to swallow--that the elders are called not only to teach but to reprove and correct and train (by discipline, both positive and negative) in righteousness! We may be willing to let the elders teach us, but only when they do so in a positive and “encouraging” way. But are we prepared to receive their reproof and correction when we are in error without getting insulted and hurt? The elders, of course, must make sure that they reprove and correct in a gentle and loving way. But no matter how loving and gentle, reproving is still reproving and correcting is still correcting and these things go against the grain of our pride!

The weightiness of the elders’ authority can be also seen in the way Peter addresses himself as a fellow elder. According to Leonhard Goppelt, this is very significant: “This was done, not to solicit the elders’ sympathy through ‘modesty,’ but to make the elders aware of their commission. They now carry out a function originally carried out by the apostle himself…. They participate in the service of shepherding included in the apostolic office” (A Commentary on 1 Peter, p. 341; the emphasis mine). That is, although the elders do not have the apostolic authority that Peter had in its entirety, they are entrusted with an aspect of that apostolic authority to shepherd the flock of God. This becomes all the more awesome when we remember the way, in which Jesus reinstated Peter as an apostle after he denied Jesus three times. After affirming Peter’s love for Him three times, Jesus told him to feed His lambs and tend His sheep (John 21:15-17). Peter must not have forgotten this incident, ever--how could he? And he never forgot that this shepherding responsibility was so crucial to his apostolic office! So when he charges the elders as their fellow elder to shepherd the flock of God, he is tenderly yet solemnly reminding them of their awesome privilege and responsibility!

The greatness of elders’ authority can be seen also in Peter’s warning. The elders are warned against using their office for shameful gain, against exercising their authority in a domineering way. Why such warnings unless those things are readily available? Such temptations are ever present because of their leadership in the church. “Shameful gain” probably refers to some sordid financial gain. This means that the elders have the primary oversight over the financial matters of the church, although the deacons do most of the grunt work. And if the temptation to be domineering is there, it is because the elders are in a position of authority over the flock!

This is why it is so important for the elders to remember their accountability to Jesus Christ, the chief Shepherd. They are not independent agents, autonomous oligarchs. They are under-shepherds of the chief Shepherd. They should never forget that it is to His service that they are called, that it is His flock that they are entrusted with, that it is in His likeness that they are to shepherd His flock.

Why should they want to be elders, Christ’s under-shepherds, anyway? Think about all the work involved in leading and guiding, feeding and nurturing, protecting and guarding the sheep, tending and caring for the wounded, searching for and bringing back the stray! Think about the perilous situation that surrounds the flock of sheep? Jesus Himself said to His disciples, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves…” (Matt. 10:16). And take a look at the context out of which our passage emerges: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (4:12). Peter speaks of fiery trials as a norm rather than an exception--thus, the exhortation not to be surprised by them! And look at the passage that immediately follows: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (5:8). This section on the elder-member relationship is couched between the danger of fiery trials and the prowling of the devil to devour us. There, right in between these dangers, stands the flock of God (yet secure because Jesus Christ is the chief Shepherd)! The church of Jesus Christ, as long as it continues in this world, is exposed to the vicious wolves and prowling lions, to regular fiery trials! To be Christ’s under-shepherds means, then, to stand against these external dangers and be the first line of defense for the flock of God!

But the dangers do not exist only on the outside. The sheep are supposed to be one of the dumbest animals and the elders have to care for a whole flock of them (not to mention that they too are sheep themselves)! They can be easily misguided and led astray and behave terribly. An elder recently told me, “I have never been talked to and treated by non-Christians as terribly as I have been by the members of my church.” Yet he said that he would be willing to die for his church right at the moment. Why? Isn’t it because he himself has been saved by the great Shepherd of the sheep, who laid down His life for him without a moment’s hesitation? (We should view Jesus’ prayer at the garden of Gethsemane not so much as a sign of His hesitation as a testament to the greatness of His sacrifice. His agonizing prayer shows that He fully knew what it meant for Him to go to the cross--the full awareness of the pain of being abandoned by His Father in heaven. Yet, He never wavered from the path to the cross!) So, if anyone wants to serve as an elder in the church, he should not do so “under compulsion, but willingly” (v. 2)--that is, not in the spirit of drafted soldiers but in the spirit of volunteers (Strauch, p. 245), not waiting to be told what to do but taking the initiative and taking care of the church with the very heart and love of Christ for His church.

And if anyone desires to be an elder, shouldn’t it be because he is enthralled by the glory and beauty of the chief Shepherd of the sheep--not the glory of a domineering monarch but of a loving, self-sacrificing Shepherd; not the beauty of rich palaces and expensive furniture but the beauty of the life-giving, life-changing power of the Shepherd’s love?

Let us pray that the Lord would grant us such elders for our church. And my prayer is that all of you would desire the office of elders and deacons because you have been so touched and changed by the great Shepherd of the sheep and there is nothing more you desire than to be like Him! Many of us may not be qualified yet. May the Lord show you those areas of weaknesses in your life and mature you in those areas to the point that your fellow members can recognize your calling as an elder! But some of you may not have been called as an elder. Though we must serve in the spirit of volunteers, we cannot serve as volunteers: an elder must be called by the great Shepherd of the sheep. But I hope you do not just sit back and be content to be a second-class citizen in the kingdom of God. For there is no such thing as second-class citizens in God’s kingdom: every member of Jesus’ flock is purchased by the same blood of Jesus Christ. Being an elder or a deacon in the church is a matter of God’s calling. But what is important to God is not our office but our faithfulness. Even if you are not called to be an elder, ever, I hope you live as if you were being trained to be an elder. The elders are called to be examples to the flock (v. 3). What does that mean? That doesn’t mean that there are two classes, two separate, unbridgeable castes, in the church. The elders are called to be examples to the flock because the flock is to be like them! Our church is at a point where we cannot afford to have laggers and stragglers. We all have to work hard together to build up the church, the flock of God! We must see our church as a Special Forces unit, in which every member is an elite member of the armed forces. We need all of our members to be diligent and faithful in their attendance to our worship service as well as our Sunday school and Bible studies. We just started men’s weekly breakfast meetings and we need men to come out and engage themselves in mutual discipleship as a band of brothers. We need women to disciple one another and I hope that all of our women will be able to participate in the women’s retreat that is coming up in September. We need get our people equipped so that they can be competent in every good work. We need people to step up and volunteer for various services in our church. May God build us up into a thriving church with godly elders and a faithful flock that follows their godly examples, all growing in conformity to Christ!