1 Peter 5:1-4 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost Sunday, July 3, 2022 “The Shepherds God Desires”
“I wish my pastor would have visited me.” “I wonder why pastor isn’t here.” “I don’t like it when my pastor talks about politics. I know what I think already.” “Why does that pastor have so many kids?” “Why doesn’t that pastor have any kids?” “What do the pastors do all week anyway?” Some questions along these lines may have some merit. Perhaps a pastor missed something obvious that he should have done or should have been doing. Other complaints perhaps stem from unfair or unrealistic expectations. All of us, pastors and nonpastors alike, could do with a lot more love and a little less critical attitude. But the fact remains that there are and ought to be some high expectations for pastors. God has high expectations for pastors. Peter, an experienced pastor who had also been a close disciple of Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry, talked about that very thing. His letter, a small portion of which is in front of us today, was not sent only to pastors. The book of 1 Peter was addressed to Christians in general. It was addressed to “the elect” who were scattered over a wide region of what is now Turkey. But in this section that is in front of us, he narrows his view. He addresses specifically the elders of the congregation. We use the term “elder” at times to describe certain positions in our church today, but the word in this section of Peter’s letter really describes something much more similar to our pastors today. In other words, in these verses, Peter, by God’s inspiration, addresses pastors directly as he also allows the rest of the congregation to listen in. This is not a secret. It is not a private conversation with a pastor to address some particular issue. It is a reminder for the pastors and the people that God desires certain things from the shepherds of his flock. First, these shepherds oversee his flock. That’s really assumed by calling them shepherds, but it spelled out in these verses that they serve as overseers. God intends for his flock to have leadership and direction, and he has provided men who offer that leadership. And his people depend on it. This is just one of many places the Bible speaks about God’s people as sheep, as those who need a shepherd. And that is something we all need. As sinful people, we are prone to wandering and we are prone to falling into danger. We are constantly tempted to concern ourselves only with our immediate situation and desires. We are tempted to love ourselves and to ignore our neighbors. And not only are we tempted in these ways, we wander in them. And in our arrogance, we take our own personal opinions and assume that they are absolute truth. Sheep need a shepherd. It is not complimentary to speak about us this way, but it is the truth. As believers, God has made us new creatures. We are not what we once were, which was nothing but sinful from birth. But we still are that in part. We are still sinners. We still struggle and we still fall. We still need shepherds and overseers to hold God’s Word before us, to offer us direction and help, to give spiritual nourishment in the means of grace. And God has graciously provided these shepherds. It is his will that they lead and guide. He wants them to point to the death of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world. He wants them to direct his people to the empty tomb that proclaims forgiveness won and eternal life secured. He wants them to baptize and to teach and to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. He wants them to oversee and guide and direct. These are the shepherds God desires. But the shepherds are not perfect, either. As God through Peter describes his expectations for the leaders of these congregations, he says that he wants the shepherds to struggle against the temptations that come so naturally. What God desires is willing service, not service given grudgingly. In fact, in these verses, God sets in front of us three pairs, each with a positive and a negative—not this but the other way of looking at how shepherds serve. The first we just mentioned: not grudgingly but willingly. God calls his shepherds to take a genuine interest in the welfare of those they serve. He wants them to be concerned about the needs of the sheep, to be glad to offer their assistance, to be eager to do what is truly best for them according to the God who called them to serve and called the sheep to be his own. Grudging service may get some of the job done, but always with a view toward the shepherd’s personal interest above the sheep. Another pair: not because you are greedy for money, but because you are eager to do it. A pastor who is just doing a job or worse yet, just doing the minimum necessary to keep an income, cannot possibly serve the way
God desires. But greed is a powerful temptation. To earn more while doing less tempts the selfish heart. A pastor could abuse his position by using it primarily to make money instead of being eager to serve. In the same way, a pastor may be tempted to abuse his authority by lording it over those entrusted to him. That’s the third negative example. He could display an attitude that says, “I am in charge. You have to listen to me.” He could act the way so many rulers and politicians have—Jesus once mentioned that to his disciples. He could give the impression that he is in a different class with special privileges that the “regular people” cannot have. That’s not what God wants. He says not to do that but be examples for the flock. Pastors can set an example by the way that they live. They can demonstrate a focus on spiritual issues and gracious speech. They can lead by prioritizing good stewardship of God’s blessings to them. And they can gently encourage their church family to follow the good example when they set it. See, none of these temptations are specific to pastors, are they? We can all struggle with filling our roles appropriately by serving others instead of using what we have been given in selfish and self-serving ways. Even when we do the right thing, we can become proud and put our confidence in ourselves. But that never works. As sinners, we need a Savior. As sinners, all of us, pastors included, need to flee to the grace and mercy of Jesus and trust in his sacrifice for our benefit. And all of us, as his forgiven children, get to follow his example of willing service, content service, and gentle service. Jesus enables all of us to struggle against temptation. And Jesus promises us eternal glory. We can’t get through these verses without noticing how Peter connects his encouragement to the glory that is to come. He speaks about himself as “one who also shares in the glory that is about to be revealed.” That’s what motivates his encouragement and what motivates his hearers to follow it. A pastor can’t truly shepherd the flock the way God desires without knowing that heaven is his home and without focusing his congregation’s attention on their heavenly home. Peter closes these verses with this piece of encouragement: “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory.” Those words are directed to the shepherds, the pastors, but they were heard by all. The pastors didn’t earn a crown of glory by shepherding the way that God desires. They didn’t earn it at all. It is a gift from the Chief Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. The crown of glory for us is why he came and lived and died and rose. This fact is not an afterthought for Peter. He doesn’t say, “Let me tell you how to make the most out of this life and, oh yeah, let’s talk about heaven, too.” No, heaven is the message, and that day is coming. That’s what transforms our lives and motivates our service. It does so for pastors, and it does so for all of us. I understand that there may be times someone does not think a pastor handled a situation well or that a pastor is not doing the best job possible. I also worry that as a pastor preaching on these verses, everything that I say could sound a bit self-serving or self-important. That’s not what I want, and that is not what you need. What I want, and what you should want also, are shepherds who do as God desires. They oversee his flock. They wrestle against temptation, and they anticipate his glory. May God bless you with pastors who live up to this description. The Text: 1 Peter 5:1–4 (EHV) Therefore, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and as one who also shares in the glory that is about to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: 2Shepherd God’s flock that is among you, serving as overseers, not grudgingly but willingly, as God desires, not because you are greedy for money but because you are eager to do it. 3Do not lord it over those entrusted to your care, but be examples for the flock. 4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory.