To Shepherd the Flock of God

"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 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.'" 1 Peter 5:1-5

After reading and pondering the above verses I think the first question that comes to mind is "what does it mean to shepherd the flock of God?" Obviously, this has been a recurring question in my life as I complete my fourth year in the role this fall for my church in Tallahassee. It was certainly a great honor to be chosen for this role and most humbling as no one is more aware of my inadequacies for the position than I am ... except for God Himself. He seems to have a thing for choosing those who are inadequate so there is hope for those like me. I have loved the camaraderie of serving alongside men I've greatly admired for many years and I have loved the challenge of seeking God's will for our body jointly with them.

Then there comes the much more difficult and demanding task of "shepherding." It is no coincidence that the Holy Spirit selected this metaphor for describing our task as it was the same metaphor Jesus Himself used many times. And this is where the nitty gritty of the job is most apparent. Dealing with the sin in the lives of my brothers and sisters and trying to win them back for the kingdom is a daunting task ... especially because, unlike the life of our Savior, we each have sin in our own lives. So humility and grace are necessary prerequisites for our effectiveness. When, however, one of His sheep repents and "comes home" the joy is indescribable. But then we must be always on guard for it remains the domain of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin and change hearts ... it is not something we do ourselves lest we become prideful. But for God to actually use us despite our inadequacies is quite humbling. Yet before we can celebrate our victories too long, there always seems to be another sheep that has subsequently escaped the fold. So the task chronically repeats itself and likely will till the "chief Shepherd" appears as Peter relates. Lastly and most sadly, not all the sheep come home. And thus the shepherd's heart is often pierced with grief.

So getting back to the text above .... what does it really mean to "shepherd the flock of God?" This is a beneficial question for all of us. Those who are elders need to know. Those who aspire to become elders must know. And, just as importantly, those in the body need to know as they are the ones who choose the leaders who serve over them. Sometimes it can be most helpful to learn by way of contrast. And it was the prophet Ezekiel who painted the best contrasting picture of just what elders should not look like.

Ezekiel described the elders of his day as abysmal shepherds. In a vision, he bored a hold into the house of God and saw men committing 'vile abominations' [Ezekiel 8:9]. While there, the angelic guide said to him: "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, 'The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.'" [Ezekiel 8:12]

Later God said to Ezekiel: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel ... Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them." [Ezekiel 34:1-4]

Elders who faithfully shepherd God's people will be different from the elders of Ezekiel's day. They will be men of godly character. They will be in the dark what they profess to be in the light. They will not be selfish. They will seek out the weak. They will visit the sick and bind up the spiritually injured. They will be concerned to bring back any who stray from the faith. They will seek out the lost. They will rule with gentleness and grace.

And yet the list, even to the one who is faithful, appears overwhelming. Really, who can be all these things for God's people? For this reason God told Ezekiel: "I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep. ... And I will feed them on the mountains. ... And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd." [Ezekiel 34:11-13, 23]

Jesus is God's shepherd. We see this in v. 4 where Peter refers to him as the 'chief Shepherd.' Let us all remember this great fact: Jesus alone fulfills the Word of God, given through Ezekiel's charge, to gather God's flock on the mountains and feed them. It was this one, Jesus of Nazareth, who not only fed 5,000 people on the mountainside but also fed them God's Word.

We can only imagine the richness that this term shepherd had for Peter. We can remember Peter's early confidence ... no one felt more qualified to lead than he and no one was more gifted to lead, but when it counted most, he denied Christ three times. After the resurrection, Jesus asked him three times if he loved him, and Peter responded, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you" [John 21:15-17]. Interestingly, each time Jesus spoke, he wooed Peter with the imagery of a shepherd and his flock. He said to him, "Feed my lambs ... Tend my sheep ... Feed my sheep."

We should all take great encouragement from this -- on the day Peter didn't feel at all able to lead, God restored him, call him, and made him fit for the office. And he will equip men for the same office today. God will continue to raise up qualified men to shepherd his flock. And like Peter, these men will express their love for Christ by extending themselves in love to God's people.

Just as we looked at the role of elders by way of contrast, Peter also explains by way of contrast their readiness to serve. He employs three negatives followed by three affirmations in the space of two verses.
Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight
Not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;
Not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
Not domineering over those in our charge, but being examples to the flock.

The church is not helped when her leaders' readiness falls into the pit of begrudging service. Men who serve only from a sense of duty will not have the requisite love necessary for God's people to flourish. Biblical elders need to do the right thing, even when they don't feel like it, but elders who are governed merely by duty and not love are falling short of serving God as He would have them.

Today, as in Peter's day, far too many teachers and preachers of God's Word are in it for the money. In the end, those who exercise leadership in the church for financial gain pervert the truth and peddle God's free gift of true grace. Elders must be eager to teach but not eager for cash.

The last pitfall of leadership is the misuse of power. The axiom that 'absolute power corrupts absolutely' has long stood the test of time. We see it in politics. We see it in business. But according to both Jesus and then Peter, we should never see it in the church. Those men who exercise the office of elder must always remember that the misuse of their power only impairs the church. Instead, elders ought to go beyond the call of duty in proving themselves as examples to the flock. We are to emulate Jesus, who came to serve and not to be served [see Mark 10:45]. Both humility and sacrificial service are the hallmarks of godly leadership.

So what then is the motivation for one to serve in the office of elder then? We read above what it is not ... not duty, not avarice, not for power ... but proper motivation does, in fact, exist as Peter writes in v. 4: "And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." So we learn that elders do labor for a reward -- one that will be given to them on the day of Christ's return. The prize of 'the unfading crown of glory' comes in the next life, not this one. This reward, though delayed, will certainly be worth the labor -- a crown of glory. So we run this race with patience. The day is all too fast approaching when we will dwell on high with the chief Shepherd. And when He comes, He most certainly will bring His reward with Him.