Peter, having finished with the topic of suffering as a Christian, moves back to the next relationship to be discussed. That of the elder and those in their care.
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 . . .
In this letter, he has discussed how an employee should honor even an unjust employer, how a wife should honor an unbelieving husband, how husbands should honor the weaker spouse, their wife.
Now he confronts the temptation of the elders to misuse their position, by similarly explaining that they should honor the sheep, which must be one of the most difficult livestock to raise on a farm. They escape, get stuck, have no sense of personal hygiene, don't listen, and follow other sheep to do stupid things. The list could go on.
The temptations for the elder are listed:
. . . exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly,. . . not for shameful gain, but eagerly. . .. . . not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
The defense is to understand that the elder will participate in "the glory that is going to be revealed". At first read it sounds like Peter is puffing himself and the elder up. That they will have a superior crown, while a layperson, will get a tarnished one.
But no, it is taught that our crown will be of the righteousness of Christ.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
It is a crown that we will gleefully cast at the feet of Christ (Revelation 4:9-11)!
Our response to any misdirected worship should always be:
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
So, when someone says thank-you, we should not discount it by saying something like “No sweat”, “It was nothing”, because it wasn’t nothing. It was something.
Worse yet, don’t say “Don’t thank me”. Doing so leaves the thanks unconveyed, and the person remains indebted to . . . you. They are not allowed to repay their gratitude. They are not being al-lowed to get back to a level playing field. Please note the word “fellow servant” (syndoulos) in the example above.
Rather say something like:
“You are very welcome. God blessed us both today.”
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