Shepherd the Flock
Recently I enjoyed the privilege of participating in a pastoral installation and ordination service with some dear ministry partners. My role was to issue the pastoral charge to those being installed to serve the church, and what follows is my words to them from 1 Peter 5:1-5.
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 ESV)
Speaking to fellow pastors, Peter encourages them to shepherd the church in gospel awe and wonder. Here, with the authority given to him by Jesus himself as an apostle, Peter exhorts pastors to shepherd with the heart and disposition Jesus intends for them. In my experience, when we shepherd this way, with gospel awe and wonder, pastoral ministry is a tremendous joy.
First, shepherd Jesus’s flock (v. 2). Quick note: In the New Testament the titles of elder, pastor, and overseer are used interchangeably. Historically, Baptists have preferred the titles of elder or pastor for the one office. That said Peter’s exhortation to elders or pastors, if you prefer, is quite simple: “shepherd the flock of God among you.” Peter’s words echo Jesus’s own words to him when he said, “Peter, love, tend and feed my sheep” (John 21:15-19). So pastors, when you hear Peter say to you “shepherd the flock - exercise oversight,” I hope you hear the words of our Chief Shepherd saying, “Love, tend, and feed my sheep.”
There is a story that Vince Lombardi, the great NFL coach, once stood in front of his professional football team, held up a football, and said, “This is a football.” Is this true or just folklore? I’m not sure, but the point is salient. To be a good team they must know and stick to the basics. In the spirit of Coach Lombardi, what are the basics for loving, tending, and feeding Jesus’s flock?
Preach the word to Jesus’s lambs (2 Tim. 4:2).
Pray for Jesus’s sheep under your care (1 Tim. 2:1-8).
Be present in the lives of Jesus’s people (Acts 20:18-21).
Prepare your own heart to shepherd Jesus’s flock (1 Tim. 4:11-16).
The task of shepherding is at least those four things. The pastor must preach, pray, be present, and prepare his heart. It is the last of these responsibilities that Peter occupies himself with in the remaining verses. Peter now invites pastors to shepherd Jesus’s people with gospel awe and wonder.
Finally, shepherd with gospel awe and wonder (v. 1, 2-5). In verses 2-5 Peter calls for a certain disposition of heart in the pastor. Pastors should not, Peter says, shepherd under compulsion, for shameful gain, or in a domineering way. Instead, pastors should shepherd willingly, eagerly, and humbly. These three dispositions, willingness, eagerness, and humility, overflow in the pastor’s heart that is awestruck by Christ and his gospel. So how might a pastor shepherd like this?
The pastor must look back on Jesus’s sufferings (v. 1). In verse 1 Peter describes himself as “a witness of the sufferings of Christ.” Of course, Peter was a witness in a way that none today can be. He was physically present the day Jesus was betrayed and crucified. And yet, pastors - and all Christians for that matter - have the faithful, true, and trustworthy witness of the Scriptures. So then pastors should make it their habit to open God’s word for themselves and look back on Jesus’s sufferings for their own sake. There the pastor should meditate upon Jesus’s sufferings, his crown of thorns, his bruised, and bound body, his hands and his feet. The pastor must not stop there. He must not, in his heart, leave Jesus for dead.
The pastor must look forward to the hope of resurrection (v. 1, 4). In verse 1 Peter speaks of himself as a “partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed,” then in verse 4 he writes, “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory,” which is eternal life. Just as the Good Shepherd defied death, so will all who follow him by faith, and so will the pastor. Pastors shoul look forward dreaming about the day of the returned Shepherd, of raised bodies, and of a renewed creation. Pastors, dwell upon Jesus’s sufferings and the hope of resurrection until your heart beats with awe and wonder. That’s a joyful way to pastor, and, I believe, the way Jesus’s intends it to be.
