Shepherds under the Chief Shepherd

Observe. Peter addresses the elders as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings. He tells them to be shepherds of God's flock under their care, watching over them. Then three contrasts. Not because you must, but because you are willing. Not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve. Not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. The reward: when the Chief Shepherd appears, a crown of glory that will never fade.

Interpret. The three contrasts each name a way leadership goes wrong. Reluctance, greed, and domination. Peter wants willingness, eagerness, and example. The flock is God's, not the elder's. It is under their care, which means entrusted, not owned. And there is a Chief Shepherd, which means every human shepherd is an under-shepherd, accountable to someone who will appear. Peter's own title for himself is telling. Not the apostle, not the rock, but a fellow elder who saw Jesus suffer. The authority he claims is the authority of having watched.

Apply. Most readers are not elders, but everyone is either leading someone or being led by someone, and the three contrasts apply in a home, a classroom, or a team. Willing, not reluctant. Eager, not grasping. Example, not force.

If you lead anyone, which of the three failures is closest to your own temptation? If you are led, do you make it easier or harder for your shepherds to serve willingly? How does the promise of a Chief Shepherd who will appear change the way you evaluate the shepherds you have now?