1 Peter 5:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Christ says, "Whoever would be great among you, let him be your servant" (Mt 20:26). And, "Whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Mt 23:12). What are You saying? If I humble myself, I will be high? Yes, He says. Such is My power, that I attain one thing through another. I possess the means and the art. Do not fear. The nature of things obeys My will; I do not follow nature.

The Apostle was about to speak of humility of mind, which he had already mentioned when he said, "doing good" (1 Pet 4:19). He calls himself a shepherd, or presbyter, either because of his age or because of the dignity of bishop. For the book of Acts also calls bishops presbyters (Acts 20:17). Then, wishing to show that he has precedence over them and that he calls himself a fellow shepherd through humility of mind, he sets forth his dignity. Namely, he is a witness of Christ's sufferings. He speaks as though saying: if I, who have explained such visions to you, do not consider it lowly to call myself a fellow shepherd, then it is unjust for you to exalt yourselves over those subject to you.

Here again Peter wisely calls the Son God, knowing Him as such by nature, for he does not lie. For when he heard from our Savior Christ, "Simon son of Jonah, do you love Me? Feed My lambs" (Jn 21:15), and again, "Feed My sheep" (Jn 21:16-17), he himself gives a similar commandment. He calls the Savior's sheep the flock of God, since he had received knowledge of the divine mystery from above, from the Father, and not from flesh and blood. And if the Son is God by nature, how will He be a creation or a creature? Showing that the difference between Creator and creation is immeasurable and incomparable, the Psalmist cries out: "He made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture" (Ps 99:3).

We are your instructors; you are the flock of God. Consider, and you will see that the dangers threatening us are greater than those threatening you. Therefore pray for us. This is useful both for us and for you, so that we may give a good account of you to the Chief Shepherd and Head of us all.

Peter is a witness to this, of course, because he was present, standing nearby, during His sufferings and saw everything that took place. And he saw the glory, certainly, when on the holy mountain of Tabor he saw the heavenly glory of His face together with James and John. As the Lord commanded blessed Peter to care for all His flock, that is, for the Church, so Peter himself rightly entrusted this to the subsequent shepherds of the Church. Each was to guard the flock of God that he had by his attentive guidance. The one who preaches the Gospel for the sake of obtaining sustenance feeds the flock of God and oversees it under compulsion. But the one who preaches the word of God not for any earthly benefit, but only for the heavenly reward, feeds the flock willingly and with love for God.

How will you become a partaker of His glory if you do not accept becoming a partaker of His shameful death? You have left riches in vain if you do not wish to bear the Cross, as Christ called you by the word of truth: "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor" (Mt 19:21).

In accordance with the intention of Jesus Christ, the holy Fathers likewise call all the Apostles shepherds, universal bishops, vicars of Christ, and foundations of the faith. The Apostles themselves also showed this in deed. First of all, Peter himself, in his first catholic epistle, addresses the presbyters and calls himself their fellow presbyter, not their archpresbyter. He exhorts them to shepherd the flock of Jesus Christ, whom alone he calls the Chief Shepherd: "not as lording it over those allotted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory" (1 Pet. 5:3-4).

"Elders," πρεσβυτέρους, seniores, means not only those eldest in age and honor, as the direct sense of the word suggests, but shepherds eldest in office, properly bishops (Tit 1:5, 7; Phil 1:1; Acts 20:17-18). This is clear because further on, in verse 2, he commands shepherds to visit, ἐπισκοποῦντες, rendered in Russian as "to oversee," the flock of God. In this sense the Apostle also calls himself συμπρεσβύτερος, as John does (2 Jn 1:1; 3 Jn 1:1). "Witness," μάρτυς, means not only eyewitness, as he calls himself when speaking of the Transfiguration (2 Pet 1:16). It also means preacher (Acts 1:8), and even a participant in Christ's sufferings and glory, κοινωνός. In later times, as is known, the word μάρτυς became equivalent to the word martyr, one who bore witness to his faith in Christ by his sufferings.

"The elders who are among you I exhort, being an elder," literally from the Greek, a fellow presbyter. In the Russian translation the word "elders," πρεσβύτεροι, is rendered by the word "shepherds," so that it may be clear that the Apostle here means not elders by age, but presbyters who feed the flock of God, that is, the Church (Acts 20:28). Therefore the instructions that follow plainly refer to the sacred rulers of the Church: "Feed the flock of God which is among you, visiting," ἐπισκοποῦντες, that is, overseeing, "not by necessity," not by compulsion. Consequently, it was possible to shepherd by compulsion. And those are compelled who have been appointed to a certain work and answer for it before others who are placed still higher.

"Your shepherds": shepherds are presbyters, elders (see Acts 10:30), since this word has the meaning both of shepherd or presbyter of the Church, and of elder, that is, one advanced in years. It denotes both age and office. Here the official ministry in the Church of Christ is chiefly meant. The Apostle addresses his word to the ministers of the Church and to the guides of the Church's communal life in every respect: as teachers, celebrants of the mysteries, and governors. He has them exclusively in view, calling them presbyters, or elders, although presbyters might not be elders in age. "I exhort, who am a fellow shepherd, and a witness, and a partaker." The Apostle does not command, though he could have done so by the authority given to him.

Instructions to shepherds and the shepherded (1 Pet 5:1-9). The Apostle instructs the shepherds to feed the flock of God, overseeing it not by compulsion but willingly; not for shameful gain, but with zeal. They are not to lord it over God's inheritance, but to provide an example to the flock, so that they may receive the unfading crown of glory. He edifies the sheep who are shepherded, so that, while obeying their shepherds and humbly yielding themselves to the guidance of God's mighty hand, they themselves may also be sober and watchful. For the adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

By shepherds, or presbyters, whom the Apostle addresses here with special counsel, one must understand the presbyters of the Church as those obliged by their ministry to guide others. In this ministry he places himself on the same level with them, with this difference: he was a witness of Christ's sufferings and an eyewitness of the glory of the Risen One. Therefore he is certain that the future glory of Christ's Kingdom will be revealed for him, while they must still become penetrated with this certainty. The other chief Apostle, Paul, expresses the same faith and hope when he calls this glory the crown of righteousness (see 2 Tim 4:8). Peter promises this crown to all presbyters, and Paul says that it is prepared for all who love the Lord.