1 Peter 5:1 Elders who [are] among you, I exhort, who [am] a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of the Christ, and of the glory about to be (mello which always means “about to”) revealed a partaker, (YLT) ² shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not with greed but with eagerness; ³ nor yet as domineering over those assigned to your care, but by proving to be examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. ⁵ You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

Again, the letter of 1 Peter is filled with full preterist comments, and here is one: An exhortation to fellow elders among the diaspora. The glory was about to be (mello) revealed, which would have to be 70 AD. Peter was an apostle but also an “elder”. He along with James and John were the “pillars” of the church in Jerusalem, which could mean they were elders there. Perer personally wintessed the suffering of Jesus, more so than any other apostle. After all, he followed Jesus to Pilate’s hall and watched the trials and mockery of Jesus. He might have witnessed the actual scourging of Jesus. We don’t know exactly where he went right after his 3rd denial of Jesus. Maybe he went straight to the house where the other apostles were hiding. He doesn’t give a list of qulifications of elders as in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Instead, he focusses on the main work of elders, which is “shepherd the flock”. and “be an example to the flock”. Maybe he remembers Jesus’ words to him by the Sea of Galiee after he was raised: 3 times Jesus told Peter, “feed my sheep”. He asserts the authority of elders: exercising oversight but not under compulsion, not for greed (getting money although some elders could get money 1 Timothy 5), not domineering (katakurieuo: To lord over, to exercise dominion over, to subdue: The verb κατακυριεύω is used in the New Testament to describe the act of exercising dominion or authority over others, often with a connotation of oppressive or authoritarian control) over the sheep but proving to be examples. When the Chief Shepherd appears (the 2nd coming again), the elders would receive a crown of glory (again, a glory “about to be revealed 1 Peter 5:1). You younger men, humbly submit to the elders among you. Of course this was during the time of miraculous gifts. The miraculously gifted offices of the early church were Ephesians 4:11 apostles, prophets, evngelists, pastors (i.e. elders) and teachers. So these elders would have had miraculous gifts no doubt. They would be in more of a position to shepherd the flock and exercise oversight (which implies authority over the flock). Elders today do not have miraculous gifts and must be very careful not to lord it over the flock, controlling the flock with their opinions. I have been with elders who are more interested in controlling the flock than shepherding the flock. I knew one elder who did very little, if any, actual shepherding but told me that the only reason he was an elder was to control the flock. He ended up helping to split the church. Sometimes the elders are not very good examples. One brother quit smoking and started dipping so he could become an elder. He also was very legalistic with his opinions: he believed we should not use any version but the KJV. Sometimes they are very leglaistic and oppose free thinking among he flock. I know of one eldership that withdrew from a fellow elder b/c he was teaching full preterism, which is what I believe. But also I have known many good shepherd elders who do a great job. The challenge for younger men who are not elders is to know how to deal with “bad” elders. Plus, in most churches, elders are like supreme court justices: appointed for life. There is no “elder recll” vote every year, which there should be.

1 Peter 5:⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, ⁷ having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. ⁸ Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ So resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world. ¹⁰ After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹ To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Humble yourselves. Cast all your anxiety on Him (merimna: Care, anxiety, worry). (AI) “The term “merimna” refers to the concept of care or anxiety, often implying a sense of distraction or concern that divides one’s attention. In the New Testament, it is used to describe the worries and concerns of life that can distract believers from their faith and trust in God.” The classic text on worry: Matthew 6:²⁵ “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? ²⁷ And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span? ²⁸ And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, ²⁹ yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! ³¹ Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ ³² For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. ³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Philippians 4:⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad” (Proverbs 12:25) It suggests that constant worry can feel like a heavy burden, causing stress, sadness, and even physical symptoms like fatigue or difficulty sleeping. We should be on the alert (grégoreó: To watch, to be vigilant, to stay awake). (AI) “The verb “grégoreó” primarily means to be watchful or vigilant. It conveys the idea of staying awake and being alert, both physically and spiritually. In the New Testament, it is often used in the context of spiritual readiness and moral alertness, urging believers to be attentive to their faith and the coming of the Lord.” He tells them to watch out the devil who is prowling about like a roaring lion. I personally don’t believe the devil is doing that after 70 AD. In Revelation 20 the devil, Satan, is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone and is destroyed along with his angels (2 Peter 2). If that is 70 AD, and I believe it is, then how can he still be prowling around. So we should still be on the alert, but there is no Satan running around. Evil exists without Satan. Sin exists b/c sin is due to our lusts (James 1).

Back to the theme of 1 Peter: suffering. 5:9 knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world. ¹⁰ After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” Again, “after you suffer a little while”. 1 Peter 1:⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.” It would be about 6 years from the writing of the letter to 70 AD and the relief the diaspora would get from their suffering at the hands of their unbelieving Jewish countrymen. Relatively speaking, all suffering is but for a little while compared to eternity. 2 Corinthians 4:¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Romans 8:¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to (mello) be revealed to us.”

Closing remarks.

1 Peter 5:¹² Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! ¹³ She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark. ¹⁴ Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.”

David Guzik: “By Silvanus… I have written to you: This portion was probably written by Peter’s own hand, after he (according to the custom of the day) had dictated the bulk of the letter to Silvanus. This man Silvanus was probably the same one known as Silas in many of Paul’s letters.” Peter apparently wrote the letter from “Babylon”. In Revelation, “Babylon” was the name written on the forehead of the harlot (Rev 17:5), which was the great city (Rev 17:18) “where the Lord was crucified, i.e. Jerusalem Rev 11:8). So “Babylon” is Jerusalem, not Rome as many claim. There is no clear Bible evidence that Peter ever went to Rome, let alone resided in Rome. Also no evidence that he was the bishop in Rome or the first pope in Rome, as the Catholics claim. Paul wrote the letter to the church in Rome and never mentions Peter although he lists numerous people by name in Romans 16. Paul wrote Romans in about 57 AD. You would think that he would have mentioned Peter if Peter had been in Rome. Early church fathers, like Irenaeus of Lyons, wrote that Peter and Paul preached in Rome and established the Church there. But Irenaeus lived in the late 2nd century and had no first hand information. Probably the church in Rome started when Jews from Rome were baptized in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost in 30 AD (Acts 2) and then went back to Rome. “There is in fact no New Testament evidence, nor any historical proof of any kind, that Peter ever was in Rome. All rests on legend.” Guzik: “So does Mark my son: This verse connects Mark with Peter, apparently the same Mark of Acts 12:12, 12:25, and 15:37-39. When the style and perspective of the Gospel of Mark are taken into account, many believe that Peter was Mark’s primary source of information for his gospel.”

Greet one another with a holy kiss. That’s another one of those commands that we decide was cultural and we don’t have to obey it! Or obey it if you want to!

Peace be to you all who are in Christ.

That concludes my articles on 1 Peter. I hope you have benefited from them