1 & 2 Peter and Jude MacArthur New Testament Commentary Set (Macarthur New Testament Commentary Serie) by John MacArthur

Author:John MacArthur [MacArthur, John]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2005-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

WHAT ARE THE ISSUES IN SHEPHERDING?

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd (5:1–2a)

Therefore refers back to the fact that this epistle’s recipients were suffering persecution (4:12–19) and being attacked for righteousness’ sake. That reality led Peter to exhort the elders to shepherd their troubled, beleaguered sheep. The first and obvious point to note here is that the Holy Spirit affirms that such spiritual leadership and responsibility for the church belongs to elders. That is unmistakable and consistent in the New Testament books dealing with the church. The first mention of elders is in Acts 11:30, where the writer Luke identifies them as the leaders of the Jerusalem church. Subsequent references in Acts (14:23; 15:4, 6, 22, 23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18) continue to make clear their role. In 1 Timothy 5:17 Paul identifies them as those men who rule while laboring “in the word and doctrine” (KJV). Titus 1:5 establishes that elders were to lead every church in every city. The qualifications for such men appear in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9. (For a detailed treatment of these two passages, see John MacArthur, 1 Timothy, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 1995], 91–121; MacArthur, Titus, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 1996], 17–52.)

Exhort (parakaleō) means literally “to call alongside, ” or in the general sense, “to encourage or compel someone in a certain direction.” The related noun is often associated with the ministry of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 14:16–17, 26; 15:26; 16:7). Here Peter directs the appeal to the elders, who are the Lord’s appointed and gifted leaders of the church. There are three New Testament terms used interchangeably to refer to these men: elder (presbuterion; cf. 1 Tim. 5:19; 2 John 1; 3 John 1), bishop or overseer (episkopos; cf. 2:25; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:7), and pastor (poimēn; cf. Eph. 4:11). Elder emphasizes the man’s spiritual maturity necessary for such ministry, and in many Protestant churches it is the official title chosen for the office. Bishop, or overseer, states the general responsibility of guardianship. Pastor is the word shepherd and expresses the priority duty of feeding or teaching the truth of God’s Word.

The Old Testament is filled with references to elders in Israel (e.g., Lev. 4:15; Num. 11:25; Deut. 25:7; 1 Kings 21:11; Ps. 107:32; Prov. 31:23). The New Testament also indicates elders were still important in Jewish society in those days (e.g., Matt. 15:2; 16:21; Luke 9:22; Acts 4:5; 24:1). Each synagogue had its ruling elders who held leadership duties and were responsible for teaching (cf. Neh. 8:4–8; 9:5; Acts 15:21). The early church broadly adopted a similar model (cf. Acts 2:42–47; 6:4), appointing a plurality of godly and gifted men to lead, guard, and feed each local congregation (cf. Titus 1:5). It was their responsibility to proclaim the truth so as to build up the people and protect them

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