Standing Firm as a Shepherd

As part of Peter’s words to suffering Christians, he has a specific word for the shepherds who care for Christ’s flock. He calls shepherds/pastors to shepherd God’s flock via three exhortations: (1) pastors are to “shepherd” the church gladly in accordance with God’s will, instead of doing it out of a sense of compulsion; (2) they are to do the work of shepherd eagerly and not out of greed or for shameful gain; and (3) they are to serve as examples to the congregation, and not to use their place of leadership as a means to be domineering. Shepherds too have an endtime promise: “when the Chief Shepherd appears, they will receive the unfading crown of glory” (v4). Finally, both shepherd and sheep are exhorted to clothe themselves with humility towards one another, for the humble receive grace from God (v5).