1 Peter5chapter 5

1 Peter 5:1-4

Peter exhorts the elders as sumpresbuteros, a fellow elder, his chosen title here being neither apostle nor prince of the church, and his credentials are witness of the sufferings of Christ and partaker of the coming glory. The charge is the shepherd's: feed the flock of God, taking oversight willingly, not for filthy lucre, and neither as being lords over God's heritage, katakurieuo, the domineering the Lord forbade at Mark 10:42, but being ensamples. The chief Shepherd shall appear, archipoimen, and the under-shepherds' wage is a crown of glory that fadeth not away, amarantinos, the unfading amaranth against the games' withering wreaths.

1 Peter 5:5-7

The younger submit to the elder, and then everyone to everyone: be clothed with humility, egkomboomai, tie on the slave's apron, a verb hard to read from Peter's pen without the towel of John 13 behind it. The ground is Proverbs 3:34, God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble, the same citation James 4:6 builds on, and the promise is exaltation in due time under the mighty hand of God. Casting all your care upon him, epirrhipsantes, one decisive throw, rests on four plain words, for he careth for you.

1 Peter 5:8-9

The care cast on God does not close the watch: be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, antidikos, the courtroom opponent, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, a real enemy really hunting, received as the text gives him. The resistance commanded is stedfast in the faith, the same resist as James 4:7 with the same promise implied. The same afflictions accomplished in your brethren that are in the world widens the horizon: no suffering church is alone in the fire.

1 Peter 5:10-11

the God of all grace: The letter's suffering-and-glory thread ties off in one sentence: the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, and the while is oligon, a little, measured against eternal glory. Four verbs then build the sufferer like a wall, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle, the first the mending word katartizo and the last a foundation verb, themelioo. The doxology follows as the only fit response, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.

1 Peter 5:12-14

Silvanus, the Silas of Acts and of the Thessalonian letters, carries and likely pens the letter, and its stated purpose is one line, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. The church that is at Babylon saluteth you is read two ways with holders: Rome under the apocalyptic name, the majority line since the fathers, with Marcus my son read as Mark whose gospel tradition ties to Peter's preaching, or the literal Babylon on the Euphrates with its great Jewish colony; the exposition gives both and stamps neither. The kiss of charity and peace to all that are in Christ Jesus close the letter of the fiery trial on the word peace.