1 Peter 5:1
1 The elders [presbuteros] which
are among [en] you [humin] I exhort [parakaleo], who [ho] am also an elder [sumpresbuteros], and [kai] a witness [martus] of the sufferings [pathema]
of Christ [Christos], and also [kai] a partaker [koinonos] of
the glory [doxa] that shall [mello] be revealed [apokalupto]: KJV-Interlinear
1 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, NASB
The word for elder, presbuteros,
simply means someone who is older.But
more than that, it is presumed that an older person is wiser than the younger
upstarts of humanity.
So, the elders are
usually referred to as the wise men or leaders of the group, whatever the group
happens to be.
In the spiritual life,
wisdom comes from learning Bible doctrine and growing up in ones spiritual
life.Just as in your normal life, you
learn from day to day, either in school or from the streets of life. You learn academically, and experientially.
The longer you are
around, the more, presumably, you learn.
It is difficult to understand suffering if you have not experienced
it.And the wise among us, are usually
those who have both learned doctrine, and have learned from daily life. Combining the two, creates a thorough learning
experience and understanding of life.
The elder of the
spiritual life is not limited by age, but by doctrinal wisdom. And anyone who has learned doctrine, and has
lived life, usually has some savvy under their belt.
However based on
tradition and the culture of Peter s day, the elders here most likely referred
to those who taught doctrine to their local groups in Asia Minor, to whom this
letter was addressed.But this does not exclude
parents who teach their children, or study leaders, or even to anyone who
happens to enter into a Biblical conversation with a stranger.
Anyone who teaches
doctrine, in whatever circumstances, is presumably wiser than those they are
teaching, and therefore an elder, even if just for that moment.
Peter refers to the
elders, and states clearly that he is one of them. He does not refer to bishops or classes of a
clergy hierarchy, but only refers to those who possess wisdom.
Peter does not presume
authority over anyone, but simply refers to himself as one who knows doctrine,
and as one who has been witness to the sufferings of Christ.
The gospels do not
state that Peter was present at the Crucifixion, but it is implied here, that
he must have followed Christ to the Cross, even if only from a distance. Thus, he was a witness.
Luke 23:49
49 all his
acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off,
beholding these things,
The phrase, all his
acquaintance, suggests that many who knew Him were present, even though they
kept their distance.Peter most likely
was there, somewhere, watching everything unfold.
Peter places himself on
the same level as all other people who know and teach doctrine, and he also
mentions the glory to be revealed, which is our resurrection and eternity and
so forth.
Most folks know the
facts of life.Most folks know that we
are all born and that we all will one day die.
Most folks know that there is something after this life. Unfortunately, most folks ignore this and
pursue their day to day activities as though that is their only priority.
We rush to work in the
morning and then we rush home in the evening, and then the day is over,
forgotten and is no more.
We rush to the weekend
and then the weekend is over.
We rush to school and
then the schooling is over.
We rush through our
careers to retirement, and then our retirement is over.
Everything we rush
into, never lasts, but soon expires, and we soon forget all of the anxiousness's
and all of the anticipations (or anxieties) we experienced while looking
forward to those temporary events.
But there is one event
which will never end, once it arrives in our lives, and that is eternity.
To those who persevere
through all of the ordeals of life, adhering to their spiritual principles, and
not giving up their hope, especially when hard times come, then there are
special blessings intended for them.
The people to whom
Peter initially wrote this letter, were suffering under very difficult
conditions.They lived in a world that
rejected, even hated Christianity, and in their world there was no nation, no
place to which they could turn for help.
In our present day, the
world has the USA as well as other regions of the world that they can look to
for hope.But one day, that too will
disappear, as we near the end of our current dispensation.
Whether we live in
prosperous times or difficult times is irrelevant. All of our hope (confidence) comes from God,
through doctrine, and that is where your focus should be in life, for your
better life.
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