Jesus was the chief shepherd

JESUS WAS THE CHIEF SHEPHERD
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
1 Peter 5:4 4
And when the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade
away.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The True Pastorate
1 HYPERLINK "/1_peter/5-2.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/5-2.htm"5:2-4
J.R. Thomson The office of the Christian pastor - the bishop, the presbyter, the deacon -
was something new in the history of mankind. The functions of the Christian pastor differ
widely and radically from those of the heathen priest or philosopher; and they differ
decidedly from those of the Jewish prophet or priest. The bonds uniting pastor and people
together are more sacred, more tender, and more morally powerful than the official bonds
which owe their efficacy merely to superior power or superior wisdom. It is only the
religion of Christ which can furnish the basis for the pastoral relation, even among those
who accept the great doctrines of man's spiritual nature and the Divine redemption.
I. THE NATURE OF THE PASTORAL LIFE AND MINISTRY.
1. The personal spring of this ministry is the pure devotion of heart and energies to the
welfare of those for whom Christ died.
2. The intellectual character of the pastorate is expressedin the vocation described by St.
Peter as "feeding the flock." The reference in this language is evidently to teaching, to wise
and constant instruction in Divine and spiritual truth.
3. The moral work to be fulfilled is ruling in righteousness. It is not enough for the
Christian minister to teach; he is called to guide in the way of virtue and piety, to exercise
supervision over the character and the conduct of the members of the flock.
II. THE TEMPTATIONS AND PERILS OF THE PASTORAL LIFE AND MINISTRY.
St. Peter deals very faithfully with his fellow-laborers; he reminds them that they are but
men, and are subject to human infirmities, which must be guarded against by watchfulness
and prayer.
1. It is possible for one to assume or to retain the pastoral office without a cheerful and
cordial delight in it; as e.g. is the case with those who engage in the service of the Church,

not by Divine summons, but through the influence of friends or through the force of
circumstances. Such ministers lose the greater part of their power for good, because their
heart is not in their work.
2. Mercenary service cannot be profitable to men or acceptable to God. He who for the
sake of gain insincerely professes to seek men's spiritual welfare is beneath human
contempt.
3. A domineering spirit is contrary to the very nature and purpose of the pastoral relation.
That proud and ambitious natures have made the Church the means of rising to high
station and to vast power is plainly taught by the history of Christendom. But upon the
work of such men the blessing of the chief Shepherd cannot rest; for he was "meek and
lowly in heart."
III. THE RECOMPENSE OF THE PASTORAL LIFE AND MINISTRY.
1. It is not present, but future.
2. It is not from man, but from God.
3. It is not perishable, but immortal.
For the faithful and the lowly servant of Christ there is reserved the amaranthine crown. -
J.R.T.
Biblical Illustrator
The Church that is at Babylon, electedtogether with you, saluteth you.
1 HYPERLINK "/1_peter/5-13.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/5-13.htm"5:13
The Church in Babylon
A. Maclaren, D. D.The RevisedVersion omits "the Church," and substitutes "she";
explaining in a marginal note that there is a difference of opinion as to whether the sender
of the letter is a community or an individual. All the old MSS., with one weighty exception,
follow the reading, "she that is at Babylon." That the sender of the letter is a church,
symbolically designated as a "lady," seems the natural meaning. Then there is another
question — Where was Babylon? An equal diversity of opinion has arisen. In my own
opinion "Babylon" means Rome. We have here the same symbolical name as in the Book of
Revelation, where it is intended primarily as an appellation for the imperial city, which has
taken the place filled in the Old Testament by Babylon, as the concentration of antagonism
to the kingdom of God.
I. WE HAVE HERE AN OBJECT LESSON AS TO THE UNITING POWER OF THE
GOSPEL. Just think of the relations which, in the civil world, subsisted between Rome and
its subject provinces: the latter, with bitter hatred in their hearts to everything belonging to
the oppressing city, having had their freedom crushed down and their aspirations
ruthlessly trampled upon; the former, with the contempt natural to metropolitans in
dealing with far off provincials. The same kind of relationship subsisted between Rome and

the outlying provinces of its unwieldy empire as between England, for instance, and its
Indian possessions. And the same uniting bond came in which binds the Christian converts
of these Eastern lands of ours to England by a far firmer bond than any other. The
separating walls were high, but, according to the old saying, you cannot build walls high
enough to keepout the birds; and spirits, winged by the common faith, soared above all
earthly made distinctions and met in the higher regions of Christian communion. Now our
temptation is not so much to let barriers of race and language and distance weaken our
sense of Christian community, as it is to let evensmaller things than these do the same
tragical office for us. And we, as Christian people, are bound to try and look over the
fences of our "denominations" and churches, and recognise the wider fellowship and larger
company in which all these are merged.
II. We note, further, THE CLEAR RECOGNITION HERE OF WHAT IS THE STRONG
BOND UNITING ALL CHRISTIANS. Peter would probably have been very much
astonished if he had been told of the theological controversies that were to be waged round
that word "elect." The emphasis here lies, not on "elect," but on "together." It is not the
thing so much as the common possessionof the thing which bulks largely before the
apostle. In effect he says, "The reason why these Roman Christians that have never looked
you Bithynians in the face do yet feel their hearts going out to you, and send you their
loving messages, is because they, in common with you, have been recipients of precisely the
same Divine act of grace." By the side of these transcendent blessings which they possessed
in common, how pitiably insignificant all the causes which kept them apart looked and
were! And so here we have a partial parallel to the present state of Christendom, in which
are seenat work, on one hand, superficial separation; on the other, underlying unity. The
splintered peaks may stand, or seemto stand, apart from their sistersummits, or may
frown at each other across impassable gorges, but they all belong to one geological
formation, and in the depths their bases blend indistinguishably into a continuous whole.
Their tops are miles apart, but beneath the surface they are one.
III. Then, lastly, WE MAY FIND HERE A HINT AS TO THE PRESSING NEED FOR
SUCH A REALISATION OF UNITY. "The Church that is in Babylon" was in a vary
uncongenial place. Thank God, no Babylon is so Babylonish but that a Church of God may
be found planted in it. No circumstances are so unfavourable to the creation and
development of the religious life but that the religious life may grow there. An orchid will
find footing upon a bit of stick, because it draws nourishment from the atmosphere; and
they who are fed by the influx of the Divine Spirit may be planted anywhere, and yet
flourish in the courts of our God. But it also gives a hint as to the obligation springing from
the circumstances in which Christian people are set, to cultivate the sense of belonging to a
great brotherhood. Howsoever solitary, and surrounded by uncongenial associations any
Christian man may be, he may feel that he is not alone, not only because his Masteris with
him, but because there are many others whose hearts throb with the same love, whose lives
are surrounded by the same difficulties. If thus you and I, Christian men, are pressedupon
on all sides by such worldly associations, the more need that we should let our hearts go out
to the innumerable multitude of our fellows, companions in the tribulation and patience
and kingdom of Jesus Christ.
(A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Marcus my son

Marcus my son
A. Maclaren, D. D.I. THE WORKING OF CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY. Mark was a full-
blooded Jew when he began his career. "John, whose surname was Mark," like a great
many other Jews at that time, bore a double name, one Jewish, "John," and one Gentile,
"Marcus." But as time goes on we do not hear anything more about "John," nor even
about "John Mark," which are the two forms of his name when he is first introduced to us
in the Acts of the Apostles, but he finally appears to have cast aside his Hebrew, and to
have been only known by his Roman name. And that change of appellation coincides with
the fact that so many of the allusions which we have to him represent him as sending
messages of Christian greeting across the sea to his Gentile brethren. And it further
coincides with the fact that his gospel is obviously intended for the use of Gentile
Christians, and, according to an old and reliable tradition, was written in Rome for Roman
Christians. All of which facts just indicate two things, that the more a man has real
operative love to Jesus Christ in his heart the more he will rise above all limitations of his
interests, his sympathy, and his efforts, and the more surely will let himself out, as far as he
can, in affection towards and toils for all men. This change of name, though it is a mere
trifle, and may have been adopted as a matter of convenience, may also be taken as
reminding us of a very important truth, and that is, that if we wish to help people, the first
condition is that we go down and stand on their level, and make ourselves one with them, as
far as we can. And so Mark may have said, "I have put away the name that parts me from
these Gentiles, for whom I desire to work, and whom I love; and I take the name that binds
me to them." You must become like the people that you want to help.
II. The history of Mark suggests THE POSSIBILITY OF OVERCOMING EARLY
FAULTS. We do not know why he refused to bear the burden of the work that he had so
cheerily begun. When he started he did not bargain for going into unknown lands, in which
there were many toils to be encountered. He was willing to go where he knew the ground.
At all events, whatever his reason, his return was a fault, or Paul would not have been so
hard upon him as he was. And the best way to treat him was as the apostle did; and to say
to Barnabas' indulgent proposal, "No! he would not do the work before, and now he shall
not do it." That is often God's way with us. It brings us to our senses, as it brought Mark to
his. We do not know how long it took to cure Mark of his early fault, but he was thoroughly
cured. The man that was afraid of dangers and hypothetical risks in Asia Minor became
brave enough to stand by the apostle when he was a prisoner, and was not ashamed of his
chain. And afterwards, so much had he won his way into the apostle's confidence, and
made himself needful for him by his services, that the lonely prisoner, with the gibbet or
headsman's sword in prospect, feels that he would like to have Mark with him once more,
and bids Timothy bring him with himself, for "he is profitable to me for the ministry." Let
no man set limits to the possibilities of his own restoration, and of his curing faults which
are most deeply rooted within himself. Hope and effort should be boundless. So we may
win victories on the very soil where formerly we were shamefully put to the rout.
III. Take another lesson — THE GREATNESS OF "LITTLE" SERVICE. We do not hear
that this John Mark ever tried to do any work in the way of preaching the gospel. His
business was a very much humbler one. He had to attend to Paul's comfort. That needed
some self-suppression. It would have been so natural for Mark to have said, "Paul sends
Timothy to be bishop in Crete, and Titus to look after other churches; Epaphroditus is an

official here, and Apollos is a great preacher there. And here am I, grinding away at the
secularities yet. I think I'll 'strike,' and try and get more conspicuous work." Or, he might
perhaps deceive himself and say, "more directly religious work," like a great many of us
that often mask a very carnal desire for prominence under a very saintly guise of desire to
do spiritual service. That was self-suppression. But it was a clear recognition of what we all
ought to have very clearly before us, and that is, that all sorts of work which contribute to
one end are one sort of work; and that at bottom the man that carried Paul's books and
parchments, and saw that he was not left without clothes, though he was so negligent of
cloaks and other necessaries, was just as much helping on the cause of Christ as the apostle
when he preached.
IV. Take as the last lessonTHE ENLARGED SPHERE THAT FOLLOWS
FAITHFULNESS IN SMALL MATTERS. What a singular change! The man that began
with being a servant of Paul and of Barnabas ends by being the evangelist, and it is to him,
under Peter's direction, that we owe what is possibly the oldest, and, at all events in some
aspects, an entirely unique, narrative of our Lord's life. For quite certainly, in God's
providence, the tools do come to the hand that can wield them, and the best reward that we
can get for doing well our little work is to have larger work to do. The little tapers are
tempted, if I may use so incongruous a figure, to wish themselves set up on loftier stands.
Shine your brightest in your corner, and you will be "exalted" in due time.
(A. Maclaren, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(4) And when the chief Shepherd shall
appear.—Or, And at the chief Shepherd’s appearing. The “and” treats it as a simple
natural consequence of acting as just indicated. The beautiful word for “chief Shepherd”
seems to have been invented by St. Peter, and it has been apparently imitated in Hebrews
HYPERLINK "/hebrews/13-20.htm"13:20. How could an office be more honoured than by
speaking of Christ as the chief bearer of that office?
“A crown of glory that fadeth not away.—It might perhaps be more closely, though less
beautifully, represented by the glorious crown of amaranth, or the amaranthine crown of
glory. Amaranth is the name of a flower which, like our immortelles, does not lose its
colour or form. St. Peter immediately adds “of glory,” lest we should think too literally of
the wreath of immortelles.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary5:1-4 The apostle Peter does not command, but
exhorts. He does not claim power to rule over all pastors and churches. It was the peculiar
honour of Peter and a few more, to be witnesses of Christ's sufferings; but it is the privilege
of all true Christians to partake of the glory that shall be revealed. These poor, dispersed,
suffering Christians, were the flock of God, redeemed to God by the great Shepherd, living
in holy love and communion, according to the will of God. They are also dignified with the

title of God's heritage or clergy; his peculiar lot, chosen for his own people, to enjoy his
special favour, and to do him special service. Christ is the chief Shepherd of the whole flock
and heritage of God. And all faithful ministers will receive a crown of unfading glory,
infinitely better and more honourable than all the authority, wealth, and pleasure of the
world.
Barnes' Notes on the BibleAnd when the chief Shepherd shall appear - The prince of the
pastors - the Lord Jesus Christ. "Peter, in the passage above, ranks himself with the elders;
here he ranks Christ himself with the pastors" - Benson. See the notes at 1 HYPERLINK
"/1_peter/2-25.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/2-25.htm"2:25. Compare Hebrews
HYPERLINK "/hebrews/13-20.htm"13:20.
Ye shall receive a crown of glory - A glorious crown or diadem. Compare the notes at 2
HYPERLINK "/2_timothy/4-8.htm"Timothy HYPERLINK "/2_timothy/4-8.htm"4:8.
That fadeth not away - This is essentially the same word, though somewhat different in
form, which occurs in 1 HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-4.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-
4.htm"1:4. See the notes at that verse. The word occurs nowhere else in the New
Testament. Compare the notes at 1 HYPERLINK "/1_corinthians/9-25.htm"Corinthians
HYPERLINK "/1_corinthians/9-25.htm"9:25.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary4. And—"And so": as the result of "being
ensamples" (1Pe 5:3).
chief Shepherd—the title peculiarly Christ's own, not Peter's or the pope's.
when … shall appear—Greek, "be manifested" (Col 3:4). Faith serves the Lord while still
unseen.
crown—Greek, "stephanos," a garland of victory, the prize in the Grecian games, woven of
ivy, parsley, myrtle, olive, or oak. Our crown is distinguished from theirs in that it is
"incorruptible" and "fadeth not away," as the leaves of theirs soon did. "The crown of
life." Not a kingly "crown" (a different Greek word, diadema): the prerogative of the Lord
Jesus (Re 19:12).
glory—Greek, "the glory," namely, to be then revealed (1Pe 5:1; 1Pe 4:13).
that fadeth not away—Greek, "amaranthine" (compare 1Pe 1:4).
Matthew Poole's CommentaryAnd when the chief Shepherd; the Lord Jesus Christ, the
only Prince of pastors, called the great Shepherd of the sheep, Hebrews HYPERLINK
"/hebrews/13-20.htm"13:20, as here the chief Shepherd, not only for his supereminent
dignity over all other pastors, but because of the power he hath over them, they being all
subject to his authority, receiving their charge from him, and exercising their office in his
name, and being accountable to him for their administrations.
Shall appear: see 1 HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-7.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-
7.htm"1:7,13 4:13.
Ye shall receive; or, carry away, viz. from Christ, who, as the Judge, shall award it to you.
A crown of glory; either, a glorious crown; or, that glory which shall be as a crown to you.
It is called a crown of righteousness, 2 HYPERLINK "/2_timothy/4-8.htm"Timothy

HYPERLINK "/2_timothy/4-8.htm"4:8; a crown of life, Jam HYPERLINK "/james/1-
12.htm"1:12.
That fadeth not away; in opposition to those crowns which were given to conquerors in
war, and in public games, which were made of perishable flowers or herbs: see 1
HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-4.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-4.htm"1:4 1
HYPERLINK "/1_corinthians/9-25.htm"Corinthians HYPERLINK "/1_corinthians/9-
25.htm"9:25.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd when the chief Shepherd shall appear,.... This is
the encouraging motive and argument to engage the elders and pastors of churches to
discharge their office faithfully, cheerfully, and in an humble manner: by "the chief
Shepherd" is meant Christ, who may well be called so, since he is God's fellow, and in all
respects equal with him, and is the Shepherd and Bishop of the souls of men; all other
bishops, pastors, and elders, are under him; they receive their commissions from him to
feedhis lambs and sheep; are made pastors and overseers by him; and have their gifts,
qualifying them for such offices, from him; and have their several flocks assigned unto
them by him; and from him have they all the food with which they feed them, and are
accountable to him for them, and the discharge of their office; so that Christ is the chief
Shepherd, in the dignity of his person, he being God over all, blessedfor ever; in his
qualifications for his office, having all power, grace, and wisdom in him, to protect his
flock, supply their wants, guide and direct them; and in the nature and number of his flock,
being rational creatures, the souls of men, even elect men; and though they are, when
compared with others, but a little flock, yet, considered by themselves, are a great number;
and especially the general assembly will be, in comparison of the little bodies and societies
of saints under pastors and teachers, of Christ's setting over them, with respect to whom,
principally, he is called the chief Shepherd: the allusion is to the principal shepherd, whose
own the sheepwere, or, however, had the principal charge of them; who used to have
others under him, to do the several things relating to the flocks he directed, and were called
"little shepherds"; so Aben Ezra says (s), it was customary for the shepherd to have under
him , "little shepherds": the same perhaps with the hirelings, whose own the sheep are not,
John HYPERLINK "/john/10-12.htm"10:12 who are retained, or removed, according to
their behaviour; these, in the Talmudic language, are called (t), or though, according to
Guido (u), the word, pronounced in the latter way, signifies a "chief shepherd", who takes
care of men, and has other shepherds, servants under him; and such an one used to be
called , "the great", or "chief shepherd"; so Maimonides (w) says, it was the custom of
shepherds to have servants under them, to whom they committed the flocks to keep; so that
when , "the chief shepherd", delivered to other shepherds what was under his care, these
came in his room; and if there was any loss, the second shepherd, who was under the "chief
shepherd", was obliged to make good the loss, and not the first shepherd, who was the chief
shepherd; and to the same purpose says another of their commentators (x); it is the custom
of , "the chief shepherd", to deliver (the flock) to the little shepherd that is under him;
wherefore the shepherd that is under him is obliged to make good any loss: now, such a
shepherd is Christ; he has others under him, whom he employs in feeding his sheep, and
who are accountable to him, and must give up their account when he appears: at present he
is out of the bodily sight of men, being received up to heaven, where he will be retained till
the time of the restitution of all things; and then he will appear a second time in great

glory, in his own, and in his Father's, and in the glory of his holy angels: and when he thus
appears,
ye shall receive a crown of glory which fadeth not away; in distinction from those crowns
which were given to the conqueror, in the Olympic games; which were made of divers
flowers, of the olive, wild olive, pine tree, and of parsley, and inserted in a branch of the
wild olive tree (y) and which quickly faded away; or in allusion to crowns made of
amaranthus (z), the plant "everlasting", so called, from the nature of it, because it never
fades: the eternal glory and happiness, which is here meant by a crown of glory, or a
glorious crown, never fades away, but ever shines in its full lustre; and this faithful
ministers shall receive at the hands of the chief Shepherd, as a gift of his, as a reward of
grace; when they have finished their work, they will enter into the joy of their Lord, and
shine as the stars for everand ever; they shall reign with Christ, as kings, on a throne of
glory, wearing a crown of glory, and enjoying a kingdom and glory to all eternity.
(s) Comment. in Zech. xi. 8. (t) T. Bab. Bava Kama, fol. 56. 2.((u) Dictionar. Syr. Chald. p.
102. (w) In Misn. Bava Kama, c. 6. sect. 2.((x) Bartenora in Misn. Bava Kama, c. 6. sect.
2.((y) Vide Paschalium de Coronis, l. 6. c. 1. p. 339. c. 16. p. 391. c. 18. p. 399. c. 19. p. 413.
(z) Ib. l. 3. c. 11. p. 178.
Geneva Study Bible{7} And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown
of glory that fadeth not away.
(7) That the shepherds' minds are not overcome either with the wickedness of men, or their
cruelty, he warns them to continually look at the chief shepherd, and the crown which is
laid up for them in heaven.
EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NTCommentaryHYPERLINK
"/commentaries/meyer/1_peter/5.htm"HYPERLINK "/1_peter/5-4.htm"HYPERLINK
"/commentaries/meyer/1_peter/5.htm"1 HYPERLINK
"/commentaries/meyer/1_peter/5.htm"Peter HYPERLINK
"/commentaries/meyer/1_peter/5.htm"5:4. Assurance of the future reward for the faithful
fulfilment of the exhortation just given.
καί] simply connects the result with the exhortation (cf. Winer, p. 406 [E. T. 542]), and is
not to be taken αἰτιολογικῶς for ἵνα.
φανερωθέντος τοῦ ἀρχιποιμένος] With φανερ. cf. Colossians HYPERLINK "/colossians/3-
4.htm"3:4; 1 HYPERLINK "/1_john/2-28.htm"John HYPERLINK "/1_john/2-
28.htm"2:28; Christ is here termed ἀρχιποιμήν (ἅπ. λεγ., chap. 1 HYPERLINK
"/1_peter/2-25.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/2-25.htm"2:25 : ὁ ποιμήν; Hebrews
HYPERLINK "/hebrews/13-20.htm"13:20 : ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ μεγάς) as He “to whom the elders,
with the flock they tend, are subject” (Hofmann).
κομιεῖσθε (cf. chap. 1 HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-9.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-
9.htm"1:9) τὸν ἀμαράντινον τῆς δόξης στέφανον] The greater number of commentators
consider ἀμαράντινος as equal to ἀμάραντος in chap. 1 HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-
4.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-4.htm"1:4; but the direct derivation of the word

from μαραίνεσθαι is hardly to be justified. It comes rather from the substantive ἀμάραντος,
and therefore means, as Beza explains: ex amaranto videlicet, cujus floris (inquit Plinius)
summa natura in nomine est, sic appellato quoniam non marcescit. Accordingly the figure
present to the mind of the apostle was an amaranthine wreath; thus also Schott.[271] It is
at least uncertain whether ΣΤΈΦΑΝΟς here (as frequently in the writings of Paul) is
thought of as a wreath of victory (thus the greater number of commentators), since among
the Jews, also, wreaths of flowers and leaves were in use as tokens of honour and rejoicing
(cf. Winer’s bibl. Realwörterbuch, s.v. Kränze).
τῆς δόξης is the genitive of apposition; cf. 2 HYPERLINK "/2_timothy/4-8.htm"Timothy
HYPERLINK "/2_timothy/4-8.htm"4:8; Jam HYPERLINK "/james/1-12.htm"1:12;
Revelation HYPERLINK "/revelation/2-10.htm"2:10 : the ΔΌΞΑ is the unfading crown
which they shall obtain.
[271] Perhaps, however, Hofmann may be right when he supposes that ἀμαράντινος stands
in the same relation to ἀμάραντος as ἀληθινός to ἀληθής and ὑγιεινός to ὑγιής, and that
accordingly the word should be written ἀμαραντινός.
Expositor's Greek TestamentHYPERLINK
"/commentaries/egt/1_peter/5.htm"HYPERLINK "/1_peter/5-4.htm"HYPERLINK
"/commentaries/egt/1_peter/5.htm"1 HYPERLINK
"/commentaries/egt/1_peter/5.htm"Peter HYPERLINK
"/commentaries/egt/1_peter/5.htm"5:4. φανερωθέντος τοῦ ἀρχιποίμενος, at the
manifestation of the chief Shepherd, i.e., Christ, ἀρχιποίμην is the equivalent of ὁ ποίμην ὁ
μέγας of Hebrews HYPERLINK "/hebrews/13-20.htm"13:20, being formed on them
analogy of ἀρχιερεύς = ‫ןהב‬ ‫;לדגה‬ else it occurs only as Symmachus’ rendering of ‫דקנ‬ (LXX,
νωκηδ) in 2 HYPERLINK "/2_kings/3-4.htm"Kings HYPERLINK "/2_kings/3-4.htm"3:4
and in a papyrus. Cf. appeal to Jehovah, ὁ ποιμαίνων τὸν Ἰσραὴλ … ἐμφάνηθι of Psalm
HYPERLINK "/psalms/80-1.htm"80:1—τὸν … στέφανον = the crown of life which He
promised (Jam HYPERLINK "/james/1-12.htm"1:12). The metaphor is probably derived
from the wreath of fading flowers presented to the victor in the games (cf. ἀμαράντινον);
but it may also be due to the conception of the future age as a banquet, at which the guests
were crowned with garlands (Sap. 1 HYPERLINK "/1_peter/2-8.htm"Peter HYPERLINK
"/1_peter/2-8.htm"2:8, στεψώμεθα ῥόδων κάλυξιν πρὶν ἢ μαρανθῆναι). See on 1
HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-4.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-4.htm"1:4.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges4. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear]
The word for “chief Shepherd” is not found elsewhere, and would seemtherefore to have
been coined by St Peter, to express the thought which had been impressed on his mind by
his Lord’s words, “I am the good Shepherd” (John HYPERLINK "/john/10-
14.htm"10:14). In his own work, as in that of all pastors of the Church, he saw the
reproduction of that of which Christ had set the great example. For “shall appear” it would
be better to read is manifested.
a crown of glory that fadeth not away] More accurately, as the Greek has the article, “the
crown of glory.” The four last words answer to the one Greek word, “amaranthine,” or
“unfading,” the adjective being a cognate form of that in chap. 1 HYPERLINK
"/1_peter/1-4.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-4.htm"1:4. The crown here is the

wreath or chaplet of flowers worn by conquerors and heroes, as in 1 HYPERLINK
"/1_corinthians/9-25.htm"Corinthians HYPERLINK "/1_corinthians/9-25.htm"9:25,
James HYPERLINK "/james/1-12.htm"1:12, and differs from the “crowns” or diadems of
Revelation HYPERLINK "/revelation/12-3.htm"12:3; RevelationHYPERLINK
"/revelation/19-12.htm"19:12, which were distinctively the badge of sovereignty. It is
possible, as the adjective “amaranth” was applied to the kind of flowers which we know as
“everlastings,” that there may be an allusive reference to the practice of using those flowers
for wreaths that were placed in funerals upon the brows of the dead. The word and the
thought reappear in one of Milton’s noblest passages:
“Immortal Amaranth, a flower which once
In Paradise, hard by the tree of life,
Began to bloom, but soon, for man’s offence
To heaven removed, where first it grew, there grows
And flowers aloft, shading the fount of life;
And where the river of bliss through midst of Heaven
Rolls o’er Elysian flowers her amber stream
With these, that never fade, the spirits elect
Bind their resplendent locks, inwreathed with beams.”
Paradise Lost, III. 353–361.
Bengel's GnomenHYPERLINK "/commentaries/bengel/1_peter/5.htm"HYPERLINK
"/1_peter/5-4.htm"HYPERLINK "/commentaries/bengel/1_peter/5.htm"1 HYPERLINK
"/commentaries/bengel/1_peter/5.htm"Peter HYPERLINK
"/commentaries/bengel/1_peter/5.htm"5:4. Φανερωθέντος, is manifested) It is the part of
faith to serve the Lord, though yet unseen.—ἀρχιποίμενος) the Chief Shepherd. Ἀρχιποίμην
has the acute accent on the penultimate, as φιλοποίμην, βουποίμην.
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 4. - And when the chief Shepherd shall appear; rather, is
manifested. The word rendered "chief Shepherd" ἀρχιποίμην occurs only here; it reminds
us of the Lord's description of himself as "the good Shepherd," and of the "great Shepherd
of the sheep" (Hebrews HYPERLINK "/hebrews/13-20.htm"13:20). Ye shall receive a
crown of glory that fadeth not away. This is the true reward of the faithful presbyter, not
power or filthy lucre. Literally, it is "the crown of glory," the promised glory, the glory of
the Lord which he hath promised to his chosen. "The glory which thou gavest me, I have
given them" (John HYPERLINK "/john/17-22.htm"17:22). The crown is the glory; the
genitive seems to be one of apposition. The Greek word here rendered "that fadeth not
away" ἀμαράντινος is not exactly the same with that so rendered in 1 HYPERLINK
"/1_peter/1-4.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-4.htm"1:4 ΧΧΧ; taken literally, the

words used here mean an amaranthine wreath - a wreath of amaranth flowers; the general
meaning remains the same, "unfading." St. Peter is thinking, not of a kingly crown, but of
the wreaths worn on festive occasions or bestowed on conquerors.
Vincent's Word StudiesThe chief Shepherd (ἀρχιποίμενος)
Only here in New Testament. In harmony with 1 HYPERLINK "/1_peter/5-2.htm"Peter
HYPERLINK "/1_peter/5-2.htm"5:2. "The last thing Peter could have dreamed of as
possible would be its misapplication to himself or his so-called successors" (Cook).
Compare Hebrews HYPERLINK "//biblehub.com/hebrews/13-20.htm"13:20, great
Shepherd; and John HYPERLINK "//biblehub.com/john/10-11.htm"10:11, John
HYPERLINK "//biblehub.com/john/10-14.htm"10:14, good Shepherd. Also, Ezekiel
HYPERLINK "//biblehub.com/ezekiel/34-15.htm"34:15, Ezekiel HYPERLINK
"//biblehub.com/ezekiel/34-16.htm"34:16, Ezekiel HYPERLINK "/ezekiel/34-
23.htm"34:23.
Ye shall receive
See on receiving, 1 HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-9.htm"Peter HYPERLINK "/1_peter/1-
9.htm"1:9.
Crown (στέφανον)
From στέφω, to put round, encircle. It is the crown of victory in the games; of military
valor; the marriage wreath, or the festal garland, woven of leaves or made of gold in
imitation of leaves. Thus it is distinguished from the royal crown, which is διάδημα, of
which diadem is a transcript. In Paul, στέφανος is always used of the conqueror's crown,
not of the king's (1 HYPERLINK "//biblehub.com/1_corinthians/9-24.htm"Corinthians
HYPERLINK "//biblehub.com/1_corinthians/9-24.htm"9:24-26; 2 HYPERLINK
"/2_timothy/2-5.htm"Timothy HYPERLINK "/2_timothy/2-5.htm"2:5). Though it is urged
that Peter would not have employed a reference to the crown of the victors in the games,
because of the abhorrence of the Palestinian Jews for heathen spectacles, yet the reference
to the crown of leaves seems to be determined by the epithet unfading, as compared with
garlands of earthly leaves. The crown of thorns woven for Jesus is called στέφανος with
reference rather to its being twined than to its being a caricature of a kingly crown.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
1 HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.4"Peter HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.4"5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd
appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. (NASB: Lockman)
Greek: kai phHYPERLINK
"http://studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=5319"HYPERLINK
"http://studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=5319"HYPERLINK

"http://studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=5319"anerothentos (AAPMSG) tou
archipoimenos komieisthe (2HYPERLINK
"http://studylight.org/lex/grk/extras.cgi?number=5695"PFMI) ton amarantinon tes doxes
stephanon.
Amplified:And [then] when the Chief Shepherd is revealed, you will win the conqueror’s
crown of glory.
KJV: And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that
fadeth not away.
to the younger men to obey the elders
NLT: And when the head Shepherd comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in
his glory and honor. (NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: And then, when the chief shepherd reveals himself, you will receive that crown
of glory which cannot fade. (New Testament in Modern English)
Wuest: And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you shall receive the victor’s unfading
crown of glory. (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: and at the manifestation of the chief Shepherd, ye shall receive the
unfading crown of glory.
AND WHEN THE CHIEF SHEPHERD APPEARS: kai phanerothentos (AAPMSG) tou
archipoimenos:
• 1HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.2"Pe HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.2"5:2; 2:25; Ps HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Ps%2023.1"23:1; Is HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Isa%2040.11"40:11; Ezek HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Ezek%2034.23"34:23; 37:24; Zec HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Zech%2013.7"13:7; Jn HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/John%2010.11"10:11; Heb HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Heb%2013.20"13:20
• Mt HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Matt%2025.31"25:31, 32, 33, 34, 35,
36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46; Col HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Col%203.3"3:3,4; 2HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Thess%201.7"Th HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Thess%201.7"1:7, 8, 9, 10; 1HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20John%203.2"Jn HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20John%203.2"3:2; Rev HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Rev%201.7"1:7; 20:11,12
• 1 HYPERLINK "https://www.preceptaustin.org/1_peter_5_resources"Peter
HYPERLINK "https://www.preceptaustin.org/1_peter_5_resources"5 HYPERLINK
"https://www.preceptaustin.org/1_peter_5_resources"Resources - Multiple Sermons and
Commentaries
THE CHIEF SHEPHERD
WILL RETURN

And when - Not "if" but "when" - Beloved are you ready? Are you living each day as if it might
be the glorious day when He returns to take us home? (See Rapture versus Second Coming)
Appears (5319) (phanerooHYPERLINK "/1_peter_120-21#appeared" [word study] from
phanerós = manifest, visible, conspicuous from phaino = give light; become visible from phos
= light) refers to an external manifestation to senses open to all. It means to make visible that
which has been hidden primary reference is to what is visible to sensory perception. To cause to
become visible, to make appear, to cause to be seen, uncover, lay bare, reveal. To make known,
cause to be seen.
Note aorist tense denotes a single event, specifically the Second Coming of Christ (Col
HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Col%203.4"3:4-note; 1HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20John%202.28"Jn HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20John%202.28"2:28; 3:1, 2, 3) (1 HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%201.20"Peter HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%201.20"1:20-note speaks of His first advent)
Chief Shepherd (750) (archipoimen from archí- = denoting rank or degree + poimen = a
shepherd) is Jesus Christ Who died for the sheep (Jn HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/John%2010.11"10:11), the Great Shepherd Who lives for the
sheep (cp prayer in Heb HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Heb%2013.20"13:20,21-
notes) and the Chief Shepherd Who comes for the sheep (1HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.4"Pe HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.4"5:4).
As the Chief Shepherd Christ is in charge of the entire flock and all the elders are under-
shepherds whose work will be evaluated and rewarded by Him. When the Chief Shepherd
comes He is going to call us to account and ask…
Did you feed My sheep?
Were you vigilant over the souls of My sheep?
Did you seek My lost sheep?
Did you guard the deposit of My truth?
Did you stand watch against the wolves?
Did you love My flock?
THE REWARD OF THE UNFADING
CROWN OF GLORY
Receive (2865) (komizo from komeo = tend, take care of) means to bring bear or carry (used
this way only in Lk HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Luke%207.37"7:37) and in
the middle voice to receive back (in sense of requital, recompense or reward) or to get what is
promised (as in 1 HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.4"Peter
HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.4"5:4 [note], Hebrews
HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Heb%2010.36"10:36 [note]) or to get back
something that is one's own or is owed to one (as in Mt HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Matt%2025.27"25:27)
As A T Robertson says "This is a general law of life and of God and it is fair and square."
Komizo conveys the thought of getting something for oneself and carrying it off as wages or a
prize.

The verb implies, not mere obtaining, but receiving and carrying away for use and enjoyment.
Peter is teaching that in that coming Day of Judgment at the bema seat of Christ these faithful
shepherds will joyfully carry away as their own “the unfading crown of glory.”
Komizo can describe a reward for good (as here in 1 HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.4"5:4), not a penalty for wrong (as in
2HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Pet%202.13"Peter HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Pet%202.13"2:13 referring to the false teachers).
Thayer has this note in regard to komizo with the sense of recompense…
Since in the rewards and punishments of deeds, the deeds themselves are as it were
requited and so given back to their authors, the meaning is obvious when one is said to be
requited that which he has done, i.e. either the reward or punishment of the deed
Vincent says that komizo …
originally means to take care of or provide for; thence to receive hospitably or entertain;
to bring home with a view to entertaining or taking care of. Hence, to carry away so as to
preserve, to save, rescue, and so to carry away as a prize or booty. Generally, to receive
or acquire. Paul uses it of receiving the awards of judgment (2HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Cor%205.10"Cor HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Cor%205.10"5:10; see Ep HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Eph%206.8"6:8 -note; Col HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Col%203.25"3:25-note).
In Hebrews komizo is used of receiving the promise (Heb HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Heb%2010.36"10:36-note; Heb HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Heb%2011.39"11:39-note), and of Abraham receiving
back Isaac (Hebrews HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Heb%2011.19"11:19 - see note). Peter uses it thrice, and
in each case of receiving the rewards of righteousness or of iniquity. --- see 1
HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.4"Peter HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.4"5:4-note; 2HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Pet%202.13"2:13-note.
Below are the 11 NT uses of komizo… notice that only the use in Luke HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Luke%207.37"7:37 is in the active voice (gives sense of bring)
and all other uses are in the middle voice (sense of receiving back)…
Matthew HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Matt%2025.27"25:27
'Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have
received my money back with interest.
Luke HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Luke%207.37"7:37 And
behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He
was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of
perfume.
Comment: Louw-Nida state that here komizo means "to carry or bring something to
someone, usually implying a transfer"

2 HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Cor%205.10"Corinthians
HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Cor%205.10"5:10 For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his
deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Comment: Louw-Nida write that in this use the idea to cause to experience or "to cause
someone to experience something on the basis of what that person has already done—‘to
cause to experience in return, to cause to suffer for, to cause to experience in proportion
to, to be repaid for")
Ephesians HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Eph%206.8"6:8 (note)
knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the
Lord, whether slave or free.
Colossians HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Col%203.25"3:25 (note)
For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done,
and that without partiality.
Comment: Here the master or the slave shall receive back the wrong which he or she did,
which reflects the general law of life and of God which is "fair and square" as they say)
Hebrews HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Heb%2010.36"10:36 (note)
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may
receive what was promised.
Comment: Komizo implies, not mere obtaining, but receiving and carrying away for use
and enjoyment.
He considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead; from which he also
received him back as a type.
Comment: This describes Abraham's "receiving" back of Isaac after offering him up
without hesitation or stipulation.
And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was
promised,
1 HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%201.9"Peter
HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%201.9"1:9 obtaining as the
outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
Comment: Peter is not looking at the future but at the here and now; one could literally
render obtaining [komizomenoi], “presently receiving for yourselves.” The root, komizo,
means “to receive what is deserved.” Flowing out of believers’ personal fellowship with
Christ is the result due them, the present outcome of their faith, namely the salvation of
their souls. -- MacArthur, J. HYPERLINK
"https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0802415016?v=glance"1
HYPERLINK "https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-
/0802415016?v=glance"Peter. Chicago: Moody Press)

HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Pet%205.4"5:4 And when the Chief
Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Pet%202.13"2:13 (note) (KJV is
quoted as the Greek text for NAS does not use komizo) And shall receive the reward of
unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and
blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
There are 8 uses of komizo in the Septuagint (Ge HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Gen%2038.20"38:20; Lev HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Lev%2020.17"20:17; Ezra HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Ezra%206.5"6:5; Ps HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Ps%2040.15"40:15; Ezek HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Ezek%2016.52"16:52, 54, 58; Ho HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Hos%202.9"2:9). For example Moses records…
Genesis HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Gen%2038.20"38:20 When
Judah sent the kid by his friend the Adullamite, to receive (Lxx = komizo) the pledge
from the woman's hand, he did not find her.
Leviticus HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Lev%2020.17"20:17 'If
there is a man who takes his sister, his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, so that
he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace; and they shall be cut
off in the sight of the sons of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness; he
bears (Lxx = komizo) his guilt.
Unfading (262) (amarantinos from amárantos = unfading from a = without, + maraíno = to
fade) literally means unfading as a flower but is used figuratively of that which is lasting, that
which does not fade away or that which lose its pristine character.
Amarantinos does not refer to the quality of the heavenly inheritance as not fading away, but
rather to the makeup of the crown itself as being of amaranths, unfading flowers whose
unfading quality (and which can be revived easily by being moistened with water) was the
symbol of perpetuity and immortality.
Kenneth Wuest makes the point that…
The crown given to victors in either athletics or war was made of oak or ivy leaves, the
festal garlands of the marriage feast, of flowers. These would wither and fade. But the
victor’s crown which the Lord Jesus will give His faithful under-shepherds will never
wither or fade. What form this reward will take, is not stated.
Thayer writes that this adjective is…
composed of amaranth a flower, so called because it never withers or fades, and when
plucked off revives if moistened with water; hence, it is a symbol of perpetuity and
immortality (see Paradise Lost iii., 353ff)
The Columbia Encyclopedia notes that
The amaranth is from the genus Amaranthus includes several widely distributed species
called amaranths that are characterized by a lasting red pigment in the stems and leaves.

They have been a poetic symbol of immortality from the time of ancient Greece.
(Columbia Encyclopedia)
Crown (4735) (stephanos [word study] from stepho = to encircle, twine or wreathe) refers to
the crown of victory in the Greek athletic games, to the runner who crossed the goal first, to the
disc thrower with the longest toss, etc. Stephanos is distinguished from another Greek word
diadema (1238) which refers to a kingly crown.
In the first NT use Matthew says that
after weaving a crown (stephanos) of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His
right hand; and they kneeled down before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of
the Jews! (Mt HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Matt%2027.29"27:29)
Earlier Paul had used the verb form (stephanoo) reminding Timothy that
if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he
competes according to the rules. (NIV, 2HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Tim%202.5"Ti HYPERLINK
"https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/2%20Tim%202.5"2:5 - notes)
The stephanos was the only prize ancient Olympic athletes received and thus it was cherished as
a great treasure. How much more should we as believers "run with endurance the race that is set
before" (Hebrews HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Heb%2012.1"12:1-note) us,
knowing that the Olympic athletes "do it to receive a perishable wreath (stephanos) but we an
imperishable." (1HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Cor%209.25"Cor
HYPERLINK "https://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/1%20Cor%209.25"9:25)
According to Barclay stephanos had many associations in the ancient world including as
already mentioned
(a) the victor's crown in the games. Smyrna had annual games which were famous all
over Asia. As in the Olympic Games, the reward of the victorious athlete was the laurel
crown. The Christian can win the crown of victory in the contest of life.
(b) When a man had faithfully performed the work of a magistrate, at the end of his
term of office he was granted a crown. He who throughout life faithfully serves Christ
and his fellow-men will receive his crown.
(c) The heathen world was in the habit of wearing crowns, chaplets of flowers, at
banquets. At the end of the day, if the Christian is loyal, he will have the joy of sitting as
a guest at the banquet of God.
(d) The heathen worshippers were in the habit of wearing crowns when they approached
the temples of their gods. At the end of the day, if he has been faithful, the Christian will
have the joy of entering into the nearer presence of God.
(e) Some scholars have seen in this crown a reference to the halo or the nimbus which is
round the head of divine beings in pictures. If that is so, it means that the Christian, if he
is faithful, will be crowned with the life which belongs to God himself.
The leaders’ faithful fulfilling of the negative and positive injunctions set forth in v2b-3 will be
followed by God’s bestowal of a reward. The prospect of the future must have its impact on their
performance in the present. The difficulties of their work, as well as their awareness of their own
inadequacies and failures, will often discourage the most prudent; but “to prevent the faithful

servant of Christ from being cast down, there is this remedy, to turn his eyes to the coming of
Christ.”
The stephanos was awarded for victory in the games, of civic worth, of military valour, of
nuptial joy, of festive gladness. Woven of perishable materials, they were used to celebrate
occasion of joy or victory. The scene here envisioned may be the festive occasion of a banquet or
the crowning after struggle for victorious achievement. For Peter’s readers the crowning which
concluded the athletic contests would readily come to mind.
5:4 EXEGESIS
GREEKTEXT:
6"Â N"<,DT2X<J@HJ@L• DP4B@:,<@H6@:4,4F2, JÎ< • :"DV<J4<@<
J0H *`>0H FJXN"<@<.
6"Â N"<,DT2X<J@H(fanerow = to appear || Aorist Passive Participle:
Masculine Genitive Singular). Adverbial-Temporal Participle. J@L
• DP4B@:,<@H(ajrcipoimhn = chief shepherd || Noun: Masculine Genitive
Singular). Genitive Absolute (cf. B&W, 17). 6@:4,4F2, (komizw = to bring,
middle: receive, carryoff || Verb: SecondPersonPlural, Future Middle
Indicative). Direct, Reflexive Middle. Predictive Future. Cf. 1:9. JÎ<
• :"DV<J4<@< (ajmarantino" = unfading || Adjective: Masculine Accusative
Singular). J0H *`>0H (doxa = glory || Noun: Feminine Genitive Singular).
Genitive of Description. FJXN"<@<.(stefano" = wreath, crown || Noun:
Masculine Accusative Singular). Accusative of Direct Object. From stefw (to
put round, encircle). In the Gospels it is used only of a crownof thorns. That
crownof suffering has been transformed into a crownof glory, first for
Christ, secondfor us solelybecause ofwhat He won for us. Heb. 2:9. Note
Rev. 2:10. Not diadhma (the king's crown). stefano" has a variety of uses,
not limited to a victory wreath. It may be the victory wreath in the games, the
marriage wreath, military valor, a festal garland. "In Paul, stefano" is
always used of the conqueror's crown, not of the king's." [Vincent]
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crownof
glory.
CONTEXTUAL, GRAMMATICAL, THEOLOGICAL, APPLICATIONAL
ANALYSIS:
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, (6"Â N"<,DT2X<J@HJ@L
• DP4B@:,<@H)

6"Â N"<,DT2X<J@H(fanerow = to appear || Aorist Passive Participle:
Masculine Genitive Singular). Adverbial-Temporal Participle.
J@L • DP4B@:,<@H(ajrcipoimhn = chief shepherd || Noun: Masculine
Genitive Singular). Genitive Absolute (cf. B&W, 17).
Cf. Heb. 13:20;John 10:11,14.
you will receive the unfading crownof glory. (6@:4,4F2, JÎ< • :"DV<J4<@<
J0H *`>0H FJXN"<@<.)
6@:4,4F2, (komizw = to bring, middle: receive, carryoff || Verb: Second
PersonPlural, Future Middle Indicative). Direct, Reflexive Middle.
Predictive Future. Cf. 1:9.
28
JÎ< • :"DV<J4<@< (ajmarantino" = unfading || Adjective: Masculine
Accusative Singular). Cf. 1:4 for amaronto", unfading. Amarontino" is made
from that word as the name of a flower (amaranth) so calledbecause it never
withers and revives if moistened with water. Therefore, it was a fitting
symbol of immortality. [ATR] Cf. 1 Cor. 9:25 for the contrast. Cf. 1:4.
J0H *`>0H (doxa = glory || Noun: Feminine Genitive Singular). Genitive of
Description. Connects to glory in 5:1. Cf. James 1:12; 2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Peter 1:4.
FJXN"<@<.(stefano" = wreath, crown || Noun: Masculine Accusative
Singular). Accusative of DirectObject. From stefw (to put round, encircle).
In the Gospels it is used only of a crown of thorns. That crown of suffering has
been transformed into a crown of glory, first for Christ, secondfor us solely
because ofwhat He won for us. Heb. 2:9. Note Rev. 2:10. Notdiadhma (the
king's crown). stefano" has a variety of uses, not limited to a victory wreath.
It may be the victory wreathin the games, the marriage wreath, military
valor, a festalgarland. "In Paul, stefano" is always usedof the conqueror's
crown, not of the king's." [Vincent]
Not being a king's crown ties into the fact that we as Christians first, and for
we who are elders in t/CH, are not lords. We are not to "lord it over." We're
not ecclesiasticalroyalty. The promise of reward also stands in apposition to
any hope of financial gain above. Cf. 1:7. This is why it is a goodthing for a
man to aspire to the office of elder (1 Tim. 3:1).
" The word "glory" is appositionalto "crown." It is difficult to know if the
crownis equivalent to eternal life itself or if it is a specialreward for elders. In
the other "crown" (Stephanos)texts the rewardis entrance into heaven itself
(cf. 1 Cor 9:25; 2 Tim 4:8; Jas 1:12;Rev 2:10; 3:11). The usage in the rest of
the New Testamentslightly favors he latter notion. Elders canbe confident

that they will receive the greatestrewardconceivable whenthe eschaton
arrives." [Schreiner, 236]
Since there is no satisfactoryreasonwhy the passage, if originally present in
Matthew, should have been omitted in a wide variety of witnesses, andsince
copyists frequently inserted material derived from another Gospel, it appears
that most manuscripts have been assimilatedto the parallel in Mk 9.29.
Paul says that his crown of rejoicing at the coming of Christ will be made of
the souls he won (1 Thess. 2:19). Note 1 Cor. 3:12-15 for the judgement of
leaders.
Peterrefers to the coming of Christ, not the death of eachindividual leader.
Cf. Grudem's note on 1 Peter1:7:
"By the phrase at the revelationof Jesus Christ, Peteris referring to the
judgement of the lastday when the secrets ofall hearts are revealed(cf. 'the
revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ' or similar phrases in 1 Cor. 1:7; 2Thes.
1:17; 1 Pet. 1:13; 4:13; and the verb 'reveal' in Lk. 17:30; 1 Pet. 1:5; 5:1, etc.).
He thus reminds Christians that God's purposes in present grief may not be
fully known in a week, in a year, or even in this lifetime. Indeed, some of
God's purposes will not even be known when believers die and go to be with
the Lord. Some will only be discoveredat the day of final judgement when the
Lord reveals the secrets ofall hearts and commends with specialhonour those
who trusted him in hardship even though they could not see the reasonfor it:
they
29
trusted him simply because he was their God and they knew him to be worthy
of trust." [Grudem, 65]
There is greaterreward, but also greateraccountability (Heb. 13:7; James
3:1). But I don't know of anyone who's thinking "I'm going to do a greatjob
so I get a greatreward in heaven." Rewardenoughto inherit the K.D.
Rewardenough to castour crowns at the feet of Jesus in worship.
"There are other passagesofScripture which suggestthatsome kind of
'crown' will be given to all believers (2 Tim. 4:8; Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10; 3:11).
Yet in these passages the 'crown' seems to be a metaphor for the heavenly life
in general. The 'crown'of righteousness'in 2 Tim. 4:8 which the Lord will
give not only to Paul but 'also to all who have loved his appearing' (i.e. all
believers)probably means righteousness, whichwill be like a crown'.
Similarly, the 'crownof life' in Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10; cf. Rev. 3:11) is probably
'eternal life in heaven, which is a rewardlike a crownreceived at the end of a

race.'1 Corinthians 9:25 implies that all believers should strive to obtain an
'imperishable' crown, but in the context it may also be viewed as a heavenly
reward not for all believers but only for those who have continued through life
faithful and obedient to God in a way worthy of specialreward(cf. 1 Cor 9:24,
and note degrees ofrewardin 1 Cor. 3:12-15)." [Grudem]
Don't' miss the connectionto vv. 5 ff. as it relates to humility
http://www.tonybartolucci.com/Sermons/HYPERLINK
"http://www.tonybartolucci.com/Sermons/1%20peter%20exegesis/1%20Peter
%205.1-4.pdf"1HYPERLINK
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%205.1-4.pdf"205.1-4HYPERLINK
%205.1-4.pdf".pdf
BRIAN BELL
1 Peter5 2-16-11 “4 Life Lessons!”

I. INTRO:A. Prayer:we desire bullet proof character.
B. Before Petercloses, he leaves us w/greatlife lessons thathe has learned &
for us to learn: 1. Life lessons to learn from The Chief Shepherd! Life lessons
to learn from an Apron! Life lessons to learn from a Lion! Life lessons to
learn from True Grace!
C. What’s ministry supposedto look like? 1. It’s rewarding;It’s dirty! - It’s
high-highs; It’s low-low’s!D. Unrealistic Expectations: 1. Often the pastor
can have a boatloadof unrealistic expectations ofthe flock;Also, the church
can have an array of expectations, thatnobody can live up to. E. Clear
thinking realism: 1. Not every church will experience phenomenal growth. 2.
Both pastor & congregationneedto banish from their minds the expectations
of grandeur & popularity. F. 2-wayTolerance:1. A pastorneeds to be
tolerant of the people he is serving; The flock is to be tolerant of the pastor(s)
who serves as their under-shepherd. 2. We need to have attitudes of grace;&
provide a lot of wiggle room. 3. We need to give eachother the freedom to try
& fail, to be imperfect, to be oneself. 4. Grace, mercy, forgiveness, &
unwavering love are keyingredients to the acceptance, patience,& tolerance
needed to thrive in ministry. G. Long Term & Effective Ministry: 1. Is never
w/o disappointing dips & unexpected turns. 2. I’ve been accusedofwrong
motives, criticized, my sincerity questioned; And, I’ve made my share of
mistakes, misunderstoodpeople, judged people wrongly, & jumped to
conclusions only knowing one side. 3. Thats ministry in the raw! 4. “Imperfect
shepherds, leading imperfect sheep, in the service of a perfect God, who has a
perfect plan!” (Chuck Swindoll, Insights on 1 Pet., pg.234)
1
II. LIFE LESSONS TO LEARN FROM THE CHIEF SHEPHERD!(1-4) A.
Shepherds do what? – They lead, protect, & they feed sheep. 1. To love to
preach is one thing, to love those to whom we preach, quite another 2. Russian
proverb: “Without a shepherd, sheepare not a flock.” B. Shepherd - to tend a
flock. It is the basis for our English word Pastor!1. We are under-shepherds
looking to the Chief Shepherd as our inspiration & model. C. 2 other words
help describe what the shepherd does:1. Overseer(episkopeo) - or

traditionally “bishop”. 2. Elder (presbyteros) - used synonymously with
overseer. a)See all 3 used in Acts 20:17,28. (1)Also note, they’re His sheep!
(He purchasedthem; w/His own blood)
D. Turn your eyes awayfrom self-interestto the model of the GreatShepherd
Himself, Jesus 1. He will indeed reward their diligent care of His people with
the unfading crownof glory. E. Let me speak to all in leadershippositions:
(tips from Chuck swindoll) 1. Remain a goodstudent; stayteachable. Read,
listen, learn, observe others. 2. Admitting when you’re wrong is just as
important as standing firm when you’re rt 3. Leading wellincludes delegating
well. Others will never do things exactly as you would (& thats good). Learn
to let things go. 4. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Laugh often...especiallyat
yourself. Make yourselfthe brunt of your humor. Point out your own foibles
& fumbles. People love when you’re human. 5. Get rest. Back off. Loosenup.
Recharge yourbatteries. Refreshyour personallife. Keep yourself from
running full throttle day after day. a) Stop repeating statements like, “I’d
rather burn out than rust out!” How dumb, either way, you’re out!!! Don’t go
there.
6. The Good Shepherd - who dies. a) Jn.10:11 The goodshepherd lays down
his life for the sheep. 7. The GreatShepherd - who is raised. a) Heb.13:20 Now
may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that
greatShepherd of the sheep. 8. The Chief Shepherd - who will come again. a)
1Pet5:4 when the Chief Shepherd appears.
2
III. LIFE LESSONS TO LEARN FROM AN APRON!(5-7) A. (5) He dealt
with the elder believers & now with the younger believers. B. Be clothedwith
humility - tie yourself up in humility. [used of a slave who tied on an apron] 1.
Ellicott says it originally referred to “a peculiar kind of cape worn by slaves.”
2. Thus it was “a badge of servitude.” 3. Peterwas prob referring back to
when he witnessedChrist doing this, Jesus rose from supper & laid aside His
garments, took a towel& girded Himself. C. (7) Ratherthan wait for God to
take the initiative & remove those anxieties troubling our hearts, we are to
take responsibility of casting our anxiety upon Him. 1. Throw yourself on the

mercy & care of God. 2. This is a decisive actionon our part. It is neither
passive or partial. 3. Ps.55:22 Castyour burden upon the Lord and He will
sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. 4. (Spurgeon)
There was a man who was walking along the road w/a pack on his back. He
was growing weary& was therefore glad when a gentlemancame along in a
carriage & askedhim to take a seatw/him. The gentleman noticed that he
kept his pack strapped to his shoulders, & so he said, “why do you not put
your pack down?” “why sir”, said the traveler, “I did not venture to impose, it
was very kind of you to take me up, & I could not expect you to carry my pack
as well.” – “Why,” saidhis friend, “do you not see that whether your pack is
on your back or off your back, I have to carry it!” a) Isn’t it so w/our troubles
also? Whetheryou worry or don’t worry, it is the Lord who must care for
you! D. Submission to others(5)+ Humility before God (6) - Worry of the
world (7) = Genuine Relief E. George Mueller(1805–1898)built many
orphanages atAshley Down, England. Without a personalsalary, he relied
only on God to supply the money and food needed to support the hundreds of
homeless children he befriended in the name of Christ. A man of radiant faith,
he kept a motto on his desk for many years that brought comfort, strength,
and uplifting confidence to his heart. It read, “It matters to Him about you.”
Mueller believed that those words captured the meaning of 1 Peter5:7, and he
restedhis claim for divine help on that truth. He testified at the end of his life
that the Lord had never failed to supply all his needs. 1. This is the heart of
the gospel, He cares for you! God with us. God sees us. a) He saw them toiling
in rowing(Mrk6:48);He saw the children of Israel making bricks(Ex.3:7,8);
He saw the pregnant Hagar by a spring in the desert & she calledHim El Roy,
the Godwho sees!b) He sees, & It matters to Him about you! 2. “Jesus is
willing to be fully responsible for the things we are anxious about.” 3
IV. LIFE LESSONS TO LEARN FROM A LION! (8-11) A. (8) Petersounds
the alarm for battle! B. The devil is an adversary, not a friend; he is a roaring
lion not a playful pet. 1. He wants to devour you, & you had better be on
guard. 2. Peterthought he was able to defeatthe enemy, so he did not heed the
Lord’s warning (Lk.22:31-34)[The results...failure & shame]
C. The devil(term refers to slander of Gods people); Satan(adversary);
Abbadon/(Heb. term means destruction); Apollyon(gk. term means

destroyer). 1. Put these labels together& it describes him as a dangerous,
destructive deceiverwho slanders & accusesus at every opportunity.
2. Here’s what I think the balance of how we should respond to him: 3. Some
underestimate his power! a) We need to take him very seriously. b) We don’t
need to be intimidated by him, but we can’t underestimate his powerto inflict
greatharm on people through temptation, deception, & destruction. c) Satan
is the source ofall kinds of pain & suffering in this world, even in the lives of
believers. d) His activities can be subtle in the forms of temptation &
discouragement;or he may unleash fury, tragedy, & destruction. e) We can’t
ignore the potential damage he cando to our physical & spiritual lives. 4.
Some overestimate his power! a) However, there is no reasonto overestimate
Satan’s power! By… b) Believing that anything bad that happens to you
comes directly from the devil or his demons. [this just biblically isn’t so. (i.e.)
Examples of God bringing drought, calamity, disease, etc.]c)Satan isn’t the
immediate cause ofall suffering & sin. d) Fallen, depraved human beings can
do enough damage to themselves & others w/o the devil’s prodding. e) Also,
the world system we are told is our other enemy. We don’t have just 1 enemy!
5. Attributing too much poweror too little powerto Satan...leads to either
overreactionor a lack of preparation! a) We must be aware of his
tactics…(see vs.9)
4
D. So, picture yourself in the wild Savannah's of Africa, someone is hunting
you. The lion lurks in the tall grass, stalking yourevery step, waiting for a
moment to catchus wandering, or off guard. If we stray, put down our
weapon, or doze in the sun, he’ll pounce. He knows your strengths, he knows
your weaknesses. 1. Neverforgetyou are his prey. That is why we MUST
remain alert & sober. 2. His one purpose is to destroy us: our testimony, our
hope, our holiness, & if possible our lives. Be aware of his tactics & have
respectfor his power.
E. What are we to do when standing nose to nose w/the adversary? Panic?
Run? Surrender? 1. Nope!Resisthim, stand firm in your faith. (not in your
own ability, but w/the unshakeable faith in our all-powerful God!) 2. James

4:7,8 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resistthe devil, and he will flee
from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
F. (10) Here is God’s heavenly version of the Purple Heart! 1. He will perfect
us; He will establish/confirmus; He will strengthen us; He will settle/establish
us. 2. The well-grounded seasonedwarriorcomes through the battle with
maturity & stability.
V. LIFE LESSONS TO LEARN FROM TRUE GRACE!(12-14)A. Big hand
writing change in vs.12-14 now. FromSilas the cultured composerto the
rugged fisherman Peters pen.
B. (13) A few cryptic statements:the lady, the city, & the sun. 1. The lady
(she) - possibly the church in Rome. (Could be to his own wife) 2. The city
(Babylon) - modern day Iraq (Peters ministry never extended here); or figure
of speech, referring symbolically to Rome (his later ministry centeredin
Rome). a) This name was code language forRome in both Jewish& Christian
circles in the 1st & 2nd cent’s AD. 3. The son (Mark my son) - most likely
John Mark, a son in the faith.
SPROUL
The Crown of Glory
“When the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory” (1
HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Peter%205.4"Peter HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Peter%205.4"5:4).
- 1 HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Peter%205.4"Peter HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Peter%205.4"5:4
When we take the time to meditate on the depth of our sin, it is not too long before we realize the
incredible grace of God that provides for our salvation. Our willingness and complicity in sin
makes it truly remarkable that the great Lord of the universe would reach down and rescue His
chosen people from their bondage. Our redemption is wholly undeserved and is the greatest gift
we could ever receive from our heavenly Father.
However, even though our salvation is a gift we do not earn, our Father not only promises eternal
life to those who follow His Son, He promises many extra rewards to those who obey Him. This

promise of extra blessings is found throughout the Bible. To the people of Israel already saved
from the bondage of slavery, God promised many blessings if they would persevere in their
obedience to Him (Deut. HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Deut.%2028.1%E2%80%9314"28:1HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Deut.%2028.1%E2%80%9314"–HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Deut.%2028.1%E2%80%9314"14). Jesus promised that those who
would leave everything to follow Him would receive a hundredfold reward in addition to eternal
life (Mark HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Mark%2010.29%E2%80%9331"10:29HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Mark%2010.29%E2%80%9331"–HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Mark%2010.29%E2%80%9331"31).
This idea is also expressed in today’s passage. We read that those who shepherd the flock of God
properly will also receive a reward in addition to the gift of their salvation. An “unfading crown
of glory” will come to the faithful under-shepherds of God’s flock when the great Shepherd —
the Lord Jesus Christ — returns (1 HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Peter%205.4"Peter HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Peter%205.4"5:4).
The word for “crown” here is the same word used for the wreath given to those who had won an
athletic contest, the crown given to a soldier for valor in combat, or the crown worn by a king. In
any case, it rewarded an extraordinary achievement.
Though we must not forget that we do not earn our salvation, this verse shows that God’s faithful
servants can expect a reward. When we, whether or not we are ordained elders, faithfully care for
those under our authority, we can expect to receive an unfading crown of glory. Yet even this
reward is from God’s grace, since none of us will ever perfectly shepherd the flock entrusted to
him. And in the end, this reward will be for God’s glory, for one day we will cast these crowns at
the foot of His throne in worship (Rev. HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Rev.%204.9%E2%80%9311"4:9HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Rev.%204.9%E2%80%9311"–HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Rev.%204.9%E2%80%9311"11; 22:3).
Coram Deo
Though God certainly has the right to require obedience from us without promising a reward,
today’s passage shows us He has not chosen to do this. Rather, He promises His faithful servants
rewards for their obedience. When you faithfully shepherd those under your care, you can expect
to gain an unfading crown of glory in the life to come, as well as blessings even now. Ask the
Lord to help you live in gratitude for these blessings and use them to glorify Him.
Passages for Further Study
Prov. HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Prov.%2022.4"22:4
Isa. HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Isa.%2028.5"28:5; 62:3
1 HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Cor.%209.24%E2%80%9325"Cor.
HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Cor.%209.24%E2%80%9325"9:24HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Cor.%209.24%E2%80%9325"–HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Cor.%209.24%E2%80%9325"25

2 HYPERLINK "http://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Tim.%204.6%E2%80%938"Tim.
HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Tim.%204.6%E2%80%938"4:6HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Tim.%204.6%E2%80%938"–HYPERLINK
"http://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Tim.%204.6%E2%80%938"8
First published in Tabletalk Magazine, an outreach of Ligonier. For permissions
Casting Our Care Upon Christ
By W.A. Criswell
Bible Book: 1 Peter 5 : 4-5
Subject: Trusting Jesus; Burdens; Prayer
Introduction
You are rejoicing with us in the First Baptist Church in Dallas. This is the pastor bringing the
message entitled Casting Our Care Upon Christ. It is a message from the fifth chapter of 1 Peter.
In our preaching through this epistle of Simon Peter last Sunday, we stopped at verse 4 in chapter
5. This Lord's Day we begin at verse 5 and preach through verse 7: “Yea, all of you be subject
unto one to another, and be clothed with humility…” Then he quotes Proverbs 3:34; a Proverb
that is quoted by James — the preceding epistle — in James 4:6: “For God resisteth the proud,
but giveth grace to the humble. Humble ye therefore yourselves under the hand of God, that He
may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.”
The verse that he quotes out of Proverbs is so dynamically stated here, as the apostle wrote it in
that Greek language, “God resisteth the proud.”
“Tasso” means “to arrange”—to appoint, to determine, to set oneself” — “tasso.”
Antitasso means “to arrange oneself against — to determine against, to set oneself against” — it
is a strong, strong word. God “antitasso” — sets Himself against.” The whole order of God's
universe is arranged against the proud.
Isn't that an unusual thing that God should take such a dislike, show such deep disfavor for soul-
emptying, self-destroying pride; and yet it is a natural concomitant of our fallen natures? We like
to be lifted up; we like to be received; we like to be advanced; we like to live in ourselves, and
we like for all of life to revolve around us. We like to be ministered unto; we like all of the
plaudits of the galleries. We love being the center of attention, made over. Pride: it is natural to
the fallen man, like weeds grow up in a watered garden, or like the reeds and the rushes grow up
on the side of a pond, so pride is a characteristic of our fallen natures. When we kill it, it has a
thousand lives. When we try to bury it, it bursts forth out of the tomb. It takes on a thousand
shapes. And when we think we have captured it, it eludes our grasp and mocks our pursuit.

I. The Needof Humility
Pride is a God-defying sin. It arraigns the justice of God, as did Cain. It confronts God and
challenges Him to combat, as did Pharaoh: “I don't know Jehovah. Who is He, that I should obey
His voice?” It even shapes itself into a god, as in the days of Nebuchadnezzar.
If I have any sensitivity to the Scriptures at all, I think it says that Satan fell, Lucifer fell because
of pride; he lifted up his spirit and would be God himself. God “antitasso” — He arranges
Himself, He sets Himself — the whole universe is against pride. “But God giveth grace to the
humble, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may lift you up in
due time.”
How would it be that a man humbles himself before God? May I mention about four things?
A. Rejoicing in God’s Service
Here's one: a man would humble himself before God if he receives the most menial, lowest
offices in Christ as though they were opportunities of great honor such as being a doorkeeper in
the house of the Lord; such as speaking a word to a little child. That's not beneath the dignity of a
saint of God, to talk to a little child about our precious Lord, or such as washing the saint's feet.
I have been in services of those old, primitive, foot-washing Baptist people. They cry—their
tears fall into the pans—as they wash each other's feet. I wish I knew something to do in the
church like that, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” Doing little things that we
might do great things; being obedient in order that we might be rulers in His kingdom.
How would you depict a real, and glorious, and great Christian? How would you draw him?
Well, here are some things I can suggest: a king, keeping the door of God's house; a prince,
feeding little lambs; or better and best still: the Son of God—clothed in the garment of a servant,
a slave—washing His disciples' feet.
I think that's what the apostle had in mind, by using one of the most unusual Greek verbs that
you could ever stumble across: “egkomboomai.” Isn't that a heavy, multisyllabic word,
“egkomboomai?” Well, you'd look at that thing in reading this Greek text and say, “What in the
earth does that word mean?” It's used nowhere else in all God's Bible. And yet, He uses it here.
So you go to a lexicon, a dictionary— “I don't know what it means!”—you look it up in the
lexicon; and the word means bind on yourself the clothing, the garments, of a slave.
That's the word he uses here when he says that we are to be clothed with humility, we are to bind
on ourselves the clothing of a slave. And I think Simon Peter had in mind that never to be
forgotten moment, when the Lord took off His clothes and girded Himself as a slave to do the
menial task of a household servant. There was nobody there to wash the feet of the guests, so the
Lord took off His garments and girded Himself in the clothing of a slave and He washed feet.
You think that's great? God says it is, that's the way to be exalted! “Humble yourselves under the
mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time.” “We stoop to conquer:”
What does this mean: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God”?
B. Yielding to God’s Discipline
For a second thing: not only the acceptance of a menial assignment in the name of Christ, but
also the yielded surrenderedness to the disciplines of God.
“Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth.” And there's no one of us that escapes the rod, the
disciplines of God. And to bend before the will of God, as a reed bows before the wind; to be

yielded before the will of God, as soft wax will take the imprint of the seal; thus to receive from
God's hands God's disciplinary providences is to humble one's self before the Lord—not fighting
against God, not hating God. As our Lord, in Gethsemane, He kissed the rod that beat Him and
prepared for heavier strokes. So the things that come in our lives—over which we have no
control—to receive them as from God's hands and to be grateful for them.
There was a little boy I read about who was very crippled. He hollered at the streetcar conductor
as the streetcar stopped at the corner: “Wait up, mister! Wait! Wait for me, I'm coming! Wait!”
The streetcar conductor kept the streetcar door open, and the little, crippled boy clambered in and
found a seat by a man who looked at the little fellow in amazement. The boy was so bright—
though so terribly crippled—and so cheerful. And the man couldn't help but exclaim to the lad,
“Son, you seem so happy, and so bright, and so glad. How do you be that way when you are so
crippled?”
And the little fellow brightly replied, “Oh, sir,” he said, “Oh sir, my father tells me that God
always gives us what is best. And don't you think I ought to be happy with the best?”
Whoever was the father of that little boy was a great man! He had found the answer. What God
gives us is what is best and to receive the disciplines of life—the circumscriptions of life—as
from His hands is to be blessed; humbled that you might be exalted.
C. Bowing before God’s Lordship
What is this, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God?” Not only the acceptance and
honor of a menial task, an assignment in Christ and not only yielding in gracious submission to
the disciplines of God, but coming to God in God's way — gratefully, gladly, humbly coming
before the Lord — not in our way, but in His. Not in some self-chosen, reasoning persuasion that
we have decided upon, but as God shall invite us, so we come into His presence. Maybe coming
full of wonder, bowed down — weighted down with wonder that God should love us and that He
should invite us — astonished, overwhelmed that God should have paid so great a price for us.
Just in amazement, “That God should have chosen me, should have invited me!” Coming to God
in God's way; not arguing with God, “Now, God, I think of it like this, and here's the way I think
I ought to be saved. And here's how I think I ought to come.” No, but doing it God's way!
When God says, “Look and live,” I shall look! When God says, “Believe and be saved,” I shall
believe. When God says, “Trust,” I shall trust. When God says, “Wash and be cleaned,” I shall
wash. When God says, “Confess,” I shall confess; when God says, “Be baptized,” I shall be
baptized. When God says, “Join yourself to His people,” I shall join myself to His people,
humbly, coming before the Lord in God's way not mine.
D. Emptying for God’s Spirit
What does it mean “to humble oneself before the Lord that He might exalt us in due time? Why,
I think it means emptying ourselves of us, and being filled with the divine fullness of God. Even
God cannot fill a cup that's already filled. Even God can’t come into a man's heart when he's full
of himself: all he thinks about is himself; all he talks about is himself; all he dreams for is
himself; all his whole life revolves around is himself. How can God do anything for a man like
that?
But, if a man will empty himself, “Nothing of me, Lord, may it all be of Thee.” That man can be
filled with all of the fullness of the triune God. “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you.”

II. The Path to Serenity
Now if we will do the verse 6, “Humble ourselves unto God,” there are a whole lot of cares that
we won't be burdened with in verse 7, “Casting all of your care upon Christ.” Oh, there are so
many things that burden us, and weigh us down that we bring on ourselves. They don't come
from God; they come out of us. There are some men who are grasping; they are ambitious, and
they are never satiated with self-preferment. The more they have, the more they want. The more
publicity given them, the more they eagerly seek it and desire it. The more advancement that
they make, the more they want to be advanced. The more famous they are, the yet more famous
they want to be. They are never satisfied; the more money they have, the more they want to get.
And they are filled with the cares of this world — seeking themselves, presenting themselves —
and they are unhappy in their hearts, they are weighed down with themselves!
There are some cares, I say, that we bring on ourselves: troubled about tomorrow, worried about
the morrow, filled with anxiety about the morrow. God says there's enough trouble in any day we
live in besides borrowing tomorrow's trouble. Just trust God for it, just believe in God for it —
that's a care that we don't need to bear—just turn it over to God; every tomorrow. There are cares
that come upon us that we bring upon ourselves.
One of the strangest things about big men is that they can be vexed and upset over such little
things. Jonah was a great man. Jesus pointed him out and said the greatest revival preacher of all
time, there never was a man that had such a result in his preaching as Jonah, Jesus said so! The
entire great, world, ancient capital of Assyria—the entire city of Nineveh from the king clear
down to the lowest servant—repented at the preaching of Jonah. He was a great, great prophet of
God and a mighty revivalist.
Now I want you to look at him, he's over there on a hill, sitting under a gourd vine pouting,
pouting! You know what he is pouting about? At first, he started off about what God might do
about Nineveh. But this pouting I'm talking about was over a cucumber vine—it was over a
bower of melon leaves; it was over a gourd—that grew over his head and a worm cut it down
and it made Jonah mad! “I'm mad!” And, not only did it make him mad, but he said: “I want to
die!” All over the wilting of a gourd vine; that's Jonah, and that's you!
I know a man that lost his entire fortune and never thought anything about it; he just lost his
whole estate. And he got furious with his wife over a button that wasn't sewed on his shirt. We
can be that way; we vex ourselves over little inconsequential minutiae!
A. Spiritual Cares
Now these are the cares that he's not talking about; if we live under God, and as unto the Lord,
none of those will ever come upon us. But what are these cares that Simon Peter is thinking of:
“Casting all of our cares upon Christ”? What are those cares? Well, I can name several of them.
Here’s one: spiritual cares. And by spiritual cares I mean, “O God, dear blessed Jesus, what if
my life fails? Lord, what if I don't make it to heaven? Lord, what if I fall into hell? Lord, what if
my soul is not ultimately saved? What's going to become of me when I die and in the great
judgment day, O God, am I going to be saved?”
Why the Lord says to me, “Why is it in the inspired the Apostle Paul, the first chapter in
Philippians, he says, ‘He that began a good work in you, He will perform it unto the day of Jesus
Christ to the great consummation of His coming’?” He says in the last chapter in the Book of
Hebrews, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” And He says in the tenth chapter of John, “I
give unto you eternal life; and you will never perish…”

What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled.
[“How Firm a Foundation”; Selection of Hymns published by John Rippon1787]
That is one care I can take to Jesus. Lord, am I going to make it? Am I going to be saved?
Really, God, will I be in heaven some day? When they call the roll up yonder, will I answer,
Here, Lord, here I am? God says, “Yes! You turn that over to Me, I'll see you through. All the
devils in hell can't get you; and all of the sin in the universe can't sink you, can't destroy you,
because where sin abounds, My grace overflows, it more abounds.”
I can take that my cares to Jesus - “Am I going to make it? Am I going to get to heaven? Am I
going to be saved?” — I can take it to Jesus.
B. Kingdom Cares
What are these cares that He's talking about, that I can take to the Lord? Here's one of them:
kingdom cares, kingdom cares. Now, what do you mean about “kingdom cares?” I mean the
foreboding that sometimes fills our hearts about God's kingdom in the earth. You can look
around, and you read, and see, and visit, and it seems as though the kingdom of darkness is going
to swallow up the kingdom of light. Why there are whole great nations of the earth—and one-
third of its population—that is under stated state atheism; darkness, like midnight, like you can
cut it. And even in Christendom, there's a great apostasy and falling away, in empty churches, all
over this earth.
“Lord, what is going to become of Thy kingdom?” That's a care I can take to God. He presides
over His own. Even on the cross light shined from the cross that the darkness could not quench—
could not put out, could not drown—and some of the most brilliant rays that have ever flooded
the darkness of this world have come from the shining of the fires that have burned the martyrs at
the stake. I can take it to Christ. He's able; and He presides over this universe.
Upon a day when I first came here to Dallas, I sat by Mrs. Truett and talked to her about her
great husband, pastor of this church 47 years. She said to me—to my great surprise—that
sometimes the great preacher, George W. Truett, would be despondent; he fell into despondency.
She said it was at a time when he felt he had failed and she said to me, “I said to him, ‘George,
when you have prayed and asked God to bless you; and you have done the best that you can, then
leave it to Jesus, leave it to God.’”
It is for us to dig the well; it is for God to send the rain and the water. It is for us to plant the
seed; it is for God to make it to sprout and grow. It is for us to cultivate the field; it is for God to
give the harvest. It is for me to witness; it is for God to give the increase, to save the soul. That's
a care I can take to Jesus. When I've done the best I can then God must do the rest, and He will.
C. Business Cares
Casting all our care upon Christ: what are these cares that the apostle speaks of? I think they are
cares that attend our business life: “O Lord, I must make a living for my wife and my children,
and I must support my home and I must win daily bread. Lord, I have staked everything I have
into this business. O God, what shall become of it?” That's a care that I think a man can
legitimately, and rightfully, and pleasingly to God, take to Christ. Make Him your partner; He'll
bless you and He'll see you through.

Queen Elizabeth, of the 1600s—Queen Elizabeth I—called in a merchant man in London and
asked him to go on a mission for her across the seas, a long time to be absent. And he replied,
“But Your Majesty, but Your Majesty! What shall become of my business when I'm gone? It will
fail! It will go bankrupt! I cannot leave on so long a mission, Your Majesty, I cannot go! What
will happen to my business?”
And the Queen said to that prince of merchants, she said, “Sir, you go on my business, and take
care of my business; and while you're gone, I'll take care of yours.”
The merchant went abroad, stayed, did the work of the Queen, came back, and to his
amazement—under her patronage, and her tutelage, and her care and guidance—his business had
flourished and quadrupled. That's what God will do for you, if you'll make a partner out of Him
and take it to Christ.
I want to show you that I'm not just saying words. Look, look out of the Book! The Lord Jesus
said to Simon Peter who was in the fishing business—he and the sons of Zebedee’s were partners
in the fishing business, that's what God’s Book says—they were partners in the fishing business.
So the Lord said to Simon Peter, “Simon, I want your boat. Simon, I want your boat. You see
these people, I want it for a pulpit to preach in. I want to borrow your boat.”
And Simon Peter could have replied, “Lord, Lord, you don't understand. Lord, that's my
livelihood! That's my business! I can't give you my boat, I don't have any other way to fish. I
don't have any other way to make a living but to fish. Lord, I need the boat—you can't have it!”
But what does the Book say? Simon Peter gave the Lord the boat and the Lord used it to preach
the gospel. Then when the message was done and the sermon was finished, “Simon Peter,” said
the Lord Jesus, “Simon, launch right out there.” And when he got out there, the Lord says,
“Now, let down your net.” And he got a haul, a catch of fish. Under Jesus he caught more fish in
ten minutes than he had ever caught in the previous ten months of his life.
I'm just telling what's in the Book. I never made that up! That's in the Book! You’re in a
business? Make Jesus your partner. Take every problem and every decision, take it to Jesus and
see what happens to you and your business. “Casting your care upon Him for He careth for you.”
D. Home Cares
Oh, where does the time go? One other, the cares of the home, of the children: “Does the Lord
know my name? Does He know where I live? Does He know what I do?” Listen, He cares for
ants as well as angels; He cares for worms as well as whales; for He cares for sparrows as well as
for cherubim; for butterflies as well as for battalions of angelic hosts. And He knows all about
you, and your cares, and your children.
A Mother
“The Master has come over Jordan,"
Said Sarah, the mother, one day.
“He is healing the people who throng Him
With a touch of His hand,” they say.
“And now I shall carry the children,
Little Rachel, and Samuel, and John.
I shall carry the baby, Miriam,

For the Lord to look upon.”
The husband looked at her kindly,
As he shook his head and smiled:
“Now who, but a doting mother,
Would think of a thing so wild?
If the children were tortured by demons,
Or dying of fever 'twere well,
Or had they the taint of the leper,
Like men in Israel.”
But the mother replied, “Nay, do not hinder me, Nathan.
I feel such a burden of care,
If I carry it to the Master,
I know I can leave it there.
If He lay His hand on the children,
My heart will be lighter I know,
For a blessing forever and ever
Will follow them as they go.”
So over the hills of Judah,
Along by the vine rows green,
With Miriam asleep on her bosom
And Rachel her brothers between,
Among the people who hung on His teaching,
Or awaited His touch and His word,
Through the royal, proud Pharisees listening,
She pressed to the feet of the Lord.
“Now why shouldest thou hinder the Master,”
said Peter, “with children like these?
See'st thou not from morning to evening
He teacheth and healeth disease?”
Then Christ said, “Peter, forbid not the children,
Permit them to come unto Me.”
And He took in his arms little Miriam,
And Rachel He sat on His knee.
And the heavy heart of the mother

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