1 Peter 5

1 Peter 5:1

More Precious Than Gold An EasyEnglish Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the first letter of Peter www.easyenglish.info Helen Pocock This commentary has been through Advanced Theological Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible.

Tap the * before a word to show an explanation.

Chapter 5 Elders and young men

v1 So, I want to encourage the elders among you. I also am an elder. I actually saw Christ when he suffered. When he shows his *glory to us, I shall take part in it. v2 Take care of the people that God gives you to lead. Do this in the same way that a *shepherd cares for his sheep. Do it because you want to please God. Do not do it because you must. Do this work because you want to serve. Do not do it for the money. v3 Do not try to rule over the people that you are responsible for. Instead, show them how to live by the good way that you live. v4 Christ is the Chief *Shepherd who will come back again. When he comes you will receive a crown of *glory. This crown will never lose its beauty.

v5 All the younger people should respect and obey their leaders. All of you should be humble with one another. The Bible says: ‘God opposes proud people. But he gives *grace to those who are humble’ (Proverbs 3:34). v6 Be humble under the strong hand of God. When the right time comes, he will lift you up.

v7 Give all your worries to God, because he cares about you.

v8 Be ready for action and be careful to keep watch. The devil is your enemy. He is like a lion. A lion walks about and looks for someone to eat. v9 Oppose him and be strong in your *faith. Remember that Christians in all parts of the world suffer as you do.

v10 God is the God of all *grace. He called you to take part in the *glory of Christ. This *glory will never end. So when you have suffered for a short time, God will put things right. He will make you strong and firm, so that you will not fall. v11 God always has the power. *Amen.

Verse 1

‘Elders’ are the leaders of local churches. It does not mean that they are very old people. They have much experience as Christians and are wise and mature. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 there is a list of the qualities that an elder should have. Peter was an elder. He had experience of all the things that he writes about.

He wants to encourage other elders and to help them to do their work better. Peter was one of the 12 *apostles, so he saw everything that happened to Jesus. At first, he was afraid to suffer when the soldiers arrested Jesus. He even said that he did not know Jesus (Luke 22:54-62). Later he was much bolder. *Jewish priests put him into prison because he continued to teach about Jesus (Acts 5:17-42). We know from other early writers that Peter died as a Christian.

He knew that he would take part in the *glory when Jesus comes back. He had already seen some of the *glory of Jesus when he was on a mountain with him (Matthew 17:1-13).

Verse 2

In several places, the Bible says that God is a *shepherd. It says that God’s people are sheep. This describes how God cares for people. Psalms 23 describes this well. A *shepherd leads his sheep. They follow him because they trust him. They recognise his voice when he calls them. He makes sure that the sheep have enough to eat. He searches for any sheep that get lost. If they are hurt or sick, he helps them to get well again. The *shepherd protects his sheep from wild animals that want to kill them.

An elder leads the church as a *shepherd leads the sheep. The elders should care for the people that they lead. Elders feed people when they teach them what the Bible says. Some people turn away from God. The elders can help them to come back to God again. Elders can also pray for sick people and ask God to heal them (James 5:14). They must help to protect Christians from the devil when he attacks them.

It is not easy to be an elder. People must be sure that God wants them to do this work. They should be willing to do it. If someone tries to make them do it, that is wrong. A good elder really wants to serve other people. He wants to help them to know God better.

1 Timothy 5:17-18 says that they deserve pay for the work that they do. But it is wrong to do the work just to get money.

Verse 3

Some elders become proud and think that they are the boss. They are severe with people. They make rules for people to obey. Jesus was not like that. The way that he lived is a model for all Christians to follow.

Verse 4

Jesus is the Chief *Shepherd. All elders are under his authority. Elders will get rewards when Jesus returns. People in the country of Greece used to love athletics. They put a ‘crown’ on the winner’s head. They made the crown from a circle of leaves. But the leaves died and the crown did not last very long. God will reward elders for what they do. They will receive a crown of *glory from Christ as their reward. This will last for ever and will never vanish.

Verse 5

‘Younger people’ may mean those who are younger in age. Or it may mean people who have not been Christians for very long. Remember that God gives authority. Younger people should respect and obey their leaders. This pleases God. ‘Be humble’ is a special *Greek word. It describes how a slave put a cloth round his body before he served his master. Jesus did this when he washed the feet of his *apostles (John 13:4-15). No one should be proud. The leaders who have authority should not be proud.

‘God is against proud people’. Proud people think that they are better and more important than other people. Jesus told a story about people who wanted other people to honour them (see Luke 14:7-11). Humble Christians serve other people. They trust God. They tell people what God has done for them. They give God honour. So, God reaches out and is kind to humble people. He gives them all that they need.

Verse 6

‘The strong hand of God’ is picture language for the power and discipline of God. Christians must accept all that God allows to happen to them. One day God will lift them up and give them honour. He will decide when it is the right time. No one knows when this will happen. It may not be until Christ returns.

Verse 7

‘Give all your worries to God’. Christians do this when they tell God what worries them. Then they must trust that God will give them what they need in every situation. Jesus teaches about this in Matthew 6:25-34. Many of Peter’s readers may have worried about suffering as Christians. God loves and cares for Christians, even when he allows them to suffer.

Verses 8-9

Christians cannot be lazy when they have given their worries to God. The devil always looks for people to attack. Christians must be ready for action. ‘The devil is your enemy’ because he opposes Christians. He wants them to fail. A lion is a fierce animal that kills and eats other animals. It can even attack and eat people.

A lion usually looks for weaker animals, because they are easier to catch. It attacks them when they do not expect it. The devil behaves like this, so Christians must be ready for him. He does not eat their body, but he wants to kill their spirit. He accuses them and makes other people accuse them too. However, Christians must fight the devil and not give in to him.

Another name for the devil is ‘Satan’. Christians must trust God and be strong. Peter wants to encourage his readers. He tells them that they are not the only people who suffer. Many other Christians suffer too. Often it can help people if they know this.

Verses 10-11

All *grace comes from God. God wants Christians to take part in the *glory of Christ. The attacks of the devil will not last for ever. Christians will not suffer for ever, but the *glory of Christ will never end. God will stop their suffering and put things right. They do not know when this will happen. It may be in this life. It may be when they die and go to live with God. The devil wants Christians to fail, but God helps them to be strong. Final greeting

v12 Silas has helped me to write this short letter to you. He is a loyal Christian brother.

I want to encourage you and tell you about the true *grace of God. Stand firm in this *grace.

v13 God has also chosen the church in the city of Babylon. They want to send a greeting to you and so does my son Mark. v14 Greet each other with the kiss of Christian love. I pray for God’s peace for all of you who are Christians.

Verse 12

Silas was a leader with Peter in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15:22). ‘Christian brother’ means another member of the Christian family. Peter wrote this letter for two reasons. He wanted to encourage the Christians who were suffering. He also wanted to tell them more about the *grace of God. Christians will trust God more when they realise how much he loves them. They will not turn from God.

Verse 13

Babylon was the name of an ancient city. About 600 years earlier, the king of Babylon attacked the *Jews and carried them away to Babylon (see explanation of 2:4-10). The *Jews never forgot how they suffered in a foreign land. Christians in the church at Rome were now suffering too. So they used ‘Babylon’ as their secret name for Rome. Peter probably visited Rome. He may have written this letter in Rome. The church there wanted to send their greetings to other Christians who were suffering.

Mark is John Mark in Acts 12:12, 25. Peter probably calls him ‘my son’ because Peter helped him to become a Christian. Mark was not Peter’s real son.

Verse 14

Christians used to greet each other with a kiss. Peter wants them to continue this friendly greeting. Peter sends a greeting of peace to the Christians at the end of his letter. This is how he began his letter, in chapter 1:2. Because of Christ, Christians can know God’s gift of peace in their lives, even in difficult times.

© 1999-2001, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

December 2001

Visit our website: www.easyenglish.info

var w0 = new Array;w0[0]='