Leadership That Doesn’t Lord It Over
What’s 1 Peter 5 about?
Peter wraps up his letter with some of the most practical advice on leadership you’ll find anywhere in Scripture – telling church leaders to shepherd, not dominate, while reminding everyone that humility is the secret weapon against both pride and persecution.
The Full Context
Picture this: you’re writing what might be your final letter to churches scattered across hostile territory, knowing persecution is ramping up and false teachers are circulating. What do you focus on in your closing words? Peter chooses something unexpected – he talks about leadership. Not the kind of leadership that grabs power and demands respect, but the kind that serves from the trenches and leads by example.
This isn’t abstract theology; it’s emergency instructions for communities under pressure. When the heat is on, bad leadership can destroy a church faster than outside persecution ever could. Peter knows this because he’s lived it – remember his own spectacular leadership failures? Now, decades later, he’s writing as someone who’s learned the hard way what real leadership looks like. 1 Peter 5 serves as both his leadership manifesto and his final charge to churches facing their darkest hour.
What the Ancient Words Tell Us
The word Peter uses for “shepherd” here is poimaino – and it’s loaded with meaning that gets lost in English. In the ancient world, shepherds didn’t just stand around looking pastoral. They were tough, weather-beaten guys who knew every sheep personally, could spot trouble from miles away, and would literally risk their lives to protect the flock.
When Peter tells elders to “shepherd the flock,” he’s using the same word Jesus used when he told Peter to “feed my sheep” by the lakeside in John 21:16. The Greek carries this beautiful sense of knowing, feeding, protecting, and guiding – all rolled into one job description.
Grammar Geeks
The phrase “not lording it over” uses the Greek word katakyrieuo – literally “to lord down upon.” It’s the same root as “Lord” (kyrios), but with a prefix that suggests domination from above. Peter’s basically saying “don’t kyrios people” – don’t use your authority to crush them from your elevated position.
But here’s where it gets interesting: when Peter talks about being “examples to the flock,” he uses typoi – which means “patterns” or “imprints.” Leaders aren’t supposed to be distant authority figures; they’re supposed to be walking blueprints of what following Jesus looks like.
What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?
These early Christian communities would have immediately understood the shepherd imagery because most of them lived in agricultural societies where shepherds were everywhere. But they also would have caught the political undertones that we might miss.
In the Roman world, leadership was all about dominatio – the right of the powerful to dominate the weak. Roman officials lorded their authority over subjects, masters over slaves, patrons over clients. The entire social structure was built on layers of domination flowing downward.
Did You Know?
Roman governors were literally called “shepherds” of their provinces, but their version of shepherding meant extracting as much wealth as possible while keeping the population in line. Peter’s audience would have immediately recognized he was describing something radically different.
When Peter says elders shouldn’t serve “for dishonest gain,” his original readers would have nodded knowingly. They’d seen plenty of religious leaders who used their positions to get rich, just like they’d seen Roman officials who treated their posts as personal ATMs.
The phrase about God opposing the proud in 1 Peter 5:5 would have been especially powerful because it directly contradicts Roman values. In Roman society, pride (hubris) in your achievements and status was considered a virtue. Peter’s saying God actively fights against what Roman culture celebrated.
But Wait… Why Did They Need This Warning?
Here’s something that might puzzle us: why does Peter spend so much time warning against power-hungry leadership in churches that were being persecuted? Wouldn’t persecution naturally weed out anyone who was just in it for personal gain?
Apparently not. Even under pressure – maybe especially under pressure – the temptation to abuse spiritual authority was real. When people are scared and confused, they’re more likely to give unquestioning obedience to strong leaders. And some leaders, even well-meaning ones, can start thinking they know what’s best for everyone.
Wait, That’s Strange…
Peter calls himself a “fellow elder” rather than pulling rank as an apostle. This from the guy who walked on water and was part of Jesus’s inner circle! Why would he downplay his authority when trying to correct other leaders?
Peter’s approach here is brilliant. Instead of saying “Do this because I’m an apostle,” he says “Do this because I’m one of you.” He positions himself as someone who understands the struggles of local church leadership, not as someone issuing commands from on high.
Wrestling with the Text
The most challenging part of this passage might be 1 Peter 5:8-9, where Peter suddenly shifts from talking about church leadership to warning about the devil “prowling around like a roaring lion.” At first glance, it seems like a topic change, but it’s not.
Peter’s connecting bad leadership with spiritual warfare. When leaders start “lording it over” people instead of serving them, they’re actually doing the devil’s work for him. The enemy doesn’t need to attack from outside when leaders inside the church are already scattering the flock.
The image of the devil as a “roaring lion” is particularly vivid in Greek. The word oruomai suggests not just noise, but the kind of terrifying roar that scatters prey in panic. But here’s the thing about lions: they roar to create confusion and make their prey run – straight into the trap.
“Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.”
When Peter talks about casting our anxieties on God in 1 Peter 5:7, he’s not just offering comfort – he’s giving strategy. Leaders who are anxious about their reputation, their authority, or their security are vulnerable to making decisions based on fear rather than faith.
How This Changes Everything
What Peter describes here isn’t just a different style of leadership – it’s a completely different understanding of what leadership is for. In the Roman world (and often in our world), leadership was about accumulating power and using it for your own benefit. Peter says Christian leadership is about using whatever power you have for other people’s benefit.
This changes how we think about authority in every context, not just church leadership. Whether you’re managing a team at work, raising kids, or just trying to influence your friend group, Peter’s model applies: serve, don’t dominate; lead by example, not just by position; stay humble, because pride makes you vulnerable.
The promise in 1 Peter 5:4 about receiving “the unfading crown of glory” isn’t talking about some distant heavenly reward. In Peter’s thinking, leaders who serve faithfully are already receiving something the world can’t give them – the deep satisfaction of knowing they’ve used their influence to help others flourish.
Key Takeaway
Real leadership isn’t about getting people to do what you want; it’s about helping people become who God wants them to be.
Further Reading
Internal Links:
External Scholarly Resources:
- Letters to the Exiles: A Commentary on 1 Peter by Timothy Keller
- 1 Peter: A Commentary by Paul Achtemeier
- The Message of 1 Peter by Edmund Clowney
Tags
1 Peter 5:1, 1 Peter 5:5, 1 Peter 5:7, 1 Peter 5:8, John 21:16, leadership, humility, shepherding, church elders, spiritual warfare, persecution, authority, servant leadership, pride
