“And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”
Our bosses often have bosses over them. Likewise, pastor/elders who shepherd the flock have a chief Shepherd over them. A pastor who abuses the flock, using the flock for his own benefit or dealing with people with heavy-handed tactics, will not be rewarded when the chief Shepherd comes. A shepherd should be like his master, loving God’s people. For a pastor/elder to do this, he must shepherd with humility.
But elders are not the only ones in need of humility. We who are under the elders need to humbly subject ourselves to the elders. Too often elders try to force people and the people under him refuse to follow him. Both parties have it wrong. The Bible shows us that the elder needs to lead by caring example, and the people need to put themselves under the elder’s leadership. If we do this, God will give us the grace to get along. But if we proudly elevate ourselves above each other, not only will we be resisted by each other, but we will be resisted by God.
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