Day Thirty Nine

1 Peter 5:1-11

5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:

² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;

³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

⁵ 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.”

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you,

⁷ casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

¹¹ To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

         A couple of things jump out at me, one of which is not even in this passage. If you read down through verse fourteen, you see Peter give his final thoughts. In verse thirteen he mentions Mark as being with him and sending greetings. He even calls Mark his son, likely in the same way that Paul refers to Timothy as his son. A son in the faith. There is some discussion as to whether this Mark is the same as the Mark who traveled with Paul and wrote the Book of Mark, or that this Mark is the actual son of Peter. Early church tradition says that it is the Mark of the Gospel of Mark, but early church tradition was largely influenced by the Roman Catholic Church. They claim Peter was the first Pope, so he wouldn’t have any children since he would have had to have been celibate. We are told that Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, but that is ignored. So, it is a toss-up. But let’s look at early church tradition. In the Book of Mark in the scene when Jesus is taken, there is a brief telling of a young boy watching. A guard grabs him by his cloak and he wiggles out of it and runs off, naked. Church tradition says that this was Mark. It is only recorded in the Book of Mark, as if Mark had information the other three Gospel writers did not have. He didn’t identify himself because it was embarrassing. Also, early tradition says that the upper room where the Last Supper was eaten was in the home of Mark’s father and Mark was a servant at the meal. Early church history is always suspect since it is not Scripture, but let’s say that it is correct in the story of Mark. Mark was there for the Last Supper, Mark was at the betrayal, Scripture tells us that Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas on a missionary trip, and, when Paul didn’t want Mark on the second trip, he and Barnabas had a falling out over Mark. But, Mark later travel with Paul and served him well. And now he is with Peter. Pretty remarkable young man. We could use more men who are more anxious to serve than anything else.

         The second thing I see that gets my attention is the change in Peter. Boastful and arrogant, Peter was headstrong and bossy. Occasionally he would do something that hinted at the man he would become. He was the only one who got out of the boat and walked on water and he was the one who proclaimed Jesus as the Christ. But it wasn’t until he boasted that he would never leave Jesus alone to be taken and Jesus told him he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed three times, that Peter first felt the humbling of the Spirit. By the time of 1 Peter, this apostle was a changed man. Verses five and six from above reads; 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.”  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you,

         What a change! The word ‘humble’ or ‘humility’ is used three times in two verses. Peter now understands that it is not the ability to pull a sword to defend Jesus, but it is the humble attitude that causes us to love others and to see our own faults. And yet, if you were to ask Peter how he had become so humble, he would likely tell you that he was so far from humility, he would never reach it.

         Humbleness. The prayer for today is to ask the Lord to make you humble, to point out the boast and become a true servant.