1 Pedro 5

Theophylact of Ohrid

1 Pedro 5:1

The Apostle was about to speak of humility, which he had already mentioned, saying: "doing good" (1 Pet. 4:19). He calls himself a "pastor" (elder) either on account of his age or on account of the dignity of a bishop; for the book of Acts (Acts 20:17) also calls bishops elders. Then, wishing to show that he has preeminence over them and that he calls himself a "fellow elder" out of humility, he sets forth his own dignity, namely that he is a "witness of the sufferings of Christ." He speaks as if to say: if I, who have explained to you such visions, do not find it beneath me to call myself a fellow elder, then it is also unjust for you to exalt yourselves over those subject to you. Likewise concerning humility the Lord also says: "If I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet" (John 13:14). The Apostle adds that he is "a partaker of the glory that is to be revealed," in order to present the preeminence of humility, just as Paul also says: "When Christ, your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him" (Col. 3:4). — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:2-3

He who in himself offers his flock an example of good conduct pastures them "not by compulsion," and thereby urges them to vie with one another in emulating their teacher. He who does not step forward with pride and does not exalt himself over those subject to him, but lives without luxury, pastures them "not for shameful gain" — or he who does not seek after costly garments and luxurious foods, which produce pride and serve as an occasion for shameful gain. By "heritage" he means the sacred assembly. The addition "being examples to the flock" means the same as "tend them not by compulsion." — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:4

In the words "and when the Chief Shepherd appears," the conjunction "and" is put in place of "so that," that is, so that when the Chief Shepherd appears, you may receive the crown of incorruption. — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:5

"Put on" means: gird yourselves, clothe yourselves, or lay upon yourselves, surround yourselves from all sides. — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:6

The Apostle speaks of "its own time," just as David says: "which yields its fruit in its season" (Ps. 1:3); by the word "in... time" he hints at exaltation in the age to come, which exaltation, and it alone, is unchangeable and firm. For exaltation here is neither safe nor secure, but is rather brought low than raised up. And that humility exalts, the Lord Himself says: "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11). And: "whoever among you wishes to be first, let him be last of all" (Mark 9:35). By the words "in its own time" the Apostle indicated that the exaltation that comes from humility is promised in the age to come. For the time of unchangeable blessings is in the age to come. — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:7

Then, in order to remove the fear that comes with humility, he says: do not be afraid, but cast all your care upon the Lord, for He cares, that is, He is concerned about all this. — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:8-9

Probably, those to whom the Apostle Peter wrote this endured many sorrows for Christ; that is why he comforts them both at the beginning and at the end of the epistle — at the beginning by the fact that they become partakers in the sufferings of the Lord and heirs of the glory that is to be revealed, and here by the fact that not they alone suffer, but all believers living in the world. — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:8-9

Upon those who are accustomed to sleeping spiritually (which means being absorbed in vanity) and thereby burden the sobriety of the soul, the cunning beast of despair attacks. Warning against this, the disciple of Christ urges us to always be vigilant and to beware of the sower of tares, so that while we sleep, that is, lead a careless and lazy life, he does not secretly sow wicked thoughts and draw us away from the true life. For he, says the apostle, constantly goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The holy martyr Justin attributes the cause of such relentless cunning and assaults on the part of the devil to the fact that before the coming of the Lord, the devil did not clearly know how severe his punishment would be, since the holy prophets spoke of this in riddles (thus Isaiah depicted the entire sorrowful history and fate of the devil in veiled form under the figure of the Assyrian (Is. 18:4–7)), but when, with the coming of the Lord, the devil clearly learned that for him and his angels there awaits and is prepared "everlasting fire" (Mt. 25:41), from that time on he ceaselessly plots snares against the faithful, wishing to make many partakers of his apostasy, so as not to bear alone the disgrace of condemnation, and to find in this a cold and malicious consolation. — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:10-11

And at the beginning of the epistle (1 Pet. 1:2–3) the apostle said that the Father had mercy on us through the Son, and now, at the end of it, he teaches that the same Father called us through the Son. For this is the very aim of the apostles: to proclaim the mystery, even if they did so together with exhortation. — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:12

This Silvanus believes excellently and labors diligently in the work of preaching. Paul also mentions him, and together with Timothy names him as a fellow worker in his epistles; thus, he writes: "Paul and Silvanus and Timothy" (1 Thess. 1:1). — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:13

"Babylon" he calls Rome on account of its eminence, which Babylon also enjoyed for a long time. "Elect" he calls the Church of God that was established in Rome. By Mark he means the Evangelist, calling him also a son in the Spirit, not in the flesh. It was to him that he gave the command to write the Gospel. — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:14

He speaks not of the ordinary, human peace, but wishes them to receive that peace which Christ bestowed upon them when He was departing to His sufferings, saying: "Peace I leave with you," and noting the distinction: "not as the world gives" (Jn. 14:27). For one must keep peace not out of partiality, but because you are bound by love, so that one must endure blows from adversaries. The disciples of the Lord everywhere, at the end of their epistles, append a prayer like a seal, and thereby show their genuine holiness. Some of those who came before us thought that the Mark of whom holy Peter speaks was his son also according to the flesh. They based this conjecture on the fact that in the Acts of the Apostles Luke says that after the angel of God miraculously freed the apostle Peter from the prison in which he had been placed by Herod, and ceased guiding him, he, the apostle Peter, "came to the house of Mary the mother of John, who was called Mark" (Acts 12:12). They supposed that he had come to his own house and to his lawful wife. — Commentary on 1 Peter

1 Pedro 5:14

Whereas Paul writes (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20) that believers should greet one another "with a holy kiss," Peter says: greet one another "with a kiss of love." But the thought of both is one and the same. Paul knows that love in the Lord is greater than all virtues, even martyrdom for Christ, and therefore calls holy the kiss that is given in God. And Peter, when he speaks of a kiss of love, means: of true love. — Commentary on 1 Peter