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1 Peter 5:1
1 The elders [presbuteros] which are among [en] you [humin] I exhort [parakaleo], who [ho] am also an elder [sumpresbuteros], and [kai] a witness [martus] of the sufferings [pathema] of Christ [Christos], and also [kai] a partaker [koinonos] of the glory [doxa] that shall [mello] be revealed [apokalupto]: KJV-Interlinear
1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, NASB
The word for elder, ‘presbuteros,’ simply means someone who is older. But more than that, it is presumed that an older person is wiser than the younger upstarts of humanity.
So, the elders are usually referred to as the wise men or leaders of the group, whatever the group happens to be.
In the spiritual life, wisdom comes from learning Bible doctrine and growing up in ones spiritual life. Just as in your normal life, you learn from day to day, either in school or from the streets of life. You learn academically, and experientially.
The longer you are around, the more, presumably, you learn. It is difficult to understand suffering if you have not experienced it. And the wise among us, are usually those who have both learned doctrine, and have learned from daily life. Combining the two, creates a thorough learning experience and understanding of life.
The elder of the spiritual life is not limited by age, but by doctrinal wisdom. And anyone who has learned doctrine, and has lived life, usually has some savvy under their belt.
However based on tradition and the culture of Peter’s day, the elders here most likely referred to those who taught doctrine to their local groups in Asia Minor, to whom this letter was addressed. But this does not exclude parents who teach their children, or study leaders, or even to anyone who happens to enter into a Biblical conversation with a stranger.
Anyone who teaches doctrine, in whatever circumstances, is presumably wiser than those they are teaching, and therefore an elder, even if just for that moment.
Peter refers to the elders, and states clearly that he is one of them. He does not refer to bishops or classes of a clergy hierarchy, but only refers to those who possess wisdom.
Peter does not presume authority over anyone, but simply refers to himself as one who knows doctrine, and as one who has been witness to the sufferings of Christ.
The gospels do not state that Peter was present at the Crucifixion, but it is implied here, that he must have followed Christ to the Cross, even if only from a distance. Thus, he was a witness.
Luke 23:49
49 ‘all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things,’
The phrase, ‘all his acquaintance,’ suggests that many who knew Him were present, even though they kept their distance. Peter most likely was there, somewhere, watching everything unfold.
Peter places himself on the same level as all other people who know and teach doctrine, and he also mentions the ‘glory to be revealed,’ which is our resurrection and eternity and so forth.
Most folks know the facts of life. Most folks know that we are all born and that we all will one day die. Most folks know that there is something after this life. Unfortunately, most folks ignore this and pursue their day to day activities as though that is their only priority.
We rush to work in the morning and then we rush home in the evening, and then the day is over, forgotten and is no more.
We rush to the weekend and then the weekend is over.
We rush to school and then the schooling is over.
We rush through our careers to retirement, and then our retirement is over.
Everything we rush into, never lasts, but soon expires, and we soon forget all of the anxiousness's and all of the anticipations (or anxieties) we experienced while looking forward to those temporary events.
But there is one event which will never end, once it arrives in our lives, and that is eternity.
To those who persevere through all of the ordeals of life, adhering to their spiritual principles, and not giving up their hope, especially when hard times come, then there are special blessings intended for them.
The people to whom Peter initially wrote this letter, were suffering under very difficult conditions. They lived in a world that rejected, even hated Christianity, and in their world there was no nation, no place to which they could turn for help.
In our present day, the world has the USA as well as other regions of the world that they can look to for hope. But one day, that too will disappear, as we near the end of our current dispensation.
Whether we live in prosperous times or difficult times is irrelevant. All of our hope (confidence) comes from God, through doctrine, and that is where your focus should be in life, for your better life.
