(Some meditations on 1 Peter 5.1-4)
God loves his flock. He cares for the church. His desire is for them to know, enjoy and reflect Jesus. Therefore, he is clear, thorough, and precise with his instructions for pastors.
The pastor must remember who owns the flock and so therefore be careful with the people. The people are the resources of the great flock owner. The shepherd is a servant of the chief shepherd.
This is true even when things get hard. Things get hard because sheep are sinners. Things also get hard because shepherds are sinners. However, this is not an excuse to disengage but instead a motivation to engage. After all, as pastors we will give an account for the sheep (Heb. 13.7).
But just because there is sin and sin is sloppy doesn’t mean that we disengage or retreat.
In fact, it is the faithful pastor who understands and has settled himself upon the fact that sin is sloppy and that sloppy shepherding is sinful. The connection here makes the man stand. It makes the man work. It makes him grind.
He is careful with the people because he loves them. He is faithful with the flock because he is part of the flock. He is faithful as a shepherd because the chief shepherd has been faithful to him.