The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that is about to be revealed:
Truth to Learn
Pastor Peter is about to give instruction to church leaders.
Behind the Words
The word translated “elders” is presbuterous, which literally means “older ones, or those who have a long history of the Christian experience” but is used by Peter and others to refer to those who have oversight responsibilities in the churches.
The words “fellow elder” are translated from the Greek word sumpresbuteros. This is made up of sun, meaning “together with” and presbuteros, which we just looked at, meaning “an elder.” Hence, this word means “an elder along with you.”
“Partaker” is translated from koinōnos, meaning “one who has something in common with others,” or “one who shares.”
Meaning Explained
Peter now changes the emphasis of his message to give some specific instruction for the leaders of the churches to which this letter is being circulated. He does not speak to three distinct orders of overseers such as “bishops, priests, and deacons” as some churches teach. Nor does he proclaim that he has preeminence among them as the leader of all the churches.
Instead, he says of himself that he also is an elder. This is significant in that as an apostle he could have claimed this special position in the church as a reason for admonishing the elders under him. If he felt that he had a superior position in the church universal, he surely would have used that position to strengthen his message to the other church leaders. Instead, he simply describes himself as a fellow elder.
The only two things that he claims as distinctive for himself are: he was a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and he shares in the glory that is going to be revealed. Clearly, he was in the Garden of Gethsemane when Christ was seized, and he was present at His trials. And although there is no direct evidence in the Scripture that Peter was at the crucifixion, we can infer it from:
And all those known to Him stood at a distance; and the women, those accompanying Him from Galilee, were seeing these things. (Luke 23:49)
There is some difference of opinion as to whether “a partaker of the glory that is about to be revealed” refers to the fact that Peter was among the few present at the transfiguration of Christ (Matthew 17:1, 2 and Mark 9:2,3) or that he was going to share in the glory of Christ when He is to be revealed at the second coming. I hold to the second interpretation (though both are true), since Peter refers to the glory that “is about to be revealed.” If he had been referring to the transfiguration, he would likely have said “that was revealed.” Again, note that he is not claiming to have a higher office, but to have been a personal witness of Christ’s suffering and to have a hope of sharing His glory. Clearly, Peter did not see himself as Pope, but as a fellow elder, one who shares a common expectation, and one who had witnessed the sufferings of Christ in person.
Application
Are you a pastor or have you been a Christian for many years? If you answer yes to either of these, then you have a responsibility to others in the body of Christ. Pay close attention to the next few verses, and ask God to speak to you regarding your ministry to others.
In God's service, for His glory,
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