1 Peter 2:25

2:18-25 Servants in those days generally were slaves, and had heathen masters, who often used them cruelly; yet the apostle directs them to be subject to the masters placed over them by Providence, with a fear to dishonour or offend God. And not only to those pleased with reasonable service, but to the severe, and those angry without cause. The sinful misconduct of one relation, does not justify sinful behaviour in the other; the servant is bound to do his duty, though the master may be sinfully froward and perverse. But masters should be meek and gentle to their servants and inferiors. What glory or distinction could it be, for professed Christians to be patient when corrected for their faults? But if when they behaved well they were ill treated by proud and passionate heathen masters, yet bore it without peevish complaints, or purposes of revenge, and persevered in their duty, this would be acceptable to God as a distinguishing effect of his grace, and would be rewarded by him. Christ's death was designed not only for an example of patience under sufferings, but he bore our sins; he bore the punishment of them, and thereby satisfied Divine justice. Hereby he takes them away from us. The fruits of Christ's sufferings are the death of sin, and a new holy life of righteousness; for both which we have an example, and powerful motives, and ability to perform also, from the death and resurrection of Christ.

And our justification; Christ was bruised and crucified as a sacrifice for our sins, and by his stripes the diseases of our souls are cured. Here is man's sin; he goes astray; it is his own act. His misery; he goes astray from the pasture, from the Shepherd, and from the flock, and so exposes himself to dangers without number. Here is the recovery by conversion; they are now returned as the effect of Divine grace. This return is, from all their errors and wanderings, to Christ. Sinners, before their conversion, are always going astray; their life is a continued error.

For ye were as sheep going astray (ἦτε γὰρ ὡς πρόβατα πλανώμενοι); i.e., as commonly understood, ye were like straying sheep. But the ye were should be construed with the participle going astray, the verb and the participle together denoting habitual action or condition. Render, as Rev., ye were going astray like sheep. See on Mark 12:24. Bishop See on 1 Peter 2:12.

1 Peter 2:25 . Οὑ τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἰάθητε ἦτε γὰρ ὡς πρόβατα πλανώμενα , by whose stripe ye were healed; for ye were as sheep going astray ) Isaiah 53:5-6 , Septuagint, τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν · πάντες ὡς πρόβατα ἐπλανήθημεν . A paradox of the apostle: Ye were healed with a stripe . But μώλωψ , a weal , is common on the person of a slave: Sir 23:10 .— ποιμένα καὶ ἐπίσκοπον , shepherd and bishop ) whom you are bound to obey. Synonymous words. Comp. ch 1 Peter 5:2 .

For ye were, while ye continued in your Judaism, and had not yet received the gospel, as sheep going astray, from Christ the great Shepherd, and the church of believers his flock, and the way of righteousness in which he leads them. Ye were alienated from the life of God, bewildered and lost in the way of sin, Isaiah 53:6 . But are now returned, in your conversion to the faith, to the Shepherd; Christ the good Shepherd, John 10:11,14,16 , that takes care of souls, as a shepherd doth of his sheep. And Bishop of your souls; superintendent, inspector, or, as the Hebrews phrase it, visitor, i.e. he that with care looks to, inspects, and visits the flock. This he adds for the comfort (as of all believers, so) particularly of servants, that even they, as mean as they were, and as much exposed to injuries, yet were under the care and tuition of Christ.

1 Peter 2:25 = Isaiah 53:6 , πάντες ὡς πρόβατα ἐπλανήθημεν combined with Ezekiel 34:6 , where this conception of the people and their teachers ( the shepherds of Israel ) is elaborated and the latter denounced because τὸ πλανώμενον οὐκ ἐπεστρέψατε Further the use of this metaphor in the context presupposes the saying I am the good shepherd.… I lay down my life for the sheep ( John 12:15 ).— ἐπίσκοπον , cf. Ezekiel 34:11 , ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐκζητήσω τὰ πρόβατά μου καὶ ἐπισκέψομαι αὐτά . It is to be noted that the command which Jesus laid on Peter, feeding sheep , comes from Ez. I.c.

25. (Isa 53:6.) For—Assigning their natural need of healing (1Pe 2:24). now—Now that the atonement for all has been made, the foundation is laid for individual conversion: so "ye are returned," or "have become converted to," &c. Shepherd and Bishop—The designation of the pastors and elders of the Church belongs in its fullest sense to the great Head of the Church, "the good Shepherd." As the "bishop" oversees (as the Greek term means), so "the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous" (1Pe 3:12). He gives us His spirit and feeds and guides us by His word. "Shepherd," Hebrew, "Parnas," is often applied to kings, and enters into the composition of names, as "Pharnabazus."

25 . For ye were as sheep going astray ] The sequence of thought is suggested by the “all we like sheep have gone astray” of Isaiah 53:6 , but the imagery could scarcely fail to recall to the mind of the Apostle the state of Israel “as sheep that had no shepherd” ( Matthew 9:36 ), and the parable of the lost sheep ( Matthew 18:12-13 ; Luke 15:4 ). The image had been a familiar one almost from the earliest times to describe the state of a people plunged into anarchy and confusion by the loss of their true leader ( Numbers 27:17 ; 1 Kings 22:17 ). but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls ] We can scarcely fail to connect the words with those which St Peter had once heard as to the “other sheep” who were not of the “fold” of Galilee and Jerusalem ( John 10:16 ). In the “strangers of the dispersion” he might well recognise some, at least, of those other sheep. In the thought of Christ as the “Shepherd” we have primarily the echo of the teaching of our Lord just referred to, but the name at least suggests a possible reference to the older utterances of prophecy and devotion in Psalm 23:1 , Isaiah 40:11 , Ezekiel 34:23 ; Ezekiel 37:24 . In the word for “Bishop” ( Episcopos ) (better perhaps, looking to the later associations that have gathered round the English term) guardian or protector , we may, possibly, find a reference to the use of the cognate verb in the LXX. of Ezekiel 34:11 .

It deserves to be noted, however, that the Greek noun is often used in the New Testament in special association with the thought of the Shepherd’s work. Comp. Acts 20:28 , 1 Peter 5:4 . So in like manner, “Pastors” or “Shepherds” find their place in the classification of Christian Ministers in Ephesians 4:11 . There is, perhaps, a special stress laid on Christ being the Shepherd of their souls . Their bodies might be subject to the power and caprices of their masters, but their higher nature, that which was their true self, was subject only to the loving care of the Great Shepherd.

Verse 25. - For ye were as sheep going astray ; rather, with the best manuscripts, for ye were going astray like sheep . The apostle is probably still thinking of the great prophecy of Isaiah, and here almost reproduces the words of the sixth verse, "All we like sheep have gone astray." He who had been thrice charged to feed the sheep and the lambs of Christ would think also of the parable of the lost sheep, and of the people of Israel who were "as sheep having no shepherd" ( Matthew 9:36 ). But are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls ; literally, but ye returned (the verb is aorist); that is, at the time of their conversion. The aorist passive, ἐπεστράφην , is so frequently used in a middle sense that the translation, "ye were converted," cannot be insisted on (comp. Mark 5:30 ; Matthew 9:22 ; Matthew 10:13 ). Christ is the Shepherd of our souls. The quotation from Isaiah doubtless brought before St. Peter's thoughts the sweet and holy allegory of the good Shepherd, which he had heard from the Savior's lips (comp. also Isaiah 40:11 ; Ezekiel 34:23 ; Ezekiel 37:24 ; also Psalm 22 .). The word "bishop" ( ἐπίσκοπος ) is used in a similar connection in Acts 20:28 , "Take heed... to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers ( ἐπισκόπους );" comp. also Ezekiel 34:11 , "I will both search my sheep, and seek them out," where the Greek word for "seek them out" is ἐπισκέψομαι . The Lord Jesus Christ is the chief Shepherd ( 1 Peter 5:4 ).