EPISODE SIXTEEN: HOLY AMBITION
…you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
In this brief letter, Peter mentions submission several times. I suppose it could be said that this happens many times, even somewhat covertly. The call to holiness in 1 Peter 1, for example, is a call to submission to the rule of God. There is also a call to submit to the norms of the society in which these pilgrims are living, despite having the freedom not to do so, for the sake of the gospel and the reputation of Jesus. Then there are the more obvious calls for submission: to each other (which is part of the nature of being loving), to the authorities, to masters, to partners, and to suffering for the sake of the gospel. 1 Peter 5 also addresses the idea of submission. This time, he addresses elders in their shepherding task and the behaviour of young men toward those who are their shepherds. Humility is a key component of these latter two. In fact, humility is important in all these relationships. Its opposite, pride, is a key factor in the inability to submit.
The term “elder” has become something of a challenge in the gender debate these days. Much of that stems from the different ways our particular churches are organized. Many years ago we only had a pastor and a board of deacons who looked after the business of the church. There may have been a few trustees as well. Even then, what deacons did was somewhat fluid, but they were generally those who gave leadership to the congregation. In my home church, long before my time, there were at least two women deacons who did things that would be frowned upon by some people today. Deaconesses Olive Copp and Leila Boyd (later Mrs. W. S. Whitcombe) were definitely not relegated to the church kitchen. Both were gifted spiritual leaders. Many years later, during a particularly difficult time in the church, the only capable person left to give that same church any leadership was a woman! Mary kept the ministry functioning for months when the rest of the “leadership” abandoned ship rather than dealing with the problems. The church I attended in Toronto, and later served in as part of the staff, had deaconesses who, if I remember correctly, were always the wives of the serving deacons. They looked after anything having to do with ministry to the women of the church.
But in recent years, the role of deacon has been redefined, and a new level has been established. Elders now form the governing board of many churches, with the pastor being the “chief elder.” But because some churches do not have an elders’ board and function only with a pastor and deacons, establishing a single, all-encompassing gender rule about who can serve where and when can be challenging. This is one of the issues our fellowship of churches is discussing presently. In some cases, it would be possible to confine women to the role of deaconess because it involves service, not authority. But if a church has only deacons, allowing women to serve as deacons would grant them authority over areas where complementarians do not want them to have authority.
In the Scriptures, “elder” often denotes age rather than position, referring to an older, more mature Christian. “Elder” is sometimes used in its feminine form to denote women (1 Timothy 5:2). The word is also used for a position of responsibility, often based on that person’s maturity and spiritual experience. That appears to be the case here in 1 Peter 5 where these elders are referred to as shepherds of the flock.
Peter is clearly a senior statesman in the church. He speaks to others, “elders” who have been called to care for the communities of faith scattered throughout the world. Character traits are specifically mentioned here. For exmple, the duty of looking after the spiritual needs of others is to be a calling from God, not just a job. They are not to be in ministry for personal gain. They are not to be in it so they can be the “boss” of others. They are to be good examples.
And those younger, or less mature in the faith, are to respect them.
Peter quotes Proverbs 3:34, saying, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 4:5). He follows this with, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.” This reminded me of one of my readings in Jeremiah this week. It was an odd phrase that caught my attention. Chapter 45 is a word from the Lord to Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe. It would be interesting to know the context of the conversation, but we don’t, except that Baruch seems weighed down by the situation. Yahweh responds with this statement: “This is what the LORD says: Throughout the land I will demolish what I have built and uproot what I have planted. But as for you, do you seek great things for yourself? Stop seeking! For I will bring disaster on every living creature, declares the LORD, but wherever you go, I will grant your life as a spoil of war” (Jeremiah 45:4, 5, emphasis mine).
I know that one can’t spiritualize everything in Scripture or apply every detail to one’s own life, but the combination of these two thoughts—one from the Old Testament and the other from the New—got me thinking.
The issue that started this whole series—women and their freedom because of Christ to live above and beyond the norms that society often imposes on them—is tempered to some extent by these two thoughts. Humility ought to characterize all of us. Likewise, the avoidance of self-seeking and self-interest ought to characterize us as believers. In Baruch’s case, whatever he might have been seeking was going to be destroyed anyway, so Yahweh’s message to him is not to bother seeking it at all.
And there is a lesson for all of us, including women, in this. We should be careful what we strive after. Titles, positions, power, recognition, vindication, whatever it may be, are fleeting. None of us, male or female, take any of these things with us. What the world finds valuable is, more often than not, valueless to God, temporary at best, and sometimes damaging not only to us but also to others and to the cause of Christ.
The instruction to be humble is followed by a promise: those who serve with humility, seeking no personal advantage through their service, will receive their reward from God Himself. Then follows this: “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (5:7).
We often remove this verse from its context. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because its message applies to all of life. But here it seems to apply directly to these young men. Are they trying to get ahead in life and leadership, anxious to change the world, to leave their mark, less than patient with their elders, and feeling the pride of those who believe they have better answers, methods, and ideas? Is Peter’s instruction to them to relax, let God advance them in due course and in His time, and stop being pushy and disrespectful?
What follows in verses 8 and 9 seems to fit. Peter warms them to watch out for Satan. He will be happy to use their ambition for his purposes and turn them into people who, by word, action and attitude, may end up getting what they wants, but not honouring God in the process.
I am reminded in all that Peter says of something that Paul said in Philippians 2:3, 4, just before he gave the example of Jesus to prove his point. Paul writes: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
That pretty much describes what submission is really all about.
What’s my takeaway? Well, if I were a woman at the beginning of her career in ministry, I would want to allow the Spirit of God to examine my heart to discover any vestiges of that selfish ambition, pride, or revenge on a male-oriented world that won’t give me what I think I am entitled to, that might be driving what I do and say.
Humility and putting others’ interests ahead of my own do not require me to stifle what God has called me, as a woman, to be and do. That would be wrong. But they do require me to be like Jesus, which ought to be my greatest ambition. That’s not always easy. But then, the way of the cross never is.
