As he begins to wrap up his first epistle, Peter writes words of exhortation to the shepherds (pastors or elders) of the various flocks in what is today Turkey. He does so with the theme of suffering still in his mind. In 5:1–5, he gives instructions to suffering shepherds who are overseeing the welfare of their suffering sheep. We will study these five verses under two major headings:

1. The Responsibility of Shepherds (vv. 1–4)

2. The Responsibility of Sheep (v. 5)