Introduction

Fame has always been a big motivator for people. It’s not just a modern problem. In Genesis 11, the story of the Tower of Babel shows people trying to make a name for themselves (Gn. 11:4). Today, with platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook, fame feels possible for anyone. As a result, many people are obsessed with becoming famous. One recent study found that 57% of Gen Zers want to be YouTube influencers. For many, it seems the goal isn’t even about being famous for something specific, but just being famous for the sake of fame.

This is a consequence of our culture moulding us to be self-obsessed. But Christianity teaches us a different idea of what makes life meaningful. Jesus didn’t have a worldwide following during his time on earth. He lived in poverty and, though innocent, died a shameful death usually meant for slaves or rebels. Even so, Jesus became the most unexpected influencer in history.

Unlike today’s influencers, though, he wasn’t after fame; His purpose was to bring God’s kingdom to earth. God’s kingdom doesn’t focus on fame, fortune, or power; It focuses on love, belonging, and forgiveness. Because this is so unlike our natural human inclinations, being faithful a lot of unlearning and relearning. Becoming like Jesus means prioritizing others’ needs, even when that isn’t good for our personal brand.

With this in mind, in the final part of his letter, Peter talks about the importance of humility in our dealings with each other. Because Christian communities follow Jesus, power is meant to work differently here. This shapes the advice Peter gives to leaders and those they lead. He urges everyone to embrace humility to keep the community united.

So our job is to stop focusing on ourselves and instead follow Jesus’ example of humility. Peter shows us that humility reshapes relationships, refreshes our wardrobe (more on that later), and strengthens our witness. Let’s look at what the text says:

¹ And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: ² Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. ³ Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. ⁴ And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor. 

⁵ In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for 

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.” 

⁶ So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. ⁷ Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 

⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. 

¹⁰ In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation (1 Peter 5:1–10, NLT).

I. Humility Redefines Our Relationships

A. The Duty of Leaders

At the start of our passage, Peter speaks to those in authority in the church. He tells them to focus less on their own interests and more on serving the people they lead. When we read Peter’s words, we might think, “These instructions are just for pastors, not for everyone else.” It’s true that those in formal authority need to be careful with their power, but Peter’s message applies to more than just pastors.

The way we do church in 21st-century Canada would seem unusual to Peter. The idea of churches having formal, professional leaders is a modern development. If you think about it, interpreting and applying the New Testament was a lot easier when it was a contemporary document, rather than an ancient text.

Peter’s instructions are for elders, those recognized as having a mature, tested faith demonstrated over the long term. No one in his day had a seminary education or deep experience in organizational leadership. Being an elder wasn’t about skills but about character, and it wasn’t about a profession but about a calling.

For those God has called and equipped to lead, Peter offers wisdom about how to use authority. If you’re a Christian in a position of authority, especially over other believers, you should look to Jesus as your example. His humility is an example for us, but the glory he has received also serves to give us hope. So Peter begins by talking about the reward at the end of the journey.

Our culture says we should seek leadership to be recognized now. But Peter says we shouldn’t use authority for earthly rewards; Instead, following Jesus’ example, we should lead with the hope of a greater, heavenly reward. Jesus’ example doesn’t demand we suspend our tendency to respond to incentives; it just asks us to consider costs and rewards on a longer timeframe. It’s like saving for retirement: you can spend money now or save it, knowing you’ll get something better later. In the same way, Peter says we should give up recognition in this life to receive a greater reward—sharing in Christ’s glory—when Jesus returns. He wants us to trust in Jesus’ victory and adjust our priorities in line with that hope.

Peter gets this focus on humility straight from Jesus: When Jesus and his disciples were heading to Jerusalem before his death, James and John asked Jesus for the highest places of honour in his kingdom. Jesus, likely frustrated that they didn’t understand how power works in God’s kingdom, explained it clearly:

“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. ⁴³ But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42b–45, NLT).

Jesus explains that real authority means serving others. Want to be important in God’s kingdom? It’s not about having people to command, but about finding ways to give yourself for others. So what does this actually look like in everyday life? When I think about servant leadership, I remember Ron, my boss when I was a missionary in Budapest. Ron was humble and kind. Even though he was my supervisor, he always focused on helping me succeed in what God called me to do, not on what I could do for him. He made it seem easy, but I’m sure it took a lot of discipline.

If you’re a boss, leading with humility means caring less about being seen to succeed and more about making those under you successful. If your authority is informal, rather than formal, ask yourself, “How can I help them?” not “How can I use this relationship to get what I want”? If you lead a ministry, focus on helping others shine instead of making yourself look important. The goal is to build a loving community, not to stand out.

B. The Duty of the Body

But Peter doesn’t only speak to leaders; he also gives guidance to those who are led. He tells them to respect and submit to those in authority. When you’re young, it’s not easy to submit to older authorities. We may struggle with patience. For example, in the digital age, younger people can be dismissive of older people, who tend to struggle to stay up on developments in tech. So when coming up with an approach to a church’s social media, no one asks ‘older’ people for their opinion. The young people might be best qualified to carry out a strategy (Like growing engagement or driving traffic to the church website), but the wiser, more mature person might ask the important question the young people forget to ask. They might say,  “I assume your strategy is a competent way of achieving your goals, but have you considered whether your goals are the right ones? What’s the use in building a louder microphone if doing so compromises our witness?”

While our culture often values youth and ambition, we should remember our faith has been handed down by those who came before us. Our spiritual elders aren’t always right, but ignoring their perspective and example rather than engaging with it can be risky for us.

Elders can offer helpful guidance, but submitting to authority is also a spiritual discipline that shapes us into better leaders in the future. Letting someone else have their way, even when we disagree, takes humility. We might say, “This isn’t what I would do, but I’ll submit anyway.” Going through this helps us learn gentleness for when it’s our turn to lead. So when you’re under authority, the goal isn’t to get power so you can avoid answering to others. Instead, let the experience teach you humility, which is key to developing Godly character.

II. Humility Refreshes Our Wardrobe

Peter sums up his teaching by telling everyone to put on humility like clothing. “Dress yourselves in humility,” he says. The word he uses for ‘to dress’ actually comes from the word for the distinctive apron worn by a slave, so Peter tells us to refresh our wardrobe by taking on the dress of a slave. This is a metaphor for allowing ourselves to be seen as unimportant.

Peter seems to be alluding to Jesus’ example when he washed the disciples’ feet. As I read the introduction to that episode, take note of how John builds up Jesus’ exalted position and then pulls the rug out from under our expectations by saying that because he was so great, he humbled himself.

³ Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. ⁴ So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, ⁵ and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him (John 13:3–5, NLT).

Peter was especially shocked when Jesus tried to wash his feet. Washing other people’s feet was a slave’s work. And in that culture, your value was set by what you did, so it’s like Jesus is flushing his social status down the toilet.

Peter had given up everything to follow Jesus and enjoyed being close to someone so special. But if Jesus’ stock plummets, it will negatively impact Peter. Peter wanted to follow someone important, not someone acting like a slave. When Jesus finished, he made his point clear:

¹³ You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. ¹⁴ And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you John 13:13–15 (NLT).

Jesus showed his disciples that in God’s Kingdom, people’s value is calculated differently. Jesus is still Lord and teacher, the one who is honourable, whose example we should to copy. But Jesus’ example shows that in God’s kingdom, the values we’ve always known are flipped on their head.

So we aren’t really making ourselves nothing. It just appears that way when seen with earthly eyes. God’s kingdom isn’t actually upside down. It looks that way because we’ve spent a lifetime standing on our heads. Jesus wants to give us heaven’s eyes; then we will see that the lowest place is something we should pursue, rather than avoid.

But when we try to do this new kind of kingdom, without a transformed perspective, watch out! As Jesus himself told his followers – when you put new wine in old wineskins—when you try to pour the new kingdom into the old kingdom structures—the whole thing blows up. This is the story behind so many church scandals. A narcissistic bully is empowered to lead because, with earthly eyes, he looks successful. But the leader is willing to threaten, humiliate and use people in the pursuit of a vision of success that doesn’t look like Jesus’ kingdom. Eventually —inevitably—the skins burst, and the outcome is a disaster for people who had put their faith in a counterfeit vision of God’s kingdom.

If you want to be a part of a toxic church community, go ahead and tolerate selfish ambition in yourself and in your leadership. But if you long for something better, know that it’s only possible when we humble ourselves and follow those who humble themselves. I know this doesn’t come easily. In the short term, we enjoy what we can get by being proud or by being associated with the accomplishments of a proud leader. But eventually, that fruit becomes poison. On the other hand, when we humble ourselves and follow humble people, saying no to the sugar rush of coercive power, we’ll find that God will lift us up in his timing.

When we try to make a name for ourselves, God will oppose us. But if we choose humility, God will give us grace and honour. Sometimes we worry that if we follow Jesus’ teaching, we’ll be left out or taken advantage of. But Peter assures us that if we give our worries to God, he will take care of us. So we can take the risk of living humbly, knowing God is on our side.

III. Humility Reinforces Our Welfare

A. Support from the Local Congregation

Humility keeps us connected to our community, and there’s safety in that. But pride separates us from others, and that can be spiritually dangerous. In nature, predators that hunt herd animals look for prey that gets separated from the herd. These lone animals are the hardest to catch, so naturally, they’re the ones the predators go after.

Peter uses this predator/prey analogy to explain the spiritual danger we face from the enemy. Satan is on the hunt. The humble find safety in the herd, while pride separates us from the herd and makes us vulnerable to being devoured.

What does it mean to be spiritually devoured? It can look like getting trapped in secret sin. When we humble ourselves, we can confess our sins and get support. When we’re proud, we are unable to admit to our shortcomings, and so we struggle with sin alone.

It can also mean losing our faith when tough times make us question God. When we’re humble, we can ask others to pray for us and remind us of God’s faithfulness. But if we cut ourselves off from community, we can be more easily overwhelmed, and our faith can collapse.

Sometimes, being devoured shows up as a big failure, like when a respected church member has an affair. People who stay humble and connected still make mistakes, of course, but they can admit them before things get out of hand. When a big problem comes to light, it usually means smaller issues were ignored for a long time.

That’s why it’s so important to commit to a church family. Being part of a church means humbling ourselves and being accountable to others. If we can’t humble ourselves so we can be known by other believers, we’re like sheep wandering away from the herd. This can happen if we don’t make going to church a priority; if we move from church to church without settling down; or if we attend but don’t get involved. Building real relationships with others is hard and sometimes frightening work, but it keeps us on track.

It’s understandable if past church hurt makes you hesitant, but the answer to a bad church experience isn’t to avoid church altogether—it’s to find a healthier church. So find a place where you can put down roots. It won’t be perfect (no church is), but look for a community where you can open your heart, accept correction, and serve and get support when you need it.

B. Support from the World-Wide Church

We need to humble ourselves to receive what we need from our community. Only by being part of a community are we protected from spiritual danger. While our local church plays a crucial part in this, the wider church community matters too.

Sometimes, individual churches act like they’re the only faithful ones and everyone else is compromised, but that’s just another form of pride. Peter reminds us that we’re part of a worldwide family of believers, all facing the same challenges. Some are paying a higher price for their faith than we are. It’s good to stand firm in our faith, but we shouldn’t let our struggles make us proud.

We need our local church to support us and our global family and us to remind us that we’re not alone in our difficulties. Humbling ourselves is hard, and it costs us, but there’s a promise attached. Peter assures us that God’s goal is for us to share in the same glory as Jesus, whose glory was his humility.

God wants to give us eyes to see the glory of humility. So when we submit to God’s call to take the lower place, we’ll come to see it’s not as bad as we feared. Eventually, we’ll see it’s what true glory looks like. Humility puts us in a place to rely on God’s power, not our own power. And God’s power is so much greater than any power we might ever hope to have.

Conclusion

So in the end, we have to ask ourselves what kind of glory we want to pursue. In ancient Rome, people who achieved great things were recognized with laurels—crowns made of leaves. They looked impressive but didn’t last. That’s the kind of short-lived glory we often chase—immediate but temporary.

But Jesus calls us to seek a different kind of glory. At first, it doesn’t look impressive—it looks like the humble apron of a slave. But as we mature, our perspective changes.

As a child, I remember liking flashy, gaudy things as a child (what 12-year-old body doesn’t?), but as I matured, I came to appreciate the beauty of understatement. In the same way, as we grow spiritually, we become less impressed by things that once made us proud and find real satisfaction in what seems humble. One day, we’ll see beauty as God does, and the things we once thought were important will seem worthless.

Peter’s sentiment echoes Paul’s words to the Philippians,

⁸ Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ (Philippians 3:8, NLT).

All the achievements we want to show off will fade away, but the glory we share with Christ will last forever. To receive it, we need to humble ourselves for a time, but God will lift us up when the time is right.

I encourage you to think about your life. I hope you have relationships where you can be humble, real, and vulnerable. Maybe there are places where you’re trying hard to look impressive. It might seem good to make a name for ourselves, but when we try to build our own Tower of Babel, God may stop us for our own good. We’re meant to reflect Jesus’ glory, which is far better than anything we could achieve on our own.

When we allow God to transform our minds, we realize it’s more important to belong to the community than to stand out. And we can only belong when we humble ourselves. So don’t worry about making a name for yourself. That kind of renown doesn’t last, but God gives a lasting reward to those who are humble.