What exactly is a “Overseer”/”Elder”? It is a man who serves as Scripturally-ordained representative of the Triune God, a manifestation of Christ Jesus Himself. Though our English versions of the Bible lack the transparency necessary to recognize the obvious shared root, students of the Old Testament, and particularly its Greek translation (the Septuagint) would have recognized that the word episkopos (Gr., “bishop” or “overseer”, from which we get “Episcopal” and “Episcopalian”) has a rich background. From the very beginning, Yahweh is the God who visits His people in judgment, His very immanence setting things in the Creation aright (Gen. 3:8). As covenant King, Yahweh “visits”—that is, guards and sustains—the land (Dt. 11:12; Heb. doreysh, Gr. episkopeitai). His visitation is both judgment (e.g. Exo. 32:34) and restoration (Gen. 21:1), and thus His presence is both the fear of the wicked and the hope of the righteous. By the end of the Old Testament period, the Bible reveals that all of Redemption hinged upon a fresh and radical visitation of God in the form of a “Greater Joshua” who was prefigured by Moses’ successor (Num. 27:16 where God “seeks”/“visits”/“appoints” Joshua to save our forefathers). The latter prophets were filled with references to this visitation (e.g. Zec. 10:3 vis-à-vis Lk. 1:68) in the person of the Messiah. Jesus consciously references these passages and even calls upon His followers to see justice and mercy fulfilled in like-visitations (Mt. 25:31, 36, 39). Other New Testament writers recognized Jesus as the Prime Overseer (e.g. 1 Pet. 2:25) who is the standard for all “lesser overseers”, first in His Church. Thus, the overseers or elders that Paul recognizes as God-ordained officers of the Church in the churches are nothing less than official representatives of the King of kings and Lord of lords, bearing His authority and recognized by the way they bear His character (1 Tim. 3:1–7). The call to “aspire” or better “strive” for being an overseer is nothing less than striving to be like Jesus.

APPLICATION

1. Christ has not abandoned His Church, but continues to visit it through the Spirit who equips and raises up overseers—elders. Praise and honor Him by receiving them.

2. The office of overseer is the north-star of every male. Men, young and old, strive to attain the crown that Christ holds before us.