1 Timothy 5:1–16 (ESV)
1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. 3 Honor widows who are truly widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. 5 She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, 6 but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. 7 Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, 10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12 and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 14 So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. 15 For some have already strayed after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.
This is a longer passage and is full of instructions that Paul gives to Timothy. The emphasis in this passage is the connection of sound doctrine with godly living as seen in key relationships.
In the first two verses, Paul is urging Timothy to be encouraging. Basically, Paul doesn’t want Timothy to be authoritarian in his approach to people who are difficult. He wants him to be encouraging and respectful, not have an air of superiority.
Then there are the verses about widows. In that cultural context, life was short. People were considered to be “old” if they lived into their forties, and typically, there were few widowers, as men usually died early.
Widows, women who have lost their husbands, tended to fall into one of two general categories: those who had financial resources and those who did not. Those who did not have resources often faced a future of hardship and struggle. Those who did have financial resources were desirable, and in this context in Ephesus, they were vulnerable to a depraved and self-indulgent lifestyle and in danger of wandering away from their faith in Christ.
Care for widows was an important part of the Jewish tradition, and it is one that was carried over to Christians in the New Testament. Paul has a few thoughts here in this regard. First, Paul clarified who was a real widow in need of care and how one is to address those needs. Then, Paul talks about the widows to be cared for in terms of their material and spiritual needs. Paul is clearly painting a picture of the church being tied together and caring for those who have real needs. At the same time, Paul points to the fact that if a widow has family who are Christians, then it’s their responsibility to care for her.
So after reading through all of this, I’m asking myself, “Ok, so what? What do we do with this today?”
The thing that I’m impressed with is that the church is to responsibly find ways to help and care for people who truly have needs. We must do what we can to prepare people for the future, and that can look like many different things depending on our context. We also must come alongside others during their times of difficulty, sharing the love of Christ through the generous giving of food, care, prayer, and any other way we can responsibly give support, with the goal being to empower people rather than enable bad habits. The purpose is not one of social justice or to simply alleviate the needs of others; rather, our actions are to be a reflection of and point to Jesus in all things.
We belong to God’s family, to His household, to His Kingdom. We are His sons and daughters, and as such, we are to seek His glory as we encourage, comfort, and at times strongly urge and admonish others in love, care, and service - both for those inside and outside faith in Christ.
With that in mind, who might the Lord be placing in your path so that you can come alongside them and point them to Jesus?
God bless you, be well, and know that you are in our thoughts and prayers this morning.
Scott