Daily Bread 2010 - 1 Timothy 5
1 Timothy 5
Advice About Widows, Elders and Slaves
1Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
3Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. 8If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
The final chapter in 1 Timothy gives all sorts of practical instruction regarding miscellaneous matters in the church, where Timothy needed practical wisdom and advice as a young pastor. First of all, Paul gives instruction re: widows. Apparently there were widows in the church who were trying to “use” the church despite having other sources of income/support. Therefore, Paul has to give several guidelines to determine if a widow has a legitimate need and if the church should support them.
The principle is that those in the family should take care of their parents and elders as much as possible. As we see the baby boomer population entering their 70’s and 80’s, our generation would do well to follow these admonitions. Often the other entity which people rely on, in addition to the Church, is the government. As we see by our government’s financial situation, this will most likely not be an option either. The problem is most families are so stressed and strapped for cash it will be hard for them to support their parents.
But there are other ways to help elderly parents, including maybe a place to live and looking after their homes and/or other assets. Paul also instructs the church to take care of the elder (pastors and teachers) and clarifies that they are deserving of financial renumeration. There is always debate over how much a pastor/teacher/leader should make. A sensible solution seems to be that they would make somewhere around the median income of the community they live in, so that they might be able to own a home and not be strapped by debts etc…
Finally, Paul warns against favoritism, laying of hands in a hasty manner (showing that spiritual maturity is consideration for those who would do this!), and also advocates drinking a little wine not only water (showing possibly a justification for moderate alcohol consumption).
While these exhortations are more descriptive for Timothy’s context and the issues facing the church then, they give us guidance as we face similar types of issues today. The church always struggles with how much of a social service agency it should be. Certainly it should help those in need. But sometimes people take advantage of the good will, when there are other organizations designed to meet specific social issues.
This is a balance the Church needs to manage and there are not right or wrong answers. Churches need to constantly evaluate if they are caring for tangible felt needs of those they serve, while not creating a dependency when someone’s need can be met within families, and/or other groups specifically designed to it.
Jesus we pray that the church might have wisdom as we care for the elderly in our society. Help us to honor those who preach and teach the Gospel and provide for their needs. Give us wisdom as we seek to be your hands and feet in a world looking for a faith that lives itself out in actions on behalf of the poor in healthy ways that continue to call out the best in families and individual responsibility, In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Advice About Widows, Elders and Slaves
1Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
3Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. 8If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
The final chapter in 1 Timothy gives all sorts of practical instruction regarding miscellaneous matters in the church, where Timothy needed practical wisdom and advice as a young pastor. First of all, Paul gives instruction re: widows. Apparently there were widows in the church who were trying to “use” the church despite having other sources of income/support. Therefore, Paul has to give several guidelines to determine if a widow has a legitimate need and if the church should support them.
The principle is that those in the family should take care of their parents and elders as much as possible. As we see the baby boomer population entering their 70’s and 80’s, our generation would do well to follow these admonitions. Often the other entity which people rely on, in addition to the Church, is the government. As we see by our government’s financial situation, this will most likely not be an option either. The problem is most families are so stressed and strapped for cash it will be hard for them to support their parents.
But there are other ways to help elderly parents, including maybe a place to live and looking after their homes and/or other assets. Paul also instructs the church to take care of the elder (pastors and teachers) and clarifies that they are deserving of financial renumeration. There is always debate over how much a pastor/teacher/leader should make. A sensible solution seems to be that they would make somewhere around the median income of the community they live in, so that they might be able to own a home and not be strapped by debts etc…
Finally, Paul warns against favoritism, laying of hands in a hasty manner (showing that spiritual maturity is consideration for those who would do this!), and also advocates drinking a little wine not only water (showing possibly a justification for moderate alcohol consumption).
While these exhortations are more descriptive for Timothy’s context and the issues facing the church then, they give us guidance as we face similar types of issues today. The church always struggles with how much of a social service agency it should be. Certainly it should help those in need. But sometimes people take advantage of the good will, when there are other organizations designed to meet specific social issues.
This is a balance the Church needs to manage and there are not right or wrong answers. Churches need to constantly evaluate if they are caring for tangible felt needs of those they serve, while not creating a dependency when someone’s need can be met within families, and/or other groups specifically designed to it.
Jesus we pray that the church might have wisdom as we care for the elderly in our society. Help us to honor those who preach and teach the Gospel and provide for their needs. Give us wisdom as we seek to be your hands and feet in a world looking for a faith that lives itself out in actions on behalf of the poor in healthy ways that continue to call out the best in families and individual responsibility, In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment