Faithfully Living in the Household of God - Honoring Widows:

Introduction:

The Responsibility of the Church:

Paul’s purpose is to provide basic instructions for the church on how to operate, and more specifically, how to operate in regard to inter-personal and group relationships. Paul has already explained how we should interact with individuals, older men, young men, older women and younger women. And he now turns his attention to how the church should interact with a large group, namely widows.

To understand why Paul is spending so much time addressing how the church interacts with widows, we need to have some understanding of the culture. In the first century, most girls married soon after puberty typically around the age of 14. And they married men who where on average 8-10 years older, and sometimes even older. This difference in age lead to a significant number of women being widow, as many men of the 1st century did not live past their 40s and 50s.

Bruce W. Winter says, “It has been estimated that forty percent of women between the ages of forty and fifty were widows and that, as a group, they comprised some thirty per cent of women in the ancient world.” (Bruce W. Winter. Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities.)

If you compare that to today, you only begin to reach that high of a percentage of widows at age 65 or older. As of 2016 58% of women 65 years or older where widows and only 28% of men of the same age group where widowers.

If we understand that 30% of women in the 1st century, at any given time would be widows, and that they most likely did not work outside the home, nor were they given full control over the financials of their husband when he died, there is the potential for many women in their 40s and 50s to be destitute. Which in the ancient world widows were particularly vulnerable to those who preyed on them and sought to exploit their situation.

Of the religious leaders Jesus says in Mark 12:40 “who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

But there where laws in the Roman empire which sought to correct the problem. Winter notes, “Women came to marriage with a dowry that was accepted by the husband as his guarantee of her support.” Bruce W. Winter. Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities.

Rome put laws in place called the “dowry laws” which required a husband to maintain the dowry so that his wife would be provided for in the event of his death, and when the husband died, the legal obligation transferred to the elders son to support his mother or step-mother.

But although laws were put in place, they do not always manifest the desired moral outcome, and humanity in their sinfulness often seeks ways to avoid taking responsibility.

The early Christian church, and even Judaism sought to relate to widows in a manner that was counter cultural. For God knowing the heart of man, understood how sinful humanity would treat widows and those deemed unimportant by society.

Exodus 22:22–24“You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.”

Proverbs 15:25 “The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries.”

From the very foundation of the nation of Isreal during the Exodus, God the Father put in place requirements for how the community was to care for widows.

Paul picks up on that theme in 1 Timothy 5:3 “Honor widows who are truly widows.” Showing the Church that widows who are truly widows are to be honored. Not mistreated, cast of as a burden, pushed to the side because her husband has died. But respected, cared for, loved and built up in the faith.

The heart of Christianity has always been to care for and to elevate women, so that they can operate within the household of God according to God’s specific call upon their lives. The sad reality of the last 100 years in America is that the God given and designed role for women has been mocked and deemed to such a degree that the world now sees it as horrifically oppressive.

But what we see from 1 Timothy 5 is the revolutionary ideology that turned the world upside down, and sought for the first time to really bring about a positive change in the social structure. Because for the first time, the symptoms of social decay are not the focus, but the root problem is being addressed and that is the sinful nature of humanity. Why where widows and women being oppressed in the 1st century? Because man’s sin had not been dealt with.

Therefore, Paul’s call to us is based on what he says in 1 Timothy 5:2 “older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.” We are to look to the older women of the church as mothers, caring for them, understanding that they need encouragement and building up just like everyone else. Our mindsets must be changed not by the shifting landscape of society, but by the never changing, true and faithful Word of God, for when we found out thinking and actions upon that which does not change with society, we create a stable, restful, peaceful and welcoming society; that seeks to build all people up in the LORD of Glory.

Paul says in, 1 Timothy 5:16 “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.”

Paul is being very clear that the Biblical perspective of the church is to care for the widow, and in the 1st century this means financially taking care of. For us that typically means the giving of money, but that is not what Paul means.

Isaiah 1:17 “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

The best picture of the church caring for the widows is from Acts 6:1–7, where the church in Jerusalem was providing food daily to the widows. The need was so great that the church had to dedicated 7 men full time just to the administration of the daily distribution of food.

What we see then and the encouragement that we get from Paul is that the church ought to be carrying some burden when it comes to the widows, and there is to be some sort of program to enroll widows in, and discern if they meet the requires, which we talk about next week.

Now that was the 1st century church and culture, but we live in a time and culture that is very different, so then as a church how do we exercise our responsibility toward widows?

Here are a three principles that will be helpful:

Ensure that there is a group dedicated to serving widows. For the most part widows for us will be those who are elderly, but we ought to have something in place where we know what and how to minister to widows of all ages. Acts 6.

Make sure they are not forgotten. James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” It is easy for the church to get focused on other things and lose sight of people to the point that they fall threw the cracks.

Protect the widows, Isaiah 1:17 “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

The Responsibility of the Family:

This third principle leads us into the other important teaching that Paul gives us regarding taking care of widows. And that is family responsibility.

Paul says that the true widow are those who have been “left all alone.” 1 Timothy 5:5 “She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day,”.

But the widow who has children and even grandchildren should be supported and taken care of by them first.

1 Timothy 5:4 “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.”

Although we have a very different culture, the Christian mindset is still to be Biblically centered, we are to allow the Bible to transform our thinking and thought processes, rather than the prevailing cultural narrative.

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

And for the most part the dominate cultural narrative today is that if you do not have perceived value that you can add to my individual life then I dont need to spend time focusing on you. This is not unique to us, but it is the dominate outlook.

Paul, though as he reaches from the past into our culture provides the family principle that children, when the time comes, are to provide for and care for their parent. And Paul argues that providing for a parent is an act of worship and not providing for them is a grievous sin.

This is the heart of Paul’s argument in honoring widows, as he equates it to worship. The word that we translate for “godliness” is the word eusebein, which gives us the idea that caring for our widowed mother is a worship rendered to God out of a godly heart.

Paul moves the Christians in the 1st century from understanding their duty to a widowed mother, from something the Law requires or a social norm, to the more significant reality of rendering worship to God.

Therefore, the Christian family takes care of a parent not because it is a social obligation, but because in caring for them, they are rendering worship to God. It is important that in our lives as Christians we grasp the truth that all we do is to be done to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Therefore, the Christian ought to understand that the family, as God’s primary institution for a healthy society, is to be respected and nurtured throughout all stages of life.

In a day and age where the family is being obliterated, from the regular abortion of children, redefining what marriage is, to the growing acceptance euthanasia, as Christians we ought to see the care for the widows and for our culture the elderly as an act of worship. This is the reason why deacons where put in place in the early church, to minister specifically to widows.

At this time, 17% of the US population, that is 56 million people are considered part of the elderly population.

Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:8 “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.”

Demonstrating the significance God places on our familial responsibilities, the Bible emphasizes that family members should be the primary source of support. Outsourcing the care and welfare of family members to others because we are too busy or caught up in our own lives is to reject our responsibilities. We are instructed to fulfill these responsibilities to the best of our abilities. The Bible warns that failing to provide for one's family is considered worse than being an unbeliever and amounts to a denial of faith.

We as Christians are called to view life differently, to view our family members and even those who are not our family members as Christ views us, those made in the image of God, and loved by the Father.

Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Conclusion:

The church, is to be counter cultural, and is called to honor and care for widows. We are to be a preserving force in the world, being Salt and light. The biblical foundation for this responsibility is deeply rooted, going back to the Old Testament, where God commands the protection and care of widows. The church's role is not merely financial; it extends to providing holistic support, reflecting the early Christian community's example.

While our context differs, the principles remain relevant. The church should develop dedicated groups to serve widows, preventing them from being overlooked, and actively protect their interests.

Furthermore, Paul introduces the principle of family responsibility, emphasizing that adult children and grandchildren have a responsibility to care for widowed and elderly family members. This aligns with the Christian worldview, where familial obligations are considered acts of worship. The Christian family, as God's primary institution, plays a crucial role in our society, and neglecting our family responsibilities is sinful.

The Christian is called to transform cultural, by being salt and life, and to prioritize family care as an act of worship to God. As 1 Corinthians 10:31 states, every action should be done for the glory of God, and providing for one's family is integral to this commitment. In embracing these principles, Christians are called to view all individuals, including family members, through the lens of Christ's love.