Widows and the Church

This blog is part of my continuing series “Notes From The Margins.”  This series has a set of guidelines that you can read about here.

“Honor widows who are truly widows. 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. 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 she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 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.

Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband,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. But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 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. So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. For some have already strayed after Satan. 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,”  (1 Timothy 5:3-15).

Paul in this passage is addressing a situation in the church at Ephesus.  Timothy was left to set the church there in order and part of that process in Paul’s mind was straightening out the church’s support of widows.  Now I’ve read these verses twenty times or so in the last few months and I’ve come to appreciate the wisdom Paul gives Timothy to lead those at Ephesus.  But here’s what struck me the other day: the Church of the New Testament took caring for widows as a serious responsibility.

That sound’s like a “duh” statement, but think about it for a minute.  Paul gives these instructions “so that [the church] may care for those who are truly widows.”  At the heart of Paul’s instructions is this burning desire to make sure the church can care for those who are really widows.  Paul didn’t write these words to show us who wasn’t worthy of care and he didn’t write this in response to an isolated first-century situation (cf. Acts 6:1, James 1:27).

But we have missed the forest for the trees.  We talk about who should be on the list but we don’t support any widows.  We don’t take care of women who cannot take care of themselves.  We affirm the truth of what Paul writes but regularly ignore what Paul was actually doing.  All of this is to say that the church needs to be about the things that are on the heart of the Lord.  For Paul, this wasn’t just a mercy ministry, it was essential to the Gospel.  He wrote these instructions so that we could care for widows well and teach those in our midst how to care for their family.   This is part of the church being “a pillar and support of the the truth,” (1 Timothy 3:15). This is something we need to return to.

So…how are you caring for widows?  Have you seen a church do this well in the past?  In an age of social security and looking to the government to care for us, is this even possible?  How would the way churches spend money have to change if this became a reality? Also, please remember Guideline #5.