The Word Made Fresh
1Don’t speak harshly to your elders; address them as you would your father. Address younger men as your brothers, 2older women as your mother, and younger women as sisters. Always be fair in speech.
3Honor widows. 4If they have children, the children should learn their religious duty to their own families and seek to repay their parents; God is well pleased by this. 5The widow who is left alone sets her hope on God and continues praying night and day. 6A widow who lives for pleasure is dead even though she is still living. 7But instruct them as well so that they might be above disgrace. 8Anyone who refuses to provide for their own relatives, especially immediate family members, is denying the faith and is even worse than unbelievers.
9Any widow who has been married only once and is older than sixty years should be put on the list of those who receive aid, 10but there should be plenty of evidence for her good works such as raising children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, giving help to the sick, or being devoted to every kind of good deed. 11Young widows, though, should not be put on the list. Their emotional needs tend to alienate them from Christ. They’ll want to remarry, 12and if they do they’ll be condemned by some for violating their first pledge to their first husbands. 13They also tend to be lazy, wandering about from house to house, and they engage in gossip and become busybodies, telling things they shouldn’t tell. 14So, I would tell young widows to marry, to have children and learn to manage their own households, and in that way give the adversary no occasion to look down on us. 15Some have already turned to follow Satan. 16Anyone who truly believes, and has relatives who are widowed, can give them assistance so that the church need not be burdened and be able to assist others who need help.
17Elders who are good leaders should be considered worthy of double compensation, especially those who are engaged in preaching and teaching. 18After all, the scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading the grain,” and, “Those who labor deserve to be paid.”
19Any accusation against an elder should not be accepted unless it is supported by two or three witnesses. 20Anyone who persists in sin should be rebuked in the presence of the others, so that they will be afraid. 21As God and Christ Jesus and the holy angels are my witnesses, I warn you to obey these instructions without prejudice. Don’t be partial. 22Don’t be in a hurry to ordain anyone, and don’t take part in anyone’s sins; keep yourself sinless.
23There is no need for you to drink only water; a little wine can be taken for stomach ailments and other maladies.
24Some people’s sins are conspicuous and lead them to judgment, with the sins of others following them. 25Good deeds are conspicuous as well; and even when they aren’t, they won’t remain hidden forever.
Commentary
1-2: In other words, Timothy, treat your elders and your peers with respect. Don’t engage in inappropriate conduct with the young ladies.
3-8: Paul distinguishes between widows who have children or grandchildren and those who do not. The idea is that children and grandchildren have a responsibility toward their widowed mother or grandmother, and the church should not be burdened with their welfare. “Real” widows, those who are bereft of husband and children, should be honored, that is, taken care of. He has some harsh words to say about widows who “live for pleasure,” and for those family members who do not provide for their own relatives.
9-10: Within Greek culture, apparently, widowhood often precipitated behavior that was scandalous, a situation that was closely related to the fact that in that culture a single woman’s choices for gainful employment aside from prostitution were nearly nonexistent. It is likely that, very early on, congregations had official lists of widows (see Acts 6:1) for two reasons: first, they were a welcome source of workers within the church; second, since in that culture there are few opportunities by which a woman could provide for herself, widows comprised a specific area of concern for the church to engage in welfare. Timothy, as the lead pastor of the church in Ephesus, would have the responsibility for maintaining the “widows’ roll.”
11-16: But the desire to care for widows also presented an opportunity for some to abuse the system, and Paul therefore separates widows into four categories: 1) those over the age of sixty, whose prospects for remarriage would have been almost nonexistent; 2) those under sixty who upon entering widowhood behave in a way that brings shame to the church, gadding about and such; 3) those under sixty who upon entering widowhood pledged themselves to Christ and his service; and 4) those under sixty who upon entering widowhood pledged themselves to Christ and his service but later ignore that pledge by remarrying. There is some confusion around verse 12, which speaks of young widows wishing to remarry and violating their “first pledge”. But the “first pledge” is not just a reference to their first marriage. It is also a reference to those younger widows who decided to be placed on the “widows’ roll” of the church. Such a designation was considered in the early church to be a lifetime pledge equivalent to being married to the church. Verses 12 and 13 therefore refer to that fourth category. Paul’s advice is that young widows should not be placed on the “widows’ roll” in the first place, but instead be encouraged to remarry and start a family.
It seems that women who were widowed between menopause and age sixty are by this rule kind of left in the lurch.
17-22: This paragraph is packed with lots of advice. First, elders (mature members of the faith publicly set aside for specific duties) are to receive a “double honor:” there is the honor of being given the responsibility, and then there is the honor of being compensated for their labors, particularly preaching and teaching. Second, without at least two witnesses any charge against an elder must be ignored. Third, where misconduct is proven a public denouncement against that elder must be made so that others will understand that such behavior is not to be tolerated. Fourth, he tells Timothy not to allow himself to be swayed or influenced by his personal relationships. Fifth, don’t be hasty to lift individuals up to positions of leadership; make sure they have a maturity of faith that can be trusted. Finally, make sure you yourself are a good example to everybody else.
23: Amen.
24-25: Sooner or later everything, good and bad, will be brought to light.
Takeaway
No human relationship should set aside our commitment to God through Jesus Christ.