7th SUNDAY  ~  1 TIMOTHY 5:3-25

CARING FOR THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Let us imagine that we are once more meeting in the home of Priscilla and Aquila with the members of one of the house churches of the first century AD. As we look around we notice that several widows are present. We listen as Timothy unrolls the scroll and begins to read Paul’s advice about what to do for them. “The church should care for any widow who has no one else to care for her.” (vs. 3). Such widows were in a desperate position. As Swindoll[1] points out, “Women didn’t have the choice of careers they have today, and there was no pension plan or Social Security for them to depend on. The church simply had to have some kind of plan for the care of these special women.”

As we make ourselves comfortable on one of the couches, we notice others besides the widows, who seem to be alone in the world. A young couple who have just joined the group, a family who aren’t finding it easy to fit in. Or perhaps some single people. Or an older couple whose family has grown up and moved to other cities in the course of their work. They seem to have an aloneness about them. Others present are grappling with personal problems. They are lonely people. Just as it has for the widows, the church has a responsibility to care for people like that.

Paul is aware that the church cannot help everybody. For, as Swindoll[2] reminds us, “... the needs of the church were overwhelming during this period of history. Simply tossing money at every problem would have been poor stewardship. Paul’s guidelines remind us that we don’t have to abandon wisdom and discernment in order to exercise compassion.” The guidelines that Paul weaves into his letter have widows specifically in mind, but are relevant for any situation where the church is thinking about offering help. Let us try and identify some of them as we listen while Timothy continues to read from the scroll.

Some Guidelines To Follow

A number of questions the church should ask regarding those who may request help are implied in the guidance Paul gives. We make some notes as Timothy continues to read.

Are there family members who could help?

With regard to those who are widows Paul draws attention to the responsibility children have to care for their mother or grandmother. “But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God very much ... But those who won’t care for their own relatives, especially those living in the same household have denied what we believe. Such people are worse than unbelievers.” (vs. 4, 8).

The responsibility of children to care for their parents was also recognised by those who were not Christians. Barclay[3] draws attention to this when he says, “The ancient world was very definite that it was the duty of children to support aged parents, and, as E. K. Simpson has well said: ‘A religious profession which falls below the standard of duty recognised by the world is a wretched fraud.’ ”

Later in his letter Paul also draws attention to the responsibility of members of the extended family to care for relatives in need. “If a Christian woman has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for widows who are truly alone.” (vs. 16). Another question that it is helpful to ask is this  

Does the person shows signs of trusting the lord for themselves?

The question is suggested by Paul’s reference to the way a person who is honestly seeking help trusts the Lord. “But a woman who is a true widow, one who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. Night and day she asks God for help and spends much time in prayer.” (vs. 5). People in need sometimes seem to think that the church is there just to provide for them. They do not make any effort to trust the Lord for themselves. Assistance given to such people does not help them in the longer term. They simply become dependent on others without making any effort to help themselves and seldom come to know the Lord. But when the person being helped is also trusting in the Lord, both helper and helped experience his blessing and provision. A further question to ask is ...

Will the help given contribute to the person’s spiritual well-being?

People sometimes try to bury their problems in a continuous round of pleasure seeking. Instead of seeking the help of the Lord they look for happiness in things they hope will fill the emptiness they feel. Moving too quickly to help such people may only serve to increase their sense of aloneness and unhappiness. And so Paul advises caution before rushing in to help. “But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame.” (vs. 6-7 NIV). Litfin[4] sees the need for the church to heed Paul’s advice as he writes, “If the wrong women are included on the list their sensual lifestyles (cf. 5:6) will bring reproach on the whole group.”

Swindoll[5] also picks up Paul’s concern when he comments,

   The church is to support widows who demonstrate a preoccupation with the things of God rather than a promiscuous lifestyle. Otherwise, the church would be contributing to the spiritual harm of one of its own. For this reason, Paul urges Timothy to deal straightforwardly and not hedge about saying such hard things.

It is not so much that help should be denied on the basis of a person’s way of life but that discernment is necessary lest the help given confirm such people in their wayward ways. Here’s another question to consider.

Should the person’s age be a consideration?

In the case of widows in need Paul recommends that they be at least sixty years old. “A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old ...” (vs. 9a). In addition, she will be a person who “was faithful to her husband” and “well respected by everyone because of the good she has done.” She will have “brought up her children well ... been kind to strangers ... served other Christians humbly ... helped those who are in trouble ... always been ready to do good ...” (vs. 9b-11). Paul seems to be thinking here of those the church can support with a view to them helping in the ministry of the church. They are women of maturity and proven integrity who would have much to give in the service of the Lord.

Paul advises against being too quick to offer help to younger people. He warns that they may come to rely on the church for support instead of looking for work in order to support themselves. They may even become lazy. Whereas adversity can be character building, they may be hindered in personal growth if everything is done for them. Paul’s advice to younger widows is that they should marry again. As we listen to Timothy reading from the scroll we can’t help but notice the commonsense and understanding running through Paul’s advice.

   The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry. Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge. Besides they are likely to become lazy and spend their time gossiping from house to house, getting into other people’s business and saying things they shouldn’t. So I advise the younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them. For I am afraid that some of them have already gone astray and now follow Satan. (vs. 11-15).

Paul is saying that a young widow has the opportunity to marry and start a new family. He is suggesting that if help is given to the extent that it relieves people of the responsibility of taking charge of their own lives, it may lead to them taking life easy and leading wasteful unproductive lives.

The Church also has the responsibility of … 

CARING FOR THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCH

Firstly, with regard to finance. Paul has in mind those who would be seen today as being in ‘full time service’. He reminds the church of its responsibility to provide them with adequate support. “Elders who do their work well should be paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.” (vs. 17). To support what he is saying Paul quotes from two sources, the Mosaic law[6] and the advice Jesus gave to the disciples on one occasion.[7] “For the Scripture says, ‘Do not keep an ox from eating as it treads out the grain.’ And in another place, ‘Those who work deserve their pay.’ ” (vs. 18). Paul is reminding the church of the Biblical principle that the worker is to be given first share of what is produced, just as the working oxen were allowed to eat from the grain. Barton, Veerman, and Wilson[8] describe the activity Paul is referring to.

   Often oxen were used to tread out the grain on a threshing floor. The animal was attached by poles to a large millstone. As it walked around the millstone, its hooves trampled the grain, separating the kernels from the chaff. At the same time, the millstone ground the grain into flour. Muzzling the ox would prevent it from eating while it was working. Paul used this illustration to argue that productive Christian workers should receive financial support. The fact that a person is in Christian ministry doesn’t mean that he should be poorly paid.

Those in Christian work should not only be looked after financially but spiritually. They are not to be discouraged by unjust criticism nor dishonoured by untrue gossip. The Pastor is to discourage such talk. Paul writes, “Do not listen to complaints against an elder unless there are two or three witnesses to accuse him. Anyone who sins should be rebuked in front of the whole church so that others will have a proper fear of God.” (vs. 19-20). And finally in this section of his letter Paul reminds Timothy that ...

THE PASTOR MUST NOT NEGLECT TO TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF

Paul now draws Timothy’s attention to the pastor’s need to preserve his personal space and at the same time not to intrude into the personal space of another. He does not take sides in disputes which may arise in the church. He does not make friends with only some people, he is a shepherd to all. He does not act hastily and so avoids regretting his decisions later on. He keeps himself pure. Paul writes, “I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the holy angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing special favour to any one. Never be in a hurry about appointing an elder. Do not participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.” (vs. 21-22).

Next comes a reminder for the pastor to take care of his health. Perhaps Timothy had been careless in this regard as he travelled widely in his ministry. He may have been drinking poor quality water, hence the advice to drink a little wine. Perhaps he had been inclined to asceticism and denying himself sufficient nutritious food. Paul says to him, “Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often.” (vs. 23).

Paul now gives the reason for his advice to pastors not to make hasty decisions when suggesting leaders in the church. He knew that it takes time for the real worth of a person to become clear. “Remember that some people lead sinful lives, and everyone knows that they will be judged. But there are others whose sin will not be revealed until later. In the same way, everyone knows how much good some people do, but there are others whose good deeds won’t be known until later.” (vs. 24-25).

AN EXAMPLE OF A CARING CHURCH

As we have studied Paul’s reminder to the church of his day of its responsibility to care for those with special needs, we have noted some of principles which may be applied to any situation in which the church of today may feel it has a duty of care. We conclude with an example of the way in which a church in Australia organised help for some people in their time of need. Titled ‘Care, Contact, Fight Drought,’ This was reported in ‘Crosslight’, the monthly newspaper of the Uniting Church in Victoria.[9]

Empathy With Drought Victims

It was a long way for them to go for a pastoral visit but that didn’t deter 10 farmers and one minister from Natimuk/Goroke Uniting Church (about 300km west of Melbourne). They went off to Orbost and Tubbut (about 300km east of Melbourne) late last year. “In the best Old Testament tradition, they had sent gifts on ahead of them,” said the Rev Geoff Giddings, of Natimuk/Goroke.

They certainly had. Their 32 tons of grain had arrived shortly after another 30 tons of grain from farmers in the Central Mallee co-operative parish. It was all to help East Gippsland farmers feed their drought-stricken stock. Then the rains came and floods took over from drought. Floodwater had settled by the time the visitors arrived from the west. They spent a day in Orbost, then went to the small community of Tubbut, near the NSW border. “With a rapport born of joint experience, stories of struggle were shared among the two groups of farmers,” said Mr Giddings.

One man had run away from an orphanage at age 11, learnt to shear sheep, and saved enough to buy a property at Tubbut. Through the drought he had used $30,000 of savings on feed, only to suffer stock losses from dingoes and hypothermia. He had supplemented his income by shearing. But now the area’s flocks were so small that this work had all but disappeared. Another farmer had been left to run the property while her husband and school age son herded their cattle along stock routes in Central NSW. They’d done this all summer and were still doing it, with no end to their enforced separation in sight.

East Gippsland’s ground has been looking green, but thanks to weeds which recovered first. Real grasses have started back, but another two good seasons will be needed before they’re well established, the Rev Rob Dummermuth, of the UC’s remote area ministries explained. At least the daily feeding of stock was over, leaving some time to worry about recovery times and the low prices for wool and beef. “But it’s going to be a fairly sparse Christmas, and we hope to be receiving some of those gifts to the ‘Families to Families’ appeal,” he said. (The appeal is run by the Uniting Church with Target and Fosseys stores.)

There’ll also be memories of contact with the west. As Val Webb, of Natimuk/Goroke put it in part of her poem about the experience:

“We visited farms in East Gippsland last week
     to see how they are all surviving.
We were welcomed with love and oh, so much thanks
     from the time we started arriving.
‘You don’t know what that grain has meant to us,’
     the people of Tubbut shared.
‘We’re finished, we felt we couldn’t go on,
     and then someone showed that they cared.’ ”

A number of other parishes also gave grain (through the Victorian Farmers Federation network) and other donations to east Gippsland, and the whole Uniting Church contributed about $70,000 (through SHARE, Synod, and the National Assembly).