“Honor widows who are truly widows… 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.” (1 Timothy 5:3, 8 ESV)
We have seen that the purpose of the letter to Timothy is to instruct him on how to conduct himself in the face of his pastoral duties.
In chapter 5, after a brief instruction on how Timothy relates to others in the church (older men and women and younger men and women), Paul turns his attention to the issue of widows needing help. Paul is concerned with them and tells Timothy not to neglect this group.
There were two types of widows in the church of Ephesus: the younger and the older ones. Paul’s attention goes specifically to the older ones who are alone and have no family. For those who are young, Paul encourages them to get married and raise a family. Among the older ones, Timothy is to identify those who have family members and those who do not.
Paul’s reasoning is biblical and ingrained in the OT theology and Jewish cultural heritage. Children are to honor their parents beyond just giving them respect but also financially; this is what is implied in the fifth commandment in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”
Those in the church who neglect to help their family members this way are placing an unnecessary burden on the church and denying their faith with their attitudes. In verse 8, Paul’s words to them are weighty; he says that they were worse than unbelievers. The cultural assumption is that if unbelievers care for their widows, how much more should Christians?
Paul’s point in this passage is practical: the younger widows should remarry, the older ones with family members ought to be helped by them, and for those who are alone, the church should come alongside and support them.
Even though nowadays we do not deal with the issue of widowhood in the same proportion as the church in the first century, this passage raises a question of exegesis, a cultural exegesis.
How can we, the church in the 21st century, care not only for our widows and orphans but also identify the needy and neglected among us and our community and offer holistic care for them?
An answer to this is not easy; it will require the church and its leadership to come together to pray, seek guidance, and engage the community.
Like the Ephesian church, our goal should be to identify and screen among the many needs in our community and focus our resources and time on the most vulnerable, perhaps neglected, and in need.
The Bible encourages us to serve and help others in and outside the church but does not give us a blueprint on how to do it in our own context. May the Lord help us be a prayerful church, concerned with our community’s needs and willing to honor the Lord by serving others.