Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
My thoughts -
There's a lot going on in here. First, there's the favorite verse for pretty much every youth group that has ever existed. I can still quote you 1 Timothy 4:12 from when I discovered in in high school. It's been on youth retreat T-shirts and stickers and literature and newsletters. It has become something of a rallying cry for young people in the church. And I can see why. "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young" has a certain amount of appeal to young people. But, at least when I was a youth, what followed was a bit easier to ignore. Also the fact that Paul was writing this to Timothy, who had been clearly called to ministry ("Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.")
So Paul is telling Timothy that, despite his young age he should "set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." Can our young people live up to this? Can our old people? Can anyone? Paul pretty much covers all of the bases here, doesn't he?
I also like that Paul tells Timothy to "not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father" and to also "treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." We often use the term "church family" and I love the intimacy of the family dynamic here. We are all family in Christ and we should care for each other as such.
The next part gets a little harder to wade through. Paul is telling Timothy what widows the church should not care for. The very idea that there are any that shouldn't be cared for seems pretty harsh. Who are we to judge need? But Timothy is supposed to only "give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need". That's just not the way I'm programmed. So we need to look a bit deeper into this. My gut reaction, however strong, is often wrong. So who is Paul telling Timothy that the church ought not to care for?
First, the widows who still have family that can care for them. There was no Social Security, insurance, or retirement plan here. Your children and grandchildren were your 401k. Paul is telling Timothy to not allow families to get out of their obligation to care for their elders. Respecting and caring for elderly was a big part of their culture and heritage. Look at the strong language Paul uses to describe those who deny their responsibility in this:
Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.It would be easy for an agrarian society to see the elderly and disabled as a burden but they are to be seen as a blessing and cared for. This was to be done first by the family and, failing that the church acted as a secondary family and safety net.
As for the part about "the widow who lives for pleasure", I don't really have any insight there. It seems harsh to me to try to judge who is really in need and who is just gaming the system. I don't like to make those calls. I'd just assume care for everyone and trust that there's enough to go around. But am I right in this? Resources are limited. Some people have real needs. Can we waste resources on those who don't?
I am glad I don't have to make that call.
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