1 Timothy 5.16-18-Wealthy Christian Women Should Financially Support Widows In Their Homes And Elders Who Work Hard Teaching Should Receive Financial Support From Church
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday August 28, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 5:16-18-Wealthy Christian Women Should Financially Support Widows In Their Homes And Elders Who Work Hard Teaching Should Receive Financial Support From The Church
Lesson # 115
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 5:16.
In 1 Timothy 5:16, the apostle Paul instructs Timothy and the Ephesian church to have Christian women who have the means to do so, take responsibility in supporting financially those who are widows indeed.
1 Timothy 5:16 If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed. (NASB95)
“If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows” is a protasis of a first class condition that indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument.
The idea behind the first class condition is not “since” but rather, “if-and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that, then...”
“Any woman” refers specifically to well to do or wealthy Christian women in Ephesus, which is indicated by the fact that the noun chera, “widows” is in the plural meaning that this hypothetical Christian woman possesses more than one widow in her home.
This would indicate that she is wealthy since to support more than one widow in one’s home, you would have to be well off financially.
Another factor that strongly suggests that τις πιστὴ, “any woman believer” is a reference to wealthy Christian women is Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 2:9.
The command in 1 Timothy 2:9 clearly implies that there were Christian women in Ephesus who were wealthy since only those women who were wealthy could afford to adorn themselves with extravagant hairstyles as well as with gold and pearls and extravagantly expensive clothing.
This command would not apply to a Christian woman who was poor or even middle class.
“She must assist them” is the apodasis and refers to wealthy Christian women financially helping Christian widows in their households.
“And the church must not be burdened” explains in another way or from a different perspective the previous command.
It describes wealthy Christian women burdening financially the Ephesian Christian community because of not supporting the widows in their own homes and instead letting the church fulfill this responsibility for these widows.
This clause denies any idea of these wealthy Christian women failing to fulfill their responsibility to provide financially for the widows in their own homes.
“So that it may assist those who are widows indeed” presents Paul’s purpose for prohibiting wealthy Christian women from burdening the church financially because of not financially supporting the widows in their own homes.
It is describing a widow who does not have children or relatives to support them financially and materially.
It contains the idea that she is a widow in the truest sense meaning that they meet the qualifications presented by Paul in 1 Timothy 5:5 and 9-10 making them eligible for financial aid from the church.
It does not however deny that others are widows in the normal sense of the word but rather it is used to signify those who qualify for the church’s care.
Paul in 1 Timothy 5:17 issues another command to the Ephesian Christian community through his young delegate and fellow pastor-teacher, Timothy.
1 Timothy 5:17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. (NASB95)
“The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor” is referring to those who held the office of overseer, which could only be held by those men with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher that had met the qualifications listed by Paul in 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
This is indicated by the fact that they were to receive double remuneration for working hard teaching the Word of God.
So their function is described by Paul in 1 Timothy 5:17 as teaching the Word of God.
The statement conveys the idea that the elder, i.e. the overseer or pastor-teacher is governing the household of God according to the standards of God’s Word and specifically with regards to teaching the Word of God to the household of God and operating in God’s love by the power of the Spirit.
It indicates that as a general precept, the Ephesian Christian community must consider worthy of double honor those pastor-teachers who work hard at teaching the Word of God.
The fact that Paul addresses this issue of remuneration of elders implies that there was a problem in the Christian community in Ephesus with regards to their attitudes towards pastor-teachers.
Undoubtedly, this was the direct result of the apostasy of many pastors in Ephesus, whom Paul discusses in 1 Timothy chapter one.
Of course, there were Christians who adhered to this command by Paul in 1 Timothy 5:17 and there must have been some that did not otherwise he would not addressed this issue in the first place.
“Double honor” speaks of respect and valuing the role of the elders in teaching the Ephesian congregation the Word of God but also it denotes remuneration for fulfilling this function on behalf of the body of Christ.
It denotes that the Ephesian Christian community is not only to show respect for those elders who worked hard at teaching them the Word of God but also was to provide for them financially, which demonstrates how much they value what these elders do for them and their families.
A Christian demonstrates respect for the pastor who works hard teaching them the Word of God by reciprocating and paying him for his services.
By doing so, he also demonstrates how much he values this work on his behalf by the pastor.
“Especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” is defining a specific segment of elders who are to receive double honor, namely those who teach, i.e. the pastor-teachers.
It refers to elders who work hard in the sense of exerting themselves mentally, physically and spiritually in the face of adversity.
“Preaching” is the noun logos, which means “word” and refers to the content of the gospel with respect to the church since Paul is speaking of the function of pastor-teachers in the body of Christ and on behalf of the body of Christ.
“Teaching” is the noun didaskalia, which speaks of teaching church age believers from the Scriptures the various doctrines contained in them.
The apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 5:18 cites two passages of Scripture to support his command in 1 Timothy 5:17.
1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” (NASB95)
This verse is introducing a clause the presents the basis for Paul’s command in 1 Timothy 5:17.
The statement “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing” is a quotation from Deuteronomy 25:4.
Originally, the command in Deuteronomy 25:4 was given out of concern for oxen employed by the citizens of Israel.
The ox was driven over a threshing floor and by doing so would separate the grain from the stalk and chaff with its hooves.
The animal was allowed to eat some of the grain.
In 1 Timothy 5:18 and 1 Corinthians 9:1-14, Paul teaches from this command in Deuteronomy 25:4 that if the animal is allowed to sustain itself by the work it provides for the farmer, should not pastor-teachers sustain themselves by the work they perform for their congregations.
The apostle Paul teaches the Corinthian church that they are to support pastor-teachers financially by employing the figure of a fortiori and applying the reasoning from this command in the Mosaic Law concerning provision for oxen to the pastor-teachers who taught them the Word of God.
If God is concerned about oxen, then the argument of a fortiori teaches how much more is He concerned about those who serve them by teaching them the Word of God.
If God wants oxen to partake of grain that they thresh, how much more should pastor-teachers benefit materially and financially from those they serve by teaching them the Word of God.
The muzzle was forbidden because it was cruel and inhumane to walk an ox over the grain all day and never allow him to satisfy his own hunger.
Paul teaches that just as God forbid the Israelites from muzzling their oxen when the animal was threshing out the grain, so the Christian community should not do the same by not paying their elders for their services of teaching them the Word of God.
As it was cruel to muzzle the ox, it was equally cruel for the Christian community to not provide for their pastor-teachers’ financial and material needs.
“And the laborer is worthy of his wages” is a quotation from Luke 10:7 and Matthew 10:10 and teaches that those elders who work hard teaching the Ephesian Christian community the Word of God are worthy of being paid for their services.
It teaches that the pastor-teacher who works hard teaching his congregation the Word of God should be considered by his congregation as meriting pay for his services or in other words, should get paid for teaching them.