No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
Summary: This is a long passage, but worth looking at as a whole. In it, Paul lays out very specific requirements for a widow to qualify for support from the church.
In this passage, Paul gets down to what used to be called “the brass tacks.”
Apparently, nobody really knows where this saying comes from. Some think it originated in a furniture shop because brass tacks were used to install the final upholstery. Others say that the saying might have come from the shop that sold the fabric used for upholstery. Brass tacks were used to mark yards of fabric. In both cases, getting down to ‘brass tacks’ meant getting down to business, to the final details of a business transaction.
So let’s get down to business.
If a widow is going to be supported by the church body, then certain conditions have to be met. Here are Paul’s rules:
1. The widow has to be over sixty years old.
2. She has to have been faithful to her husband.
3. She has a reputation for doing good deeds:
As to what constitutes “good deeds,” Paul has a very specific list: She has raised children, shown hospitality, washed the feet of the Lord’s people, and helped those in trouble.
We might well wonder how many widows actually met these stringent requirements!
Does Paul, and by extension Jesus, really expect women who are widows to live up to all these rules?
The short answer is, “No.” As we will see in the next few verses, Paul is a realist. He knows people and knows our “flesh” nature is a cruel master (Romans 7:14-25). The important thing to remember is the reason for the rules; people come to the church asking for help. When the church body takes on the responsibility for providing for someone long-term, that is a big commitment.
It seems logical that Paul and Jesus would want to protect the church from making a commitment it cannot keep. If the church were to break its pledge to help someone, that would bring disgrace on the church and on God.
Ultimately, Paul’s rules are reasonable when it comes to when it comes to the church making long-term financial commitments.
Application: Consider Paul’s “rules” as a model for church benevolence.
Food for Thought: What happens if Paul’s rules are not followed, and people who are not as devoted to Christ are given church money long-term?
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