"Devoted to Caring for the Humble"

Acts 6:1-7 (click to display NIV text)

July 5, 2009 ("The Church: A Devoted People" series, Week 4; see also Week One, Week Three, Week Five)

Pastor Dwight A. Nelson

"In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food."

            When Covenant Missionary JoEllen Reeves was here in May, she said that in Mexico, people of modest means are not called "the poor," but rather "the humble." I liked that. The word "poor" carries so many negative meanings. We talk about getting "poor grades" in school, or a product of "poor quality," or a person making "poor choices." But "humble" is a word with a number of positive associations. In this day of economic downturn we can learn from the humble. The humble do not waste resources or over-consume. The humble are often able to enjoy their families, they are able to pray. Paul, the leader of the Gentile churches, was humble when he was in prison. He was in need of care. Epaphroditus, a prominent member of the church in Philippi, was humble when he became ill when visiting Paul in prison.

            The early church valued the humble and cared for their needs. That was part of the identity of the church. The church did not allow its people to go hungry, to be vulnerable to poverty and its diseases, or to suffer while others had plenty. We read in Acts chapter 4 that "All the believers were one in heart and mind." And "there were no needy persons."

            Every culture, social order or group has people that are ignored, neglected or missed in some way. Every organization has blind spots, a lack of awareness or sensitivity. To correct that, the group must intentionally make changes. The early church changed its leadership structure because they found that they were overlooking one group of widows who needed care.

            In the social order of groups in the ancient world, the vulnerable or forgotten group was that of widows and orphans. We might say they were underserved, or at risk. Widows were left without property and without opportunity to work. The Jewish structure cared for them, but not always well. We remember Jesus when he was at the temple, commenting on a widow who put one mite into the offering, and Jesus said she gave all she had. It was a meager existence.

            In the early church, the care of widows became a core value. This practice came from a number of passages in the Old Testament. In Malachi 3:5, the Lord says, "I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows or the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me." Caring for widows was an essential element of a righteous life.

The care of widows also comes from the teachings of Jesus about giving to the poor, and from the love of God found on the cross. People whose souls are formed by the cross and resurrection of Jesus share the love of God with those who are in need. So the early Christians became people who were devoted to the care of the humble.

            But the rapid growth of the church exposed a problem in this core value. There were in the church two groups of people, the Hellenistic or Greek-speaking Jews who had come to Jerusalem from cities all over the region; and the Hebraic or Aramaic-speaking Jews, who had lived their whole lives in Palestine. Many of the Greek-speaking Jews moved to Jerusalem in their older years, often because they wanted to be buried there. So in the church there came to be quite a few Greek-speaking widows, women who had recently moved to Jerusalem and perhaps did not have family nearby or resources of their own.

            It was this group that was being "overlooked’ in the distribution of food. I am not sure why they were overlooked. It seems to have been unintentional, and yet in any setting where there is a dominant culture and a newly arrived group, especially if there is a language difference, there is a lack of sensitivity to the needs of the new group. The dominant group just does not see it.

            The Greek widows were being "overlooked," their needs not seen, and so they complained. The word is more harsh; they "murmured" like the children of Israel murmured to Moses when they were in the wilderness. There was a danger that the church would split over this issue.

            The apostles then have to face the problem. They have to own up to a failure that is their responsibility. They were overlooking a group of widows. They were not carrying out a core value of the church. How might they respond?

            They could have denied the problem. "There is no problem here. After all, we are the inerrant apostles, chosen by Jesus. You must accept our actions as the will of God."

            They could have accepted the blame and decided to try harder, to do better, even as the church grew and they were stretched to the limit. "Trust us. We will take care of this situation. Be patient. We will just do more work."

A third solution is the one they chose. They affirmed the core values of both evangelism and compassion. But to accomplish both, they realized the organization of the church had to change. The apostles had to let go of some of their authority. So they allowed the church to pick seven men, simply giving as the requirements for this group that they be known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. They then entrusted the care of all the widows to this group. The church picked seven men with Greek names. Soon it became clear that these were not just involved in distributing food. At least two of them were evangelists: Stephen and Philip. This reorganization of the church was not about a strict division of labor, it was about the selection of new leaders, leaders from the overlooked group. The apostles did not divide the work into the spiritual and the practical. They continued to preach, heal and minister in very public ways. The new leaders did not just distribute food, they also preached. Stephen becomes the first martyr because of what he preached, and Philip ends up as an evangelist in Samaria. As a result, the Word of God spread and widows were cared for, and the church stayed unified.

            What is the application of this decision for us today? We too are devoted to both evangelism and the care of the humble. But to live out these core values in our day may also require a change in organizational structure, may require more sharing of leadership or an expansion of leadership and authority. We are certainly being tested these days. Can we actually put into practice what we say we believe? Can we be effective evangelists in our secular culture? Can we care for people in our church and community who are overlooked, who are struggling in our current economy? To deny that we have a problem in order to preserve our authority or organizational structures will be defeating in the long run. To follow the wisdom of the apostles is the best solution.

            I know it is difficult to change an organization so ministry gets accomplished. But the apostles were not devoted to their own positions, nor were they devoted to an organizational structure. They were devoted to evangelism and caring for widows.

            I do not know what this might mean for us. I do know that we have weak areas, we have blind spots, we have struggles in living out our core values.

            At the cross, the obstacles, resistance, self-protective attitudes and power struggles are dealt with by Jesus himself. Our "unintentional sins" are confronted and defeated just as surely as our willful rebellion. Forgiveness is real and touches even the failures we did not intend. But we also see that in the resurrection of Jesus and the gift or the Holy Spirit, there is power given and wisdom given for us to be able to understand and overcome our failures. The Apostles did not deny their fault in the issue with unfair distribution of food. But they did not forever berate themselves either. There was in the handling of the issue a renewing power that led to a just settlement. In Christ, there is victory, even over ourselves.

            So we come to the table today, willing to admit our sin and our failures; the ways we often hurt others or disobey God without intending to do so. But we also come today to be renewed, to be filled with Resurrection power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so we can make good decisions and take good actions. We are the church, a devoted people. We ask God to renew us now in that devotion.

            Amen.