Sunday School Lesson: Practicing Justice and Mercy

Purpose: To encourage and honor our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Scripture: 1 Timothy 5:1-8, 17-24

In today’s passage from Paul’s first letter to Timothy, Paul offers instructions to Timothy about relationships within the congregation, in particular, information about the honor due widows, special instructions concerning younger and older widows and instructions about elders.

I want you to think outside of the church. What groups of people are treated with special favor or with the most respect in our society today?

From my viewpoint it seems that the ONLY respect shown in our profit-driven society is to whoever we can receive some benefit from. Regardless of our profession or industry - from politicians to sanitation workers - respect is generally reserved for those who control the finances.

What about inside families? Are family members these days generally respectful of each other?

How SHOULD family members treat each other? How far off are we from how we should treat each other to how we actually do treat each other?

When the word "honor" is used, what do you generally think of?

When we "honor" someone today, what does that typically entail?

In our society, to "honor" someone usually carries the same meaning as "award" or "reward" or "distinction". We usually only honor persons of great distinction and accomplishment. In our society "honor" is something that must be earned. How does this differ from the Christian concept of "honor"?

How are the elderly treated by our society?

Does our society offer "honor" to our elderly?

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father. Treat younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, younger women like sisters, in all purity. Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 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.
(1Ti 5:1-8 ESV)

Don't be harsh or impatient with an older man. Talk to him as you would your own father, and to the younger men as your brothers. Reverently honor an older woman as you would your mother, and the younger women as sisters. Take care of widows who are destitute. If a widow has family members to take care of her, let them learn that religion begins at their own doorstep and that they should pay back with gratitude some of what they have received. This pleases God immensely. You can tell a legitimate widow by the way she has put all her hope in God, praying to him constantly for the needs of others as well as her own. But a widow who exploits people's emotions and pocketbooks--well, there's nothing to her. Tell these things to the people so that they will do the right thing in their extended family. Anyone who neglects to care for family members in need repudiates the faith. That's worse than refusing to believe in the first place.
(1Ti 5:1-8 MSG)


Is our church like a family?
Is our church a place where all persons are welcome and treated with respect and dignity?
Is our church representative of the church as a whole?

In verse 2 Paul used the phrase "absolute purity". How would you describe absolute purity?

What is the difference between purity and absolute purity?

In verse 3 Paul used the phrase "really widows". What is the difference between widow and "really" widow?

In first century society, blood relatives were expected to care for widows in their families. "Really" widows were those widows who had no blood relatives and were left to fend for themselves. A widow with no blood relatives would have been at the absolute bottom of the economic scale in that society.

What groups of people in our society could we equate with "widows who are really widows"?

If we skip down to verse 8, we see that Paul uses dome strong language to reenforce the concept of caring for family. Does Paul in verse 8 extend our responsibility to our church family?

In a society that shows a lack of care even for blood-related family members, what treatment can those who are left without family expect?

What role and responsibility does the church have toward the "real" widows?

How is the church meeting it’s responsibility?

Does verse 8 apply only to those who fail to care for their aging parents or can we say that anyone who does not strive to meet the needs of all family members is "worse than an unbeliever"?

If we extend the family reference in verse 8 to our church family, what percentage of our churches would you say are "worse than unbelievers"?

As stated earlier, our society tends to think of honor as some type of recognition or award for some achievement. How could we restate verse 3 and replace the word "honor" with words more suitable to Paul’s intent?

We could say "Support, uphold, and care for widows".

Or -

Think of "honor" as a value or worth that we place on a person and we could say: "Consider the widows who are really widows as valuable persons; persons of great worth; part of our family."
If we value family as we SHOULD value family, then that is a powerful statement. If we think of "honor" in this way, then when we "honor" someone in the church, we are not talking about achievements or awards or accomplishments, but about the value of a person. In the church, as in our families, every person SHOULD be considered valuable beyond any earthly concept of value.

Why does God want Christians to honor one another?
1) The character of God.
2) The nature of the Church’s mission.
God desires so greatly to save all persons that He sent Jesus to offer us salvation. Jesus sacrificed all so that we all could have the opportunity of salvation. If this is how God relates to sinful humanity, how much more ought we as persons who have experienced God’s grace and mercy treat others in the same way. This letter of 1 Timothy stresses the necessity of the church to live as a witness to the world. If Christians do not honor one another, what does this say about the God whom we profess to serve?

Earlier I asked you to think of groups that would equate with "widows who are really widows". Thinking of those groups, what does it mean to honor such persons? How do we honor such persons?

Does this "honor" include financial support?

In what ways could we "honor" these folks other than financially?

While financial support may sometimes be needed, many times fellowship may be of greater help. Our society offers financial safety nets through government programs, pension plans, and insurance that in most cases will help to meet basic physical needs, but nothing the secular society offers will provide for spiritual needs. In many cases the greatest example of "honor" that we can give a lonely person is a visit or a phone call or a ride to the store or to their doctor or to church.

Our Adult Bible Studies Teacher book had an excerpt from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic Life Together. The focus of this book was the Christian community and relations within that community. Bonhoeffer was a pastor in the German Confessing Lutheran Church. At the time of Hitler’s rise to power, Bonhoeffer was teaching and preaching in the United States, England, and Spain. Bonhoeffer could have remained outside of Germany and avoided the conflicts that the Nazis brought upon the German church. Instead Bonhoeffer saw his place inside Germany defending the church from the influence of the Nazi party. Bonhoeffer helped establish an underground seminary to train pastors after the official seminaries were closed or controlled by the government. Bonhoeffer spent his last two years in Nazi prisons and was executed by the Nazis as the Allied troops marched into Germany. Here is the excerpt:

We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and cancelling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by preoccupied with our more important tasks, as the priest passed by the man who had fallen among thieves, perhaps - reading the Bible (as he passed)...It is a strange fact that Christians and even ministers frequently consider their work so important and urgent that they will allow nothing to disturb them.... They do not want a life that is crossed and balked. But it is part of the discipline of humility that we must not spare our hand where it can perform a service and that we do not assume that our schedule is our own to manage, but allow it to be arranged by God.

Why did Bonhoeffer believe that Christians sometimes neglect others?

What do Christians miss out on when we do not honor our fellow believers?

According to our scripture passage who has the primary responsibility of caring for the needy?

Their family. Let’s talk about some tough decisions that may be faced by families. When an elderly or indigent relative becomes unable to care for themselves, what are some of our options?

They can be taken into our homes or we can move into their homes to help care for them. Under what circumstances would this not be the best choice?

What if we don’t live near each other? How do we decide who moves?

If caring for a family member interferes with our job, should we give up the job?

Many needs can only be met by an assisted-care or nursing facility. This is sometimes the only option if specialized care is needed. Does placing a loved one in a care facility relieve family members of their responsibility for emotional support?

If a person has living relatives who are able to care for them, is the church’s responsibility relieved?
But verse 4 says, "If a widow has children or grandchildren....."