Up to this point most of the problems the church has had have been from outside. Now there is a problem internally. As the church was taking care of the needs of people – particularly the widows who had no one to care for them - there is a complaint that the Hebrew converts are getting more care than the Hellenistic converts.
A note of explanation: Both of these groups were Jewish, and both had converted to Christianity. The difference goes back to Alexander the Great. You probably remember that he conquered a large portion of the known world, and brought the Greek (aka Hellenistic) culture and language with him. Some Jews embraced that culture (the Hellenists) and others did not, clinging to their Hebrew heritage. This was a source of much conflict in First Century Palestine.
How do the apostles respond to this complaint?
Well, they do not say that the Hellenistic believers didn’t know what they were talking about. They do not call them troublemakers, alligators, or pains-in-the-patootie. They do not accuse the Hellenists of being less grateful or spiritual, nor do they imply that if they were better Christians there would not be this problem. They hear the complaint and respond out of love and concern.
That being said, in their response they do not take their “eye off the ball.” They keep their focus on the main mission – proclaiming the gospel. The temptation is to get so wrapped up in the many needs of the day-to-day that the mission to share the Gospel gets neglected.
The other error they could have made would be to ignore the problem. They could have displayed an attitude that said, “We’re only here to meet people’s spiritual needs.” This would have been equally wrong. Spiritual and physical are not mutually exclusive realms. God made both, and he made people so that we are in both. To care for the whole person is to care about their bodily needs and the spiritual needs.
So what did they do? They appointed people who are gifted, full of the Spirit and have wisdom to make sure that this problem is taken care of and the widows get fed. At the same time they made sure that the Gospel continues to be proclaimed. Indeed, even the men they appointed joined in sharing the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection as they went about feeding people!
This is still a struggle for the church. It is very easy for pastors to fill their time with all kinds of things that need to be done – and some of it is genuinely good and loving work – to the point that they neglect preaching and teaching. It is possible for congregations to get so wrapped up in paying bills, maintaining facilities, and doing business that they lose the focus of sharing forgiveness and salvation. (I think the YMCA is a great example of this. They were once an evangelistic ministry. Now they are primarily a gym.) The relationship between pastors and congregations is intended to be a partnership to grow the kingdom as they address both physical and spiritual needs, while never neglecting “prayer and the ministry of the Word.”
Father, guide Your people to properly balance the work of caring for people’s body and souls. Help us to love our neighbors and care for their health and welfare. At the same time, keep us focused on bringing the message of salvation to others in Jesus’ name. Amen.
A note of explanation: Both of these groups were Jewish, and both had converted to Christianity. The difference goes back to Alexander the Great. You probably remember that he conquered a large portion of the known world, and brought the Greek (aka Hellenistic) culture and language with him. Some Jews embraced that culture (the Hellenists) and others did not, clinging to their Hebrew heritage. This was a source of much conflict in First Century Palestine.
How do the apostles respond to this complaint?
Well, they do not say that the Hellenistic believers didn’t know what they were talking about. They do not call them troublemakers, alligators, or pains-in-the-patootie. They do not accuse the Hellenists of being less grateful or spiritual, nor do they imply that if they were better Christians there would not be this problem. They hear the complaint and respond out of love and concern.
That being said, in their response they do not take their “eye off the ball.” They keep their focus on the main mission – proclaiming the gospel. The temptation is to get so wrapped up in the many needs of the day-to-day that the mission to share the Gospel gets neglected.
The other error they could have made would be to ignore the problem. They could have displayed an attitude that said, “We’re only here to meet people’s spiritual needs.” This would have been equally wrong. Spiritual and physical are not mutually exclusive realms. God made both, and he made people so that we are in both. To care for the whole person is to care about their bodily needs and the spiritual needs.
So what did they do? They appointed people who are gifted, full of the Spirit and have wisdom to make sure that this problem is taken care of and the widows get fed. At the same time they made sure that the Gospel continues to be proclaimed. Indeed, even the men they appointed joined in sharing the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection as they went about feeding people!
This is still a struggle for the church. It is very easy for pastors to fill their time with all kinds of things that need to be done – and some of it is genuinely good and loving work – to the point that they neglect preaching and teaching. It is possible for congregations to get so wrapped up in paying bills, maintaining facilities, and doing business that they lose the focus of sharing forgiveness and salvation. (I think the YMCA is a great example of this. They were once an evangelistic ministry. Now they are primarily a gym.) The relationship between pastors and congregations is intended to be a partnership to grow the kingdom as they address both physical and spiritual needs, while never neglecting “prayer and the ministry of the Word.”
Father, guide Your people to properly balance the work of caring for people’s body and souls. Help us to love our neighbors and care for their health and welfare. At the same time, keep us focused on bringing the message of salvation to others in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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