Sermon Snippet – The Dignity of Doctrine and the Doctrine of Dignity – Part III
INTRODUCTION – We have been studying the dignity of doctrine (Titus 2:1) and the doctrine of human dignity (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 139:13-17; Jeremiah 1:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8; Galatians 4:4-5; Matthew 17:1-3; Mark 8:36-37). Last week, we considered the Biblical example of Esther, finding that each one of us is also made “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14b). Today, let us think about a specific group of people – widows (and by logical extension, widowers).
1. THE WORLD OFTEN TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE VULNERABLE, INCLUDING THE WIDOWED
As is so often the case, the legalistic Pharisees, the religious elites of the first century, provide a negative example: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation” (Matthew 23:14). These vile, evil men used their positions of legal authority to bring claims against wealthy widows or to coerce them into giving their estates away. Nothing has changed. My mother has been widowed for fifteen years, and all of the usual suspects have sought to use her age and status to get something out of her. I also remember a local attorney who sneaked onto my grandmother’s property, going through the woods on a dirt bike to avoid detection by family members, and tried to force her to sell all of the property to him for a piddling sum (less than 5% of its appraised value). She had a backbone of steel and a mind like a steel trap and would not let him steal her heritage, but she should never have been treated like that – and some elderly people do not have the strength or the mental capacity to deal effectively with such crooks. Jesus rightly pronounces “damnation” on those who attempt to take advantage of the vulnerable. As the preacher John Jasper used to say, “Let God be praised and sinners be warned.”
2. JESUS CARES ABOUT THE VULNERABLE, INCLUDING THE WIDOWED
In His earthly ministry, Jesus demonstrated genuine regard for widows. In Mark 12:41-44, He bestowed the highest possible commendation upon “a certain poor widow” for her extraordinary level of giving, a tangible expression of her devout faith. In Luke 7:11-17, Jesus blessed a widow by raising her “only son” from the dead; with fine understatement, the Scripture says, “He had compassion on her.” In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus uses a parable about a persistent widow to teach all of us about prayer and about the righteous vengeance of God. All of these passages reveal that Jesus cares about the widowed. Concern, sensitivity, provision – Jesus cared then about these things and cares now, for He does not change. May we learn to care about the matters that matter to our Savior.
3. WE ARE COMMANDED TO TEND TO THE NEEDS OF THE VULNERABLE, INCLUDING THE WIDOWED
Our culture is different from that of the first century, and different financial support systems are in place for the elderly (what is often called the safety net). Still, though, the principles of the Word of God are timeless. I Timothy 5:3-4 places the primary responsibility on the family, with the church in a secondary role. James 1:27 provides insight into the practical outworkings of genuine faith in Jesus and includes helping “widows in their affliction” (“visit means to look after and certainly involves spiritual help as well as physical, emotional, and financial). The commands of God are always good: we should cherish them and “run the way of [His] commandments” (Psalm 119:32a).
CONCLUSION – The eternal nature of the human soul demands that each of us trust in Jesus for eternal salvation. Age and marital status are no impediments to faith in Jesus: we all need Him as Savior. When we receive His gift of everlasting life with Him in heaven, our lives are transformed, and we begin to value what He values. May we thus cherish the vulnerable, including the widowed, and do for them what we can while we can.