Women with a Story to Tell: Widows in the New Testament

 God’s interest in socially marginalized people, especially widows, is clear throughout the Old Testament. I presented passages to this effect from the Pentateuch, particularly the Law books, from Psalms, and from the Prophets, both major and minor ones. God has standards for the attitude and behavior of political leaders. Given how much men desire power, God is quite critical of so-called leaders like kings, princes, and generals who do not prioritize the care of the poor and oppressed. 

 “Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly? All day long you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue” (Psalm 52: 1-4). 

 Three thousand years, and nothing has changed.

 Now, what about the New Testament? Since the structure of society has changed, does God have a new group that he is more concerned about protecting? 

 First, note that so-called leaders still feign concern for widows in order to score points in a political argument. One day, after watching the Pharisees fail in their arguments against Jesus, the Sadducees tried the ploy of pretending to be concerned about widows (Matthew 22: 23-29; see also Mark 12: 18-24 and Luke 20: 45–21:4). For politicians, needy widows, orphans, and aliens are just pawns in their game to gain power.

 Second, notice Jesus showed genuine concern for widows, orphans, and aliens. Early in his ministry, we see such an example, and it is more complex than you might think. 

 “Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow, and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with compassion for her and said to her, “Do not cry.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stopped. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus[c] gave him to his mother” (Luke 7: 11-15).

 Why was Jesus so moved with compassion for this particular widow? I thought this was about the resurrection of an unfortunate man who died young, no? Think about it. 

Jesus’ compassion is for the woman, not the dead man. She lost her husband who would have protected her in First Century Jewish society and now she is losing the only other man who could champion her cause. She is doomed! 

 Notice the emphasis of the text: “He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow.” Most readers down through history got the import of this description; we don’t. This event is not primarily about the resurrection of the dead; it is more about saving the life of a destitute woman. 

 How difficult was it for a woman to get justice for her cause? Very difficult if the judge is not Jesus. 

 “(Jesus) said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my accuser.’ For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ”And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them” (Luke 18: 2-8).

 Justice from judges is a difficult hurdle to overcome for a widow, but justice flows freely from God. Many judgmental Christians still don’t get it. In our own history, how long has it taken for women to gain equal rights before the law? It is still a problem in our own time. 

 The early church, where the Spirit moved like wildfire through the new Community of the King, made the care of widows a priority. In Acts 6: 1-6, the apostles moved quickly to appoint deacons to oversee the care of widows and the poor. What was the result? 

 “The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6: 7). 

 This new sect, called ‘The Way’, was acting just like God on earth, following Jesus’ way. They did not reward greed; they did not give in to the hunger for power. They took the side of the widow, the orphan, and the alien against the power brokers of society. 

 James, the brother of Jesus, seemed rather conservative when he was blamed for requiring Gentile converts to follow Jewish laws(Galatians 2:12), but this may have been a false charge (Acts 15: 24-29) since it was James who gave voice to the decision of the Jerusalem council that Gentiles should not be bound by Jewish Law (Acts 15: 19-21). 

 James recognized that the heart of God in the Old Testament was not judgment and punishment, but rather grace and justice. James applied this understanding to the New Testament church.  

 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1: 27).

 God still cares for the widows and orphans and aliens.