“Do
not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your
father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and
younger women as sisters, with absolute purity” (1 Timothy 5:1,2).
A
healthy church is
intergenerational. Certainly there are campus churches and newer
congregations that tend to attract a younger crowd. When we started a
church in northern Pennsylvania in the seventies it was mostly young
people similar in age to us at the time. However we certainly welcomed
older folks. Of course something remarkable happened since then; we all
got older!
Several years ago we wrote a story about a church that catered to “cool
people” and it concerns us that there is so much generational division
in many churches. But in our view a healthy church has crying babies,
squeamish toddlers,
giggling even rascally children (like I SCW was), note-passing teens,
young families, singles, and
graying patriarchs. We really do need each other!
Several years ago an older friend told me a story that hurt my heart
but sadly, it’s happening all over. He expressed himself to the pastor
and
worship team leader concerning music and his concerns were
rather rudely dismissed. Now we realize you can’t please everyone,
especially with music, but thankfully we have found this elder brother,
now in his nineties exhibiting a good spirit.
Another story was told to us by an elderly lady who had been in one our
area’s premier retirement communities. She observed a younger worker
berating an older person. We are now in our younger older years but are
certainly experiencing the effects of the aging process. We would like to ask
these young people, “You are going to get old someday, how do you want to be treated?” The Golden Rule is especially applicable in respecting one another, no matter the age.
Paul’s
words to Timothy in our daily text
may be easily overlooked, but they contain good counsel for all
interpersonal relationships. This is in a message to the young
minister, Timothy. The advice he gives is
timeless and is helpful in all relationships. It can be summed up with
the word “respect”. The principle applies to how we treat these various
groups, covering each situation we will encounter. This verse, which deals with non-family relationships
presumes a knowledge of a healthy family, something more and more have
no experience with as we see such a breakdown in the God-ordained
social order as people continue in their rebellion against God.
1) The passage deals with how we treat those who are older than ourselves. “Do
not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your
father.” Treat… older women as mothers.” A foundational aspect of honor in a society is how the elderly are treated. There
is rarely a time in life when this would not apply to us but I suppose
there are some very elderly who have no one older they associate with.
It’s interesting what Paul says our attitude toward the elderly should
be; that which we should also have toward our own parents.
I consider especially the call
to “exhort him as if he were your
father” and “treat older women as mothers”. The cross-reference to this verse leads us straight to the Fifth
Commandment, which commands “Honor your father and your mother.”
2) The passage deals with how we treat those who are younger than ourselves. “Treat younger men as brothers, and
younger women as sisters, with absolute purity” (We
believe this would also apply to our age peers.) Isn’t it wonderful to
see a family of siblings really love each other? On July 4th we went to
Knoebel’s Amusement Park and shared some photos yesterday. I had told
the Amish kids I would like to take them as well but due to space could
just three of the four who were old enough to make the trip. They felt
so bad for their younger sister who wouldn’t be able to go they decided
not to go at all so later this summer we will take them all up since I
made a promise.
In speaking to our male readers, let’s be sure that we treat younger women “with absolute purity”.
Bible teacher David Guzic makes this point: “Timothy, as any godly man,
was to always make certain his conduct towards younger women was always
pure and above reproach. A godly man is not flirtatious or provocative,
and does not use double entendre’ (witty words that can be taken in a
flirtatious or provocative way).”
Finally,
as we seek to practice this simple to understand command from the Bible
we will have harmony in our homes and witness it in our churches as
well. That’s good counsel for all!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
