Widows and Jesus Christ

In the Old Testament, even though there was a tithing system in which Jews gave 10% of whatever they had on a regular basis, there is no indication that the Jews used this system to care for their widows.

In those days families were responsible for taking care of their own widows and if there were no family support system then the widows were allowed to “glean” the fields. In other words they could go into the fields after the harvesters finished and pick up whatever was left over

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Otherwise widows had to find whatever work they could find… or beg.

Enter Jesus Christ… in the New Testament Christians supported each other including selling whatever they had to raise funds to help people like widows. In Acts 6, there was a “daily ministration” run by the church and over seen by the Apostles to feed Christian widows on a regular basis.

In 1 Timothy 5, there are qualifications to distinguish which widows could live under the support of the Church. Did the widow have family? Was she of the age where she could remarry? Was she of an age where she could work? Did she live a life consistent with being a Christian? If the widow did not fall in one of these categories then the Church would step in and care for the widow.

Ask yourself this if you were an aged widow with no family and you couldn’t work would you rather be a Jew or a Christian? Obviously the Christian system reflects a superior system of love which manifests itself in the care of each other and being a part of that superior system makes us better people.

All the widows thank God for sending Jesus Christ!

Remember… “Pure religion and undefiled before our God and father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows…” James 1:27.