The next series of articles is from Acts 6:1-7. This narrative not only gives us additional insight into the early church, but it also provides an example of how wise decisions cross the boundaries of both physical and spiritual needs, and keep the church healthy inside and out.
Let’s start with what some might call the “problem statement” for what was being experienced. (And, like modern leaders, we could point out that what some see as a problem was actually an opportunity, but maybe that hits too close to home for some of us who are still “running the rat race”.)
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
Acts 6:1 NIV
Let’s first make sure that we understand the situation. Depending on your Bible translation, who these two groups of widows are may or may not be clear, so here are some details:
Hebraic or Hebrew Jewish people are those who are Jewish by ethnicity, practice Jewish traditions, and generally speak Hebrew with their family. Per commentary, they were typically born and/or raised in the region of Judea (or maybe Galilee, in some cases).
Hellenistic (or Grecian) Jewish people are still Jewish by ethnicity (or perhaps had become Jewish by other means), but probably speak Greek at the dinner table with their family, and have taken on some other traditions from Greek culture (which, as you probably know, had a major influence in that region before the Romans took over). They may have been born outside of the Jewish land where they are now residing.
Both of these groups probably spoke some Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic in common, so they could talk with each other, but they differ in their cultural practices. This doesn’t mean that any one of them is sinning or anything like that; just that they have differences. However (as you might expect, if you’ve spent any amount of time with human beings before), the Hebrew Jews sometimes looked down on the Greek Jews [Reese, p.247].
I was thinking about what this might look like today, and I imagine a modern church in one of the southern states of the United States (maybe Arizona or Texas), near the border with Mexico. We could reasonably expect that this congregation would contain people of European descent, as well as people of Mexican descent. (The United States of America is blessed to welcome all sorts of ethnicities, so there could be other backgrounds in this congregation, but this is a simplified illustration.) All of these people are full members of the Body of Christ, and share in the same joy of salvation. Having said that, while everyone in this hypothetical congregation can communicate with each other in English, some of them speak Spanish with their families and neighbors. These Christians from Spanish-speaking countries (whether Mexico or further south) might also eat different kinds of food at home and celebrate different holidays, compared to some of their fellow Christians.
When we imagine this, or any other multicultural congregation, we can get some idea of what the early church might have been experiencing.
Because I’m getting a little wordy in this article, let’s pause here and think about the challenges that a multicultural congregation might experience today, along with Biblical and God-honoring ways that those challenges could become opportunities for increased unity in the church, and to bless even more people – both within the congregation and within the community around them – as a result.
Perhaps this idea of a culturally-diverse congregation looks like your own, or maybe it looks like what you aspire to see in the church. If this hits home, I encourage you to go ahead and read Acts 6:1-7 to learn about the solution, and then join us here over the next several articles as we discuss that passage further.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for October 15, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, October 15, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- New Testament History: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Acts, by Gareth L. Reese. © 1976, College Press Publishing Company.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Acts, by Dennis Gaertner. © 1993 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 