Post by Admin on May 16, 2019 6:08:32 GMT
In the second chapter of Paul’s first letter to Timothy, we have inherited a text which has elements disturbing to our 21st century social conventions about the roles and equality of men and women. Before we delved into that, we spent time on Paul’s overall message to Timothy in this chapter, giving instruction on how he should manage congregation members in Ephesus. Before we read the chapter, we talked about who we rely upon for advice and information on both physical health and spiritual health – in both cases, we listen to people we trust, and people who demonstrate in their own lives conditions and attitudes we would like to emulate, such as peacefulness, joy, strength, and endurance. We talked about whether we are more likely to respect instruction from a person in authority, or a person who knows us even if he has no special position or stature. All of which ties in to submitting to Paul’s instruction – Paul being both a person with authority (an apostle, as he states) and a person who is knowledgeable about the situations in Ephesus, so he can provide targeted, specific advice based on his experience.
We segued to reading the short chapter. The opening line sets the scene – a congregation that prays as Jesus taught, lifting everyone up with thanks to God, everyone meaning leaders, authority figures, Christians, non-Christians. We noted that Paul uses the word “all” multiple times in the first verses to emphasize that Jesus came to all people. He also makes clear that the head of the church is no person at all anywhere, but Jesus himself, the mediator.
The next section, verses 8-10, offer instruction that seems derived from specific problems in the congregation. Keeping in mind that following Jewish tradition, men and women may have gathered to worship in separate groups, Paul’s observations fall upon the two groups separately as well: the men’s praying is uncommitted and bogged down with disagreement, while the women are busy comparing and competing and showing off to each other and perhaps to the men. Similar behaviors are commonly seen today, by men and women, and sow divisiveness in congregations. The following verses, 11-15, made us more uncomfortable as Paul’s words seem to direct women to be subservient because original sin was the fault of a woman. We discussed these remarks based on them being reflective of the culture at the time and directed to a specific congregation with particular issues about which we are barely knowledgeable. As Pat mentioned, if Paul were to write a letter to SFV, there would be a different list of instructions and advice, which would not necessarily apply or even make sense to another congregation. On the other hand, some felt that Paul’s remarks were backward and demeaning and could not be applied to the roles of women today, which begs the question of how to discern when scripture is merely rooted in a past social norm from which we need to evolve. The answer is to rely on the Holy Spirit. The goal is to shed whatever behaviors are incompatible with the charge at the beginning of the chapter, to be a congregation of love, encouragement, and thanksgiving, in prayer and action, towards all people.
We segued to reading the short chapter. The opening line sets the scene – a congregation that prays as Jesus taught, lifting everyone up with thanks to God, everyone meaning leaders, authority figures, Christians, non-Christians. We noted that Paul uses the word “all” multiple times in the first verses to emphasize that Jesus came to all people. He also makes clear that the head of the church is no person at all anywhere, but Jesus himself, the mediator.
The next section, verses 8-10, offer instruction that seems derived from specific problems in the congregation. Keeping in mind that following Jewish tradition, men and women may have gathered to worship in separate groups, Paul’s observations fall upon the two groups separately as well: the men’s praying is uncommitted and bogged down with disagreement, while the women are busy comparing and competing and showing off to each other and perhaps to the men. Similar behaviors are commonly seen today, by men and women, and sow divisiveness in congregations. The following verses, 11-15, made us more uncomfortable as Paul’s words seem to direct women to be subservient because original sin was the fault of a woman. We discussed these remarks based on them being reflective of the culture at the time and directed to a specific congregation with particular issues about which we are barely knowledgeable. As Pat mentioned, if Paul were to write a letter to SFV, there would be a different list of instructions and advice, which would not necessarily apply or even make sense to another congregation. On the other hand, some felt that Paul’s remarks were backward and demeaning and could not be applied to the roles of women today, which begs the question of how to discern when scripture is merely rooted in a past social norm from which we need to evolve. The answer is to rely on the Holy Spirit. The goal is to shed whatever behaviors are incompatible with the charge at the beginning of the chapter, to be a congregation of love, encouragement, and thanksgiving, in prayer and action, towards all people.