1Timothy 3:14 - The Power of Presence - and Hand-tossed letters?

”These to you I am writing, hoping to come toward you in quickness.”

-The power of presence.  It’s a real thing, isn’t it?  God WITH us?  Heaven come down and all that...?  But seriously, trying to communicate and conduct relationships and business in abstentia is a trying task, if not impossible.  Long-distance is for the birds, isn’t it?  Or at least it used to be.  Way back before FaceTime and Snapchat, before cell phones and text messages, before email and fiber optic, before Alexander Graham Bell and the Pony Express even, long-distance was only through letters.  Handwritten hand-delivered letters had to suffice for any non face-to-face communication.  Before hand-tossed pizza, it was hand-tossed letters.  Hand-made.  Laborious, to be sure, a bit of a lost art, perhaps, letter writing - but not at all ideal for communication.  You have the considerable delay (weeks!) between messages, and there is not one iota of non-verbal in the mix ("they" say communication is 93% NON-verbal).  Face-to-face always was (and still is!) the best medium for any form of communication, as it allows for maximum non-verbal, as well as maximum immediacy.  Feedback can be instantaneous.  If you are conveying any kind of truth or instructions for an assistant or a student, coaching and practical tips and truths, face-to-face in-person is always going to be the best context in which to do that.  In our day (thanks to technology), a second best option would be some kind of live two-way video communication (altho sometimes the technology is not available or decides not to cooperate - so, not as reliable).  Next best would be live voice-to-voice, like the telephone, for which the technology thankfully is almost always pretty reliable.  But now you’re getting into an even greater loss of non-verbal.  No facial expressions, no physical contact for affirmation, etc.  No presence.

-But all these live forms of communication are vastly superior to any kind of handwritten or even digital words-only interchange.  Words - the content of the message - apparently then constitute only some 7% of communication.  The rest is all tone of voice and facial expressions and body language.  Even if it is semi “live” - as in texting - there is so much which can be lost in-between the lines and the letters, so much which can be misconstrued and misinterpreted.  Granted, emojis might bring that up a percentage point or two.  But words-only ought not be used for any but the most mundane insignificant communication.  By no means are we trolling the power and efficacy of the written Word of God, mind you.  And to be sure there is still much which can indeed be accomplished by the stroke of the mighty pen (or by keystrokes).  But when it comes to relationships, pick up the flipping phone (does anyone still even have a flip phone) and at least use your voice, for the love of Pete - or whoever it is you’re trying to reach.  Let them hear your voice, hear your emotion.  And if you are able, by all means go see them in person.  Think about it.  If you have something significant to communicate, especially if that individual is important to you, you ought not settle for a 7% form of communication.  Yes, Skype and FaceTime and Zoom and their ilk have revolutionized the possibilities of long-distance coaching and relationships, but they still fall short.  What they lack is the power of presence.  Better by far is face-to-face, and even ancient Paul knew the truth of this.  And he was trying to get to Timothy as quickly as possible.

-And to this point, the priority of the non-verbal ought to inform how the church does in fact convey the truth of the Gospel to the next generation and to the world.  Next verse...

1Timothy 3:13 - Nice beauties...!

”For the [ones] beautifully deaconizing a beautiful standing are obtaining for themselves and much confidence in the faith in Christ Jesus.”

-You know the ones.  You know those of whom Paul is speaking here.  Or perhaps you don’t know them.  Because they thrive in the background, behind the curtains and in the shadows of the dirty and unwanted necessaries.  Not wont for the limelight, these ones.  Faithful.  Dependable.  Utterly count-on-able.  When you need something done, one of these bad boys will git-er-done.  They may have already done it, in fact.  Ah, but if you are a leader, if you find yourself regularly in charge of things in the assembly, you know very well who they are, these beauties.  They have blessed you time and time again, doing what needs to be done, and they very likely didn’t even need to be asked to do it.  Not in it for personal gain, not in it for titles or recognition, not at all thinking about what they can get out of it, but they in fact are gaining something beautiful, something wonderful.  In their beautiful service, they are gaining both the growing assurance of the reality of the Christ-life in them, their eternal salvation in Christ (as they walk in the very footsteps of Jesus), and they are moving ever closer to that tremendous day when they will hear from His own lips, those precious words: “Well done.”

-In the Greek, it’s only one word, actually.  eu.  That’s it (Matthew 25.21, 23).  It’s the prefix which means good, or well (we know it from the words eu-phemism and eu-thanasia).  There’s a strengthened form in Luke 19.17 - euge.  Good indeed, well indeed.  We wouldn’t simply say, “Well”, however.  In contemporary English we would say something more like, “Nice”.  As in, “Nice job, nicely done.”  And we might strengthen it by saying, “Very nice!”  And that is what our Lord Himself will say to those who have served beautifully in the assembly.  Remember His words?  Well done, good and faithful....what?  Servant.  The word there is slave, or bondservant.  At the end of the day we are talking about these beautiful servants.  Slaves of Jesus who show their character by faithfully and fervently serving their Lord and their fellow believers with good will and no thought of what’s in it for them.  Which again is precisely what Jesus came to do - to serve.  And which He still comes to do today through those whose hearts are completely His.  And for these, there actually is the prospect of a reward, straight from the Lord Himself (Ephesians 6.8, Colossians 3.24).  No doubt - even though they are not looking for it - we ought also to recognize and affirm those beautiful deacons who give so much and ask for so little in return.

1Timothy 3:12 - Look to the family, Elaine...!

”Deacons let them be a man of one woman, beautifully managing children and their own households.”

-Many of the same standards for would-be overseers apply to would-be deacons.  And that makes sense, doesn’t it?  Yes, overseer is an arguably higher calling in terms of scope and responsibility and indeed requires a difference gift mix (teaching and leading?).  But servant leadership in the service of the High King of heaven is a high calling indeed.  There are vital requisites of character which must be satisfied, which must be true of any and all who would ascend to lofty depth of official servant in the Kingdom, if for no other reason than that they stand to assume the office which was inaugurated and validated by our King and Savior Himself (Mark 9.35, Matthew 20.28, Luke 22.27).

-With that in mind, here Paul tells us, as with the overseers, look to the home.  It all begins in the home, and comes back to the home, to the family.  A person’s ability, their readiness to serve the family of God does indeed directly correlate to one’s proven ability to serve and lead and stand before the family the Lord has already given to them.  You want to know how someone will do in a role as deacon in the church?  Take a good close look at their family.  Their marriage.  Their kids.  Take a look at how their family functions.  Before you put them in charge of serving in the church, look at how they discharge their God-given duty in serving their flesh-and-blood family, in their home.

-It does stand to reason that it would be worthwhile for the church to take time to better equip their people to have healthy families, to have marriages and to raise children in a way which is truly beautiful.  You raise the level of the family, of the families in the assembly, you raise the level of the entire congregation.  The family is the fundamental building block of society.  Surely the breakdown of the family in our day weakens both the church and our nation(s).  Make no mistake - the family is God’s Plan A for the world.  Because we read that in the beginning, God made a family.  He made a man AND a woman, made them for each other in fact, paired them together perfectly and forever, blessing them and their union, and gave them marching orders.  Two imperatives: start a family (which will ultimately fill the earth with families), and take care of the earth (Genesis 1.28)(He later chose and blessed a family who He tasked to bless all the other families of the earth: Genesis 12.1-2).  Surely then it is no mere happenstance that the church is described as a family.  It is what we were always meant to be.  We all are to relate to one another as brothers and sisters, with God as our heavenly Father.  THE Family gathered and sent to bless all the families of the earth.  It starts in the family.  So for your would-be servant leaders, look to their family and see how they’re doing there.

-What about singles?  Certainly you wouldn’t be able to get as clear a read on their readiness to serve and lead a family, would you?  Can they serve and find that experience of spiritual family within their local assembly?  Of course - and they must!  But can they be deacons?  Can/should they be put in official positions of servant leadership in the church?  It is an argument from silence of sorts - Paul is not actually saying NO singles, he’s saying one wife.  Taken to it’s apparent conclusion, NO singles would prohibit Paul himself and even Jesus from serving as a deacon or elder.  No doubt what Paul has in mind is that this person must not be a polygamist or otherwise given over to excess as it relates to his sexual desires.  Remember that elsewhere Paul actually extols the virtue of remaining single for the express purpose of securing greater devotion and service to the Lord (1Corinthians 7.7-8, 32-35).  Ultimately we are talking about a heart which wants what the Lord wants, which wants to please Him, and which is growing in undistracted devotion to Him more than anyone or anything else.  And in their pursuit of learning to love the Lord with all their heart, they not only reign in their physical appetites but are better able and more motivated to love their flesh-and-blood family as well as the family of God.  These souls will naturally find their way into serving the One on Whom they have set their hope.  Surely bestowing on these ones a title of “deacon” will be as much as anything merely a recognition of services already rendered...?  Surely He is worthy of nothing less.

1Timothy 3:11 - Quality women...

”Women likewise reverent, not slanderous, sober, faithful in all things.”

-This could be referring to either women deacons or deacon’s wives.  The word is interchangable, and commentators are divided as to which is a better translation - however, in the next verse the same word is clearly wife.  If that means anything.  The challenge of determining what Paul is addressing here stems from the fact that deaconesses as a class of official church leaders are not mentioned anywhere else in the NT, yet Paul takes the time in this verse to unpack qualities for women in the context of doing so for deacons.  He did not do any such thing in the previous section for the wives of overseers, so it is reasonable to assume that he would not go on and do that for the wives of an arguably lesser office.  Based on the available information however, it is probably not wise to take up a dogmatic position as to what Paul is referring here.

-The question is not whether women can and are allowed to serve in the church, as if there were no biblical precedent whatsoever.  Scripture is full of wonderful examples of women serving in the church and in the family of God.  Phoebe is cited as a prime example (Romans 16.1), where she is in fact actually referred to as a deacon, or servant.  Paul in that same letter also mentions Prisca, Mary and Tryphaena as women who are serving the Lord (Romans 16.3, 16.6, 16.12).  Remember, the word in the Greek (diakonos) can mean deacon or servant (or minister)(Matthew 20.26, 22.13; John 2.5; Ephesians 3.7; Philippians 1.1).  Clearly, all those who are in the family of God are intended to serve and do their part (1Corinthians 12.5-7, Ephesians 4.12, 1Peter 4.10), so in one sense all believers are called to be “deacons”, at least to function as such.  But the question could become whether or not there is a third class of church officers comprised of women (or perhaps merely a co-ed class of servant-leaders functioning under the headship of the overseers?), and is Paul listing some qualifications for them, or is he describing what should be true of the wives of deacons?  Some fairly point out that Paul most likely would have said “their wives” if he was in fact thinking of their wives, and that possessive pronoun is missing.  Which argues in favor of Paul addressing women deacons.  And yet the return in the next verse to clearly addressing male deacons without thought of female counterparts then becomes awkard and would seem to suggest that Paul decided to simply focus some special attention on the wives of the deacons in this verse.  Again, one can (and many do) make a case for either.  Nevertheless, if all women who follow Jesus are to be equipped for the ministry of serving, the same as men, Paul’s thoughts here are still instructive... Maybe the real question then becomes, to which qualities should all Christian women aspire?

-Reverent.  Same standard as for men (1Timothy 3:8).  And for children (1Timothy 3.4).  The same healthy respect and reverent fear of the Lord which comport with any and all who name the name of Jesus.  Over and over again Paul has mentioned this quality as one which should be true of God’s people, every last one of them growing in the applied understanding that God is great and holy and should be treated and represented accordingly.  Not to be trifled with.

-Not slanderous.  The word is diabolos.  Yes, the same word which is the name for the devil.  I.e. don’t be a she-devil.  It means to throw across.  False accusations.  Slander.  Verbally critical of others in a way which tears them down or maligns their character.  Are women more prone to this?  Is that why Paul mentions it here?  Men’s words apparently are more apt to be duplicitous (1Timothy 3.8), whereas women perhaps are more apt to be critical?  But surely men and women alike are never more like the devil than when we hurl and hide in our interpersonal communication.  Speaking the truth in love, Paul says (Ephesians 4.15).  Let your speech always be with grace, he says (Colossians 4.6).  Let no rotten word come out of your mouth, he says - only what is good for building up (Ephesians 4.29).  And in truth, not only women but all those who profess to follow Jesus are under orders to bridle their tongue, that restless evil (James 3.8-10) - to bless and not curse (Romans 12.4).

-Sober.  Same as for overseers.  This again is the ability to say yes to the Lord and no to self, to the flesh, to the heart which wants something other than what the Lord wants.  Yes, we all God’s people need to be able to say no to the world and the flesh, but this can look different for different folks, and perhaps for women as well?  This is the opposite of intoxicated - where alcohol (or something other than) is in control and calling the shots, as it were.  Anger.  Depression.  Need for control.  Fear.  Worry.  Self-image and comparison.  Riches and baubles and stuff - many are the things which can intoxicate a woman’s heart.  And mine.  Rather, let’s be intoxicated with Jesus...

-Faithful in all things.  Infidelity, that stab in the back which cuts like no other.  Let’s have none of that then.  It’s like Samwise Gamgee - you are not getting rid of me, Frodo Baggins, come heck or high water.  I am going to Mordor with you.  Surely these daughters of Eve, the one who was designed to be the perfect partner, should and must express this best in how they remain faithful.  Partners don’t leave.  Partners don’t let you down.  So, faithful in relationships - with the Lord, with each other, with their husbands and children.  Faithful in responsibilities - in the home, in the church, in the workplace.  Reliable.  Trustworthy.  Those who inspire confidence.  It can actually have a passive meaning - trustworthy - or an active one - trusting.  Always trustworthy, always trusting.  Easy peasy!  No pressure... :)

1Timothy 3:10 - On Muster and Mettle...

”But these also let them be proved by testing first, then let them be serving [as deacons] being unaccusable.”

-[Also] Proved by testing first.  Also?  Also, like the overseers?  Or, also, in addition to meeting these other requirements?  Overseers aren’t explicity being tested per se, but neither are they neophytes.  But would we want to test deacons in a way which we might not want to test overseers?  And what’s this first?

-Unaccusable.  This is a different word than for the overseer/shepherds, yet no doubt similar.  The one who is unaccusable would also be untouchable.  Overseers, for their part, have passed the test of time.  Apparently however there is a possibility that these guys could be newer believers, and so they need to pass muster.  The outcome of their period of being tested should be that there is nothing for which they might be called in, called to account.  I think this could a coaching period - they get the chance to learn how to serve as well as the chance to prove their mettle, their heart, the sincerity of their faith.  They are beginning to serve, not (yet) in leadership, getting feedback, etc, and once they’re ready, once they’re fully trained and able to deaconize without any hiccups then they can be formalized as such.  Either that, or ultimately before one is formalized as a deacon they must be held to a standard of intergity and good character which is similar to that of overseers.

1Timothy 3:9 - NFDO (Not For Deacons Only)

”...holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.” 

-Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.  This is a lengthy descriptor, but the focus here is on this idea of a pure, or a clean, conscience.  Paul talks about this quite a bit (2Timothy 1.3; Acts 23.1, 24.16; 1Timothy 1.5) - this is one of the desired outcomes of our instruction, of all our much ado about Jesus.  A pure conscience is my internal sense of right and wrong telling me that I have done my level best to do everything right - including making it right when I didn’t quite do it right.  ‘Cuz nobody’s perfect.  We all mess up.  We all make mistakes.  But I can fess up when I mess up.  I can apologize.  I can make restitution.  And I can always endeavor to do the right thing, even and especially when no one is looking or the cards appear to be stacked against me.

-The challenge becomes living this way and serving a Master Who knows all and sees all when in fact you don’t see Him.  We're entering this realm of the mysterious.  Doing the right thing even when you don’t totally understand or have all the answers.  Doing what you know is right even when it may not make sense from a worldly standpoint.  And serving and laying it down for a King and a Kingdom which you cannot see may not make sense - but the eyes of faith fill in the gaps and make sense of what is unseen.  Faith supplies the requisite assurance and conviction of things not seen such that I am ready and eager to do it right, to do right by the God Who is, and to live into what He wants, even and especially when it conflicts with what the world and the enemy and my flesh might want.  To live for Him and serve others for His sake.  Those who live and serve like this, who do it right and make it right and cultivate this conscience clean and pure, these are the ones who would make good deacons - those who have demonstrated the kind of sincere faith, a genuine relationship with the Lord such that they are motivated to serve and to do what is good and right not as a meritorious work or out of guilt but rather because they want to please the God Who is and Who sees while being unseen.

-And while faith solves mysteries and sees through that which is unseen, there yet remains an element of mystery to our faith.  We serve a God of mystery, sublime Majesty, lofty high and exalted, a God of wonders, unfathomable wondrous works without number (Job 9.10), wonderful impossibles, great and unsearchable things (Job 5.9), Who has prepared for those who love Him what no eye has seen and no ear has heard and no mind has conceived (1Corinthians 2.9).  As Elihu said to his friend Job, “Stand and consider the wonders of God” (Job 37.14).  Indeed - stand, be still, and know that He is almighty God, and there is no other (Psalm 46.10).  There is no one like Him - incomprehensible, inapproachable, inscrutible - apart from His benevolent, gracious revelation and intervention.  And even then, the mystery of the Infinite Eternal remains, embraced by faith yet never completely revealed or uncovered or understood this side of eternity - if ever.  His ways are so much higher, and there are secret things which belong only to Him (Deuteronomy 29.29), marvelous mysteries at which even the eyes of faith can only stand back in awe and wonder. This is the deeper magic from before the dawn of time in Narnia, that which confounds the worldy scholar and trips up the cynical skeptic.  But your would-be deacons, they’re okay with the hidden things of God, the unsearchable ways, the unanswered questions and the simple faith which declares with Job, “Though He slay me, I will trust in Him” (Job 13.15).  Now that’s faith.  And it’s NFDO - Not For Deacons Only.  Got faith?

1Timothy 3:8 - Angelic Spiritual Table-waiting

”Deacons likewise reverent, not double-tongued, not paying attention to much wine, not of shameful gain...”

-Deacons.  These are servants.  It is not about position, nor about subjegation.  This is about what you do.  This is about the work being done to benefit others (Colossians 1.25) - very often for very little or no pay.  They’re not in it for the money, tho.  It is the work of waiters (John 2.5, Luke 10.40) and of angels (Hebrews 1.14, Matthew 4.11).  This serving, this angelic spiritual table-waiting is to be the default posture of every believer (1Peters 4.10), and of any and all who lead in the assembly of the redeemed (Luke 22.26) - as it was for our Founder and Leader (Matthew 20.28, Luke 22.27).  There are also those who have been specially gifted to serve the body of Christ in this way (1Peter 4.11) - not necessarily on their knees in submission, but on their feet, doing something which needs to be done in order to benefit a brother or a sister (or several or more of them).  And no, the pay is probably not very good - there usually aren't even any tips, but no doubt the benefits are out of this world...!  :)  

-But in the body of Christ, things need to be done.  And someone(s) needs to do them.  It is time to step up to the plate - church is not a spectator sport!  This was the case in the early church - as the church grew, there came to be a glaring need, and somebody needed to step up.  This was indeed work which would benefit others - widows, to be specific, who were being neglected in the daily serving of food (Acts 6.1-3).  And so the apostles carefully selected seven men whom they could trust to be in charge of that work.  The first deacons.  While Paul here in this letter to Timothy is clearly singling out those who fill this specific role in a local assembly, I’m not sure that “deacon” was originally intended to be a perpetual title and an office per se.  It is a very broad and general term - there are even “deacons” of Satan (2Cor 11.15)!  Not everybody is in charge of something in any organization, but there is a general mandate for everyone to do their part.  Once you make this "serving" a church office for a few, you run the risk of undermining the universal imperative which is given to all Christians.  We are all called to serve, to step up and be at the ready to help, to do something for the benefit of another believer.  Yes, there are some - overseers - who get put in charge of shepherding and overseeing the entire assembly.  These are called to be servants even as they lead (Paul and Apollos were deacons in this sense - 1Corinthians 3.5).  And there are these others, these more formal deacons, who get put in charge of other things.  But additionally, these ones you select to serve, whatever their specific role, certain things must also be true of them.

-Reverent.  If you recall, this is how the overseer’s children are supposed to be.  They have an obedient and respectful heart for the Lord, and a healthy amount of fear.  They know full well that the Lord is fully good but He is not fully safe.  He is not a safe Lion...!  He is holy and awesome and not to be trifled with.  Deacons must also have this same reverence about them.

-Not double-tongued.  In other words, their reverence, their faith is real, and not feigned.  They don’t give lip-service to their faith.  They don’t say one thing and act one way around the assembly and talk and act differently at other times, when they are around unbelievers, etc.  Double-tongued is the same as being two-faced.  A hypocrite.  No place for that in the body, and especially not in those who are placed in positions of servant leadership.

-Not paying attention to much wine.  This is not a prohibition per se - it is about control.  There are things in life to which we give our attention, they get our attention more easily than other things.  Sometimes they manage to keep our attention - and when taken to an extreme they control us.  They change the way we live and relate to those around us.  This is particularly true of wine (alcohol).  It not only gains control of your faculties when you drink too much of it, but it can gain control of your life.  You can become physically and mentally dependent on it.  You feel you need it in order to relax or numb the pain or forget or for it to do whatever you feel you need it to do.  There are certainly other earthly things to which we can and do pay attention and devote ourselves, and when taken to extremes those pastimes can indeed become time-wasting-times, distractions and unhealthy addictions.  But wine (alcohol) is one of those things which if/when it gains control can have serious and even deadly consequences for the one who is controlled by it as well as for those around them.  And since we’re talking about benefiting those around us, thus we have the imperative that those who would be put in charge of serving the church of Christ must be depending on and controlled not by wine but by His Spirit (Ephesians 5.18).  They are not winos at all - they know how to and do step up and step out to serve the body of Christ in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

1Timothy 3:7 - Beautiful mirrors

”But it is necessary also to be having a beautiful witness from the [ones] outside, in order that not unto disgrace he should fall and a snare of the devil.”

-A beautiful witness from those outside.  A would-be overseer must be exemplary, both to those inside the church as well as to those who are not (yet on the inside).  He must not only have the requisite maturity and demeanor in order to be able to relate to and lead the flock entrusted to his care, but whoever is put in charge of a local “lighthouse”, a veritable outpost of heaven, will get extra scrutiny from the community, from those outside.  What kinds of things do they say about him?  And are there any things about him, any areas of his life, with which those outside might find fault?  Other than abject foolishness in excessive devotion to Jesus and things unseen?  Even in this - those outside should be able to see love.  They should be able to say that this man does indeed love...  What do those outside say about him?

-In 2Timothy, Paul talks about unbelievers being in a snare of the devil, being held captive to do what he wants (2Timothy 2.26).  Think about it - a snare is a kind of trap which is either unexpected or sudden (or both)(nobody expects that a trap is about to be sprung) - and in this case the end result is that diabolos is going to get something he wants.  And what he wants is disgrace, disgrace for God.  Shame.  He wants the name of God to be slandered and sullied.  Criticized.  Reviled.  Reproached.  The overseer, his life, his behavior and his words - these are a direct reflection to the world of what God is like, and before you put someone in front of the church you want to make sure that the mirror of their life is clean and beautiful, that they are not already sullying the beautiful name of Jesus.  But for sure, the one who stands in that office must above all others conduct himself in such a way that unbelievers might actually describe him as beautiful.  Integrity - a man of his word, someone you could count on, even if you didn’t agree with everything he said.  Love - someone who truly cares about all people, not just the members of his church.  Hard working.  Wisdom - the ability to apply the truths of God’s Word to everyday life.  What do those on the outside say about your pastor?  About you?  What do they say about me?

1Timothy 3:6 - The problem of the amazingly gifted neophyte...

”...not a neophyte, in order that not being proud he should fall into [the] judgment of the devil.” 

-Not a neophyte.  Neophyte.  That is the word in the Greek.  Someone who is new to something - in this case, new to the Christian faith.  A new believer.  A new believer may have lots of worldly experience, tons of wisdom, they are likely to be full of fresh enthusiasm for Jesus and may very well be at the ready to put me in coach.  But they are not battle-tested.  And let us understand the situation.  We are going into battle, against a tough and determined enemy.  Paul here in these next two verses twice mentions the devil, the adversary, reminding us that there is an enemy of our souls, and he is waging a desperate battle against God and His people, particularly against the leaders.  Think about it - if you want to take down an army, you take out its leaders.  They have more training, more experience, and the troops are looking to them for what to do.  You concentrate a chunk of your firepower on the officers.  But the fiery arrows of our enemy come in different forms.  These (most likely) are not bombs bursting at my doorstep.  These are whispers, dainty morsels of deceit and false accusation.  Temptations to pride and self-sufficiency laced with drizzles of discouragement.  Corner cutting and compromise.

-This is not about competence.  The new believer may very well have the social skills and maturity and even the spiritual gifting and enough knowledge of Scripture to perform the duties of his office.  But what Paul is saying is that what is apt to happen if you put a new believer into a position of leadership is that they can become conceited.  The word is typhoo - in the NT we only find it in Paul’s letters to Timothy.  It means to wrap something in smoke - like a typhoon.  They get caught up in a whirlwind of conceit and wind up so puffed up they can’t see themselves clearly anymore.  Think about it - the very reason one would put a new convert into leadership would be because of some amazing giftedness (i.e compared to others).  And this will very likely blow straight to their head, puff it up with pride and self-importance.  And how does that old saying go?  Pride goes before you know what... True, often times, the only way someone gets cured of pride is for them to fall.  But why even set a new convert up for something like that?  No one actually plans to do that.  But so why set them up to be targeted so soon, and put them on a path which will quite possibly have tragic consequences for both them and the flock they lead?  The resulting condemnation and guilt and shame stemming from such a failure could prove to be insurmountable.  Devastating.  The enemy will always do his darnedest to try to take you out of the game, and then keep you on the sidelines as best he can.  So why not give the neophyte time to learn and grow and mature in their faith, to take baby steps into the murky waters of ministry and to become battle tested.  They are more important than the program.  No need to rush here.  Learn humility, a healthy and proper perspective on who God is (the Greatest) and who I am (not the greatest, not perfect, far from it in fact, and that’s perfectly okay).  That is the journey of faith, the Calvary Road, is it not?  It is not me, but Christ Who increasingly lives in me (Galatians 2.20).  More of Jesus - He must increase, and less of me - I must decrease (John 3.30).  Learning my place - and it takes time.  It takes time for a newly planted tree to send down roots and grow branches which will bear lasting fruit.  Give it time, Paul says...

1Timothy 3:4-5 - Uncle Ben's Beautiful Work

”...his own household managing beautifully, having children in obedience, with all reverence...(but if any his own household he has not come to know how to manage, how will he take care of the assembly of God?)...

-Managing household beautifully.  An overseer must stand before his family in a way that is beautiful (which goes for any dad, for that matter).  So let’s think about dad for a minute.  Dad.  God sets him down to stand in front of his family - to go before them, to lead them and guide them (in the Way Beautiful), to protect and provide for them, to care for them.  So the picture here is not about power - it is about responsibility.  Yes there is authority, and some when put in this position can and do abuse the power.  But Uncle Ben had it right - with great power comes great responsibility.  And as an overseer, it is not that I need to be the most organized person on earth, but I need to be someone to whom God can entrust an entire spiritual family, someone who the Lord can trust to lay his life down for a flock, to stand before them and protect and provide for them beautifully.

-Having/holding children in obedience.  One outcome of standing in front of my family beautifully is that my children will be obedient.  They will have learned (and most likely are still learning) to obey.  They are learning this because Dad is teaching them.  Dad in his home is demonstrating that he has the capacity to teach something to someone.  That’s not to say that there are not hiccups along the way.  But if you see a home where the children are out of control and generally not learning to respect and obey their parents (much less the Lord), you could very likely be looking at a dad who is perhaps not quite ready yet to be trusted to stand before God’s family, for whatever reason.  But it's a team effort, right?  Mom and Dad together?  Two are better than one, right?  This charge is as old as the hills - parents are to bring their children up to know and fear the Lord.  We are to instruct and teach our kids about Who God is and what He wants.  AND this includes teaching them the simple principle of obedience.  Teaching them to submit to authority, but again, doing so in a way that is beautiful.  We’re talking about the difference between a wild stallion and a broke horse - one which is useful because it has been trained how (and when) to obey.  But there are different ways to break a horse, and not all of them are beautiful.  So it is with children.  There is indeed an art to teaching kids this important life skill.  The submittable will is an essential tool for life - life is full of relationships, many of which will require having acquired the ability to rank myself under someone who is in authority, to be able to comply with their instructions when necessary.  Teachers, governors, police officers, judges, tax collectors, employers - dad (and mom) should and must help the children entrusted to them to learn the importance of and how and when to submit to those who are in authority over them, not the least of these being their very own Father and Maker in heaven.

-...with all reverence.  Obedience.  Reverence.  This is what one would normally show to the Lord.  Yet Paul says that children should be showing this to their dad.  What we see is that dad is leading in the home and standing before his family in such a beautiful way that his children have not only learned to obey him but they also revere him.  They look up to him and respect him.  Maybe there is even a little bit of healthy fear.  Just like there would be for the Lord.  There truly is an art to this.  Because some dads will through force and anger and threat (and even use) of violence teach their kids to obey but dad will not earn their respect, their reverence.  But the dads who can elicit both, who manage to manage their household beautifully - these guys show that they are viable candidates for the office of overseer, that they are ready to shepherd God’s people.

-This is precisely Paul’s point in verse 5.  Faithful in the little things.  And not only faithful, but fruitful.  The home, a man’s own family is a type of church - or rather, the assembly of God’s people is like a family, only much larger.  And the responsibilities which fall on an overseer in these areas closely mirror those of a dad - the overseer needs to be able to teach the flock to obey the Lord AND to respect and reverence Him.  The overseer is the main one to reinforce the need for that.  But more than this the overseer definitely needs to be someone to whom the church will listen and whom they will be able to respect.  If you look at a man’s family and see that his own children don’t respect or listen to him, then you should not expect that he is ready to stand before a church and lead them.

-Paul uses a beautiful word to describe the beautiful work which the overseer is called to do for the church, that flock which the Lord entrusts to his care.  He is to attend to and take care of it - it is what the Good Samaritan did for the man he found in the ditch (Luke 10.34).  It is what Paul’s friends did for him in Sidon (Acts 27.3).  It is how the woman who lost one of her ten silver coins looked for it (Luke 15.8).  With care, with careful consideration of the object in view.  It is careful consideration of (and meeting) needs.  This is what dad does (or is supposed to do) for his family, and this is what the shepherd must (be able to) do for his flock.  A sober and high calling, this...

1Timothy 3:3 - Alcohol, money, and ego w a dash of force for favor: A recipe for leadership disaster.

”...not a wine-addict nor a bully, but rather gentle, un-macho, un-silver-loving...”

-Not a wine addict.  In addition to maintaining level of self-control and sobriety, a shepherd/overseer must specifically not be a wino.  Not addicted to wine or alcohol.  The word in the Greek literally means, “beside wine”.  Hanging out with wine, in other words.  Instead of hanging out with Jesus.  Addictions come in many shapes and sizes, but alcohol is surely among the most common, and pernicious.  The propensity to escape to the bottle, to try and drown my sorrows or feel better about life through abusing alcohol is a pervasive problem in many a culture.  And while this author is not acquainted with a compulsion towards alcohol of any kind, having never acquired a taste for it, we can both 1) affirm that the Lord’s bond-servant and any would be overseer must be generally free from being controlled by any created thing (be it a substance or some diversion), and at the same time 2) recognize that alcohol can and does produce devastating effects in the lives of those who abuse it (and those whose lives they touch).  Alcoholism.  Binge drinking.  Drunk driving.  Devastating.  This question needs to be put to any would-be overseer - where are you with alcohol?  And hanging out w Jesus?

-Nor a bully.  A bully is someone who tries to intimidate others, usually those who are comparatively weaker (or easy) targets in order to get their way or (and) to feel better about themselves.  They may use physical or verbal or psychological force (it becomes a form of abuse, really), all to enforce and maintain a me-first status quo.  They are selfish, insecure (wounded-and-wounding) abusers.  Me-first me-better in spades.  Which is ironic, because usually they do not see themselves as better.  They do not feel good about themselves.  So they have an inordinate need to get what they want, and they use means which are not at all like those of Jesus, our Master/King Who humbled Himself and took the form of a slave to serve others, this One Who was humble in heart, and...

-Gentle (Matthew 11.29).  Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth, said no one ever, save Jesus (Matthew 5.5).  The world says, you want something, you gotta take it.  You gotta go get it, grab for it.  Grab for the gusto, grab what you can, first in line and first in my heart.  Unlike Jesus, Who did not hesitate to describe Himself as gentle (cf Philippians 2.5-8).  But for many in the world, you gotta dominate and extort things out of people.  In order to channel me some Burger King and have it my way, I need to impose my will on the weaker.  In contrast, gentle here is that which is reasonable, fair, mild.  Not all leaders/masters are this way (1Peter 2.18).  But in antiquity we see this word in eulogies, extolling the wise, meek and noble-minded man, the lenient judge, the kind king.  Not one given to anger, harshness, brutality, or me-first.  The ideal ruler.  This is who we’re looking for, Timothy...

-Un-macho.  The next word literally is un-macho.  Machismo is that air by which I say to those around, I am a man.  And I am strong, tough, powerful, indomitable.  The macho man is a fighter, all-too-ready to fight at the slightest slight.  You see this on the football field especially, but in many other arenas where men compete against men.  Pride and egos worn on the sleeve, all-too-easily bruised and needing to be protected.  Now this is not to say that a man does not or should not protect those entrusted to him from would-be ne’er-do-wells.  He protects his loved ones.  He takes the bullet, for sure.  Wolves are everywhere - the shepherd lays his life down for his flock, there is no question about that.  But the overseer’s reputation does not need to be protected or reinforced.  He can and needs to be tough for the sake of the Truth and of his family and flock, but he does not need to be tough for the sake of his reputation or self-esteem.  Almighty God has his back.  He can go forth and lead gently and peaceably, and let the Lord take care of the fiery slings and arrows along with the malcontents and slow adapters.  He can roll like Jesus, Who could have called down legions of angels but instead turned the other cheek and let Himself be mocked and ridiculed and disrespected for the sake of those who were to receive salvation.  For the sake of the sheep.

-Un-silver-loving.  Enthusiasms.  Enthusiasms.  Those things to which we give our heart.  Our desires.  What we want - and, more importantly, how much.  It is how we define wealth, and how we use the worldy riches, aka “the wealth of unrighteousness” (Luke 16.9).  There are those who are mastered by this temporal, earthly wealth, esp. the love of silver (i.e. money).  They want it, they love it, they want more of it.  By contrast, the would-be overseer must be one who has been mastered not by worldly wealth - but by Jesus.  He defines wealth in different terms, and uses worldly means to lay up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6.20-21), to build up his faith and the faith of those around them.  He must be one who has learned to be content with what he has.  He can live on a little, he can make do.  And more importantly, he can make friends for the Kingdom.  He is free and able to use whatever resources the Lord may entrust to him for the sake of helping others begin to follow Jesus.  But silver-lovers sadly are prone to wander away from the faith.  Their hearts wander after the things of the world, to enjoy them, to possess them - and in the end those things possess them.  Their possessions are in possession of their hearts.  This doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy having money per se, or the things it can afford me and my family - a nice house, etc - but these things are not ultimate.  God is ultimate.  And His Kingdom.  And if God and His Kingdom are first and foremost in my affections, then money and the things it can buy become rather more a means to a greater eternal end.  Thus we as God’s people are to make sure that our hearts are free from the love of money (Hebrews 13.5), and this must be especially true of overseers.

1Timothy 3:2 - The Untouchables

”Therefore it is necessary the overseer to be above reproach, a husband of one wife, sober, prudent, orderly, loving strangers, able to teach...”

-Every flock needs someone - or someones - to watch over them and feed them (cf John 21.15-17).  These folks are called shepherds.  Those who shepherd spiritual flocks (i.e. churches) we now like to call pastors, but in fact, the only occurance of the word “pastor” in the entire NT is the word for “shepherd”.  Aka elders (Acts 20.17, 28; Titus 1.5-7), Paul (and his proteges) appointed these episkopos - these watcher-overs (overseers) - in every place where they began to gather a flock (planted a church/assembly - Acts 14.23, cf Philippians 1.1).  As such we find rather lengthy and explicit instructions in his letters to Timothy and Titus on how to go about finding just the right men to put in charge of the flock, and what they need to be like, those who would undertake this beautiful work of shepherding the sheep.

-Above reproach.  Above reproach.  First and foremost.  As much as anything, a shepherd of saints needs to be above reproach.  That’s the first thing he mentions.  This word is used only three times in all of Scripture, all three times in this letter from Paul to Timothy, but it is quite common in Greek literature.  This is one who literally cannot be laid hold of, who cannot be touched.  Untouchable.  It is this idea of being blameless, nobody can stick a single accusation of misconduct on him anywhere.  Not the least hint of even a whiff of wrongdoing or moral corner-cutting to be found anywhere in his life.  No doubt there is a sense in which this blamelessness is already true positionally of every believer in Christ, a stature without which there is no access to the perfect heavenly realms, and indeed this spiritual reality will be fully manifested when Christ finally returns for His glorious Bride (1Corinthians 1.8, Colossians 1.22).  But on this side of eternity, to the extent that the leadership of administrating this beautiful work of building this church now is entrusted to certain men, these men must indeed be untouchable, as untouchable as humanly possible in this life (Titus 1.6, where Paul uses a synonym).  

-The rest of the adjectives Paul uses here color in the lines as to the extent and the ways in which an overseer must be above and beyond reproach in every area of his life.  Exemplary.  Someone the flock can look to and follow and imitate (1Peter 5.3, cf 1Timothy 4.12, Titus 2.7).  Just like Paul (Philippians 3.17, 2Thessalonians 3.7, 9).  And Jesus (John 13.15, 1Peter 2.21).

-Husband of one wife.  So the first way in which a prospective overseer needs to be blameless is in his marriage.  A husband of one wife, Paul says.  Not a whiff of impropriety here.  Certainly no adultery (Exodus 20.14).  No divorce (Matthew 19.5-6).  This is not about forgiveness, nor is it about restoration.  A man can find forgiveness and restoration for leaving or cheating on his wife - and he can subsequently find MANY ways to serve in the assembly.  But he cannot then serve as an overseer.  As much as anything tho, this is likely about polygamy, which was widely practiced among the Jews and other peoples in the Middle East.  No harems here.  Or, rather it is more about the heart which would be so inclined towards sensuality as to pursue that kind of lifestyle.  There is no turning the one-flesh thing into a combo meal, some multi-flesh gig.  No fries and a drink with that.  The kind of love and faithfulness and self-control and self-sacrifice which is necessary for maintaining healthy enduring cherishing monogamy is perfectly suited for those who would watch over a flock of sheep who need constant attention and care.

-It is any wonder that this happens to be the area where so many men seem to struggle the most?  The appetites here are strong.  The force is strong with this one.  The battleground for men does indeed appear to be the struggle for sexual purity, whether in their marriages or simply in their thought lives.  Sexual impurity, lust, infidelity, immorality - the evil one has indeed targeted this area for many a man, with great success.  Many a man struggles to be blameless in this area.  Many a leader has fallen.  Even David fell - a man after God's own heart - with great and terrible consequences.  Men - we must be vigilant on on guard for any and all temptations to sin in this area.  We must double down and pursue faithfulness and purity in our marriages and in our thought lives, and do whatever it takes to stay untouchable.  Whatever it takes!  No one touches us but the wife of our youth, the one whom God has given to us.  Not in our hearts or our minds or our bodies.  And we touch no one else.  No one else.  No one.  Untouchable.  Off limits.

-What about single guys - is Paul saying no to them?  He is certainly not forbidding marriage for clergy - far from it!  Propenents of clerical celibacy do point to the admonitions of 1Corinthians 7.26-27, where Paul shares what he clearly says is an opinion about a person remaining single in order to secure more undistracted devotion to the Lord.  On the one hand, a single guy would indeed have more time and energy and ability to focus on shepherding the flock.  On the other hand, he would not be as effectively able to sympathize with and set an example for married members of his assembly.  I think Paul is neither prohibiting nor exclusively endorsing single men as overseers, but is probably more concerned that potential shepherds exhibit self-control, as the next few descriptors make clear...

-Sober is the one who can remain calm and clear-headed.  Clarity of mind resulting in judgment which is unimpaired (i.e. by excessive alcohol or any other such influences).  The opposite of intoxication.  Moderate.  Many versions use the word temperate.  This is the ability to avoid the things which would displease the Lord.  Thus this becomes about being able to say no, self-control, esp for the sake of something important (1Peter 1.13, 5.8).  Higher stakes, a higher call.  And in this, the stakes could be no higher.  This is about the flock and the Kingdom of God.

-Prudent complements this soberness (both words also paired in 1Peter 4.7).  It is the former demon-controlled man who is now clothed in his “right mind” (Luke 8.35).  It is the young men being “sensible” about the choices they make (Titus 2.6).  It is a safe or sound mind, controlled, not given to impulsive or foolish flights of fancy.  It is a clear keen sense of what time it is, a firm grip on reality and what is really important (and by extension what is not).  The ability to stay on target and on task.  It is “...clear focus on basic ideas at the core of our tasks, the other details becoming like a false currency...” This focus, this mental grip allows one to master the fundamentals.  This is a football.  This is what we want to carry across the goal line.

-Orderly.  Actually this is the same word used in 1Timothy 2.9 for “proper” clothing.  A proper life.  Appropriate.  Well-ordered.  So, not in chaos.  Not confused or directionless.  Disciplined.  Able to manage the chaos.  This is exactly the kind of lifestyle which others can respect and look up to, which they can admire.   Perhaps not everybody is skilled at organization and managing chaos, but an overseer must be.

-Loving strangers.  Philoxenia.  The bar gets higher.  This is love straight from the heart of God (Psalm 146.9).  Love in spite of, loving the unlovely, those who haven’t earned it and who perhaps cannot make return on it.  This is the Good Samaritan, who cares for the needy and the stranger (cf Exodus 22.21; Leviticus 19.34, 25.35; Matthew 25.34-40; Luke 10.33-34).  Yes, this is the one who feeds the hungry and clothes the naked, the one who takes in the stranger and visits the sick and the prisoners.  Straight from the mouth of Jesus - these are the textbook illustrations of what loving one’s neighbor is supposed to look like - including those neighbors whom you don’t know (yet).  The stranger.  The strange ones.  The Lord has always expected His people to have regard and care for those who are down and out or on the outside, and this needs to be particularly true of any would-be overseer.

-Able to teach.  Some suggest this can mean teachability, and while teachability is indeed a desireable quality in leaders as well as followers, all translations have this as being able to teach others.  Apparently some elders are more fruitfully engaged in teaching than others (1Timothy 5.7), but as much as anything an overseer must be able to teach sound doctrine to the flock, not only providing spiritual food but also direction.  Sheep need help finding food and finding their way.  So a good shepherd is good at leading his sheep to green pastures and beside still waters and guiding them in paths of righteousness (Psalm 23.1-3).  Already in this letter, Paul has addressed the problem of some teaching strange doctrine (1Timothy 1.3), and the opportunity/priority to teach and use the Law lawfully (1Timothy 1.7-8).  He has mentioned how God counted him faithful and put him into service to teach the Gentiles (1Timothy 1.12, 2.7), and how Timothy needs to fight the good fight of keeping the faith (1Timothy 1.18-19), unlike Hymenaeus and Alexander, who have become blasphemers (1Timothy 1.20)(could these be the certain ones who were in fact teaching strange doctrine?).  There is indeed a gift of teaching and there are gifted teachers (1Corinthians 12.28, Ephesus 4.11) - yes, some are better than others.  And at a different level surely the work of teaching and passing on the truths of the faith is entrusted to every believer (Colossians 3.16), even to every parent (Deuteronomy 6.7), but these shepherd overseers must be able to teach sound doctrine and the truth of God’s Word to the flock.  Among all these other things.  Next verse...!

1Timothy 3:1 - Beautiful, baby...

”Faithful the word: If any is aspiring [the job of] oversight, a beautiful work he is desiring.”

-What Paul is about to say is totally trustworthy.  He likes to use this phrase apparently (1 Timothy 1.15; 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11; Titus 3:8).  These things, these phrases of words, these sayings he is saying, we can trust them.  They are true and reliable and we can take them to the bank.  Or wherever else we need to go with them, cuz they are money.  On the money.

-Now, Paul began here by unpacking the need to guard against strange doctrine, and has addressed the beauty of the Law and the priority of managing the work of God.  He has also highlighted the need for the church to be praying, and finally has just touched on the role of women in the church, and this all leads him to now discuss this role of overseer, the ones overseeing all this.  The word in the Greek is episkopos.  Literally, one who scopes (or watches) over something.  Overseeing is what the elders of an assembly are called and appointed to do (1Peter 5.1-2, Acts 20.17, 28).  They are shepherds who watch over the sheep, protecting the flock from false teachers and other ravenous wolves, leading and feeding the sheep, helping up those who have fallen down and bringing back those who have strayed and gotten lost.  This is the head function role of the body of Christ, which is exactly what Paul just said he does not permit the women to do.  It’s not that they cannot play a significant role in helping to implement of all this, and it’s not about competence or status.  It’s just that this buckstopping, this watching over is a role done by qualified men.

-Now, the word “man” is not used in this verse - in fact, the NASB is the only modern translation (besides the King James updates) with that word.  The accompanying pronoun and subsequent nouns are all indeed masculine, however the insertion of that word here is gratuitous.  One wonders if in the NASB we have a vestigial homage to the KJV and ASV?

-But Paul says this work of oversight is beautiful, baby.  That’s because the flock over which these men are entrusted with keeping watch is the beautiful, incomparable Bride of Christ.  This work is near and dear to the heart of Jesus, Who laid His own life down for these sheep.  He is the consummate Good Shepherd.  And as is often the case when someone goes out of their way to paint something in a good light, this happens to be one of those oh-so-important jobs which require long hours and careful vigilance and which will most likely be disrespected by the world.  But it is beautiful all the same.  Heroic, in fact.  Isn’t that what heroes do?  They rescue, save, protect others.  They do great things on behalf of others, and generally without thought of repayment.  They’re not in it for themselves.  Great feats of self-accomplishment are not intrinsically heroic.  Great feats done for others but which are handsomely rewarded are also less beautiful in that sense.  No, you don’t go into this kind of beautiful heroic work for yourself, for what you can get out of it.  Cuz in essence you are saying, I am going to lay my life down for someone(s) else, regardless of the cost (or the pay).  This one who is aspiring oversight is saying, I would like to watch out over the souls of these others.  I am willing to stand in the gap for them.  And THAT is beautiful.

1Timothy 2:15 - No Higher Calling!

”But she will be saved through the childbirth, if they should abide in faith and love and holiness with self-control.”

-Most commentators readily admit that this verse is the most difficult to understand of this entire oh-so-difficult section.  Barefoot-and-pregnant, right?  That’s the misogynistic stereotype which has colored the ethos of cultures throughout the centuries.  Centuries and centuries of inequity and abuse and bias which have wreaked untold havoc on the fairer sex, of whom Adam first declared, “At last!” The struggle for equality continues in many circles still today.  And in our hyper-sensitive intolerance-phobic pendulum-swinging over-reactive culture, you wade into these waters at your own risk.  Let’s dive right on in!

-Some suggest that Paul here has in mind THE childbirth, that of the Messiah, Jesus, that this is what will ultimately provide salvation for women (as well as men) everywhere, that they should fix their hope and love and holiness on Him.  He is the solution to all our problems, including those of redressing gender inequities and of understanding role differences.

-Could it be however that Paul is thinking about the Genesis account which he just mentioned, about how the woman was the one who took (usurped) the lead and led into sin, and that her consequences were related to childbirth and to her interaction with her husband?  Childbirth now became extremely painful, an excruciating ordeal.  And she was going to want to control her husband, who in turn would be inclined towards being domineering (when he wasn’t being passive or silent).  Could Paul here be thinking that instead of holding positions of authoritative leadership in the church that her primary God-ordained role was more related to the home and the bearing (and rearing) of children?  He mentions this again in 1Timothy 5.14.  Again, it is unlikely that he is only thinking about things there in Ephesus, since he is appealing to the unchanging historical record of God’s design in the Genesis account of Creation and the Fall.  But is Paul simply thinking about that act of childbirth - which in another time and place was (and still is) definitely a life-threatening proposition (no epidurals or c-sections!) - and that an attitude of faith will carry a woman through that literal labor of love?

-Could it be that Paul is suggesting that the highest calling for a woman would in fact be that of Motherhood, as opposed to leading out in the church?  Yeah, I know, that sounds incredibly old-fashioned and restictive to modern ears.  Chauvinistic.  Patriarchal.  Repressive.  Misogyny run amok.  But we should not ever undersell or underestimate the foundational importance and priceless value... of Mom.  Surely it is the most powerful discipleship role on the planet!  Biology certainly would suggest that bearing children is indeed the role of woman.  The Lord does also seem to clearly indicate in Genesis 2 that her primary calling was to be that perfectly suited helper for the man (Genesis 2.18).  There is the interlude before the Lord makes the woman where He has Adam name all the living creatures and in doing so shows Adam that none of those creatures would suffice for a life partner (Genesis 2.19-20).  But we knew that was going to be the case.  We know that there was always going to be woman.  Without her, there was no chance of the whole “be-fruitful-and-multiply” thing happening (Genesis 1.28).  And without her, there would have been no family.  That’s precisely to what Adam is alluding when he excaims, “At last!  Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!”  This is about the ultimate start-up!  The launch, the establishment of a new family, the fundamental building block of society, an oikos/household/clan where blood truly is thicker than water, one which loves and sticks together through thick and thin (cf 2Samuel 5.1, Genesis 29.13-14; note the implications for the church - Romans 12.5, Ephesians 5.29-32).  We are family.  And it is not happening if mom isn’t mom.  Not in the breathtakingly beautiful and mysterious way it was designed.  Designed - not in Cupertino - but in Heaven itself.

-The Letdown.  Dumbest job ever.  Bleep-ing awful.  This is how our culture portrays the “horror of motherhood”.  No. No. No.  Yes, it is the toughest, most thankless job ever.  Marvelous, miraculous, and yes, at times excruciating, horrifying.  But there is none more important.  I’ll say it again - there is none more important.  Because again, Adam ain’t pulling it off without her.  Woman - her absence - was the one thing, the only thing in fact, about Paradise which was NOT good.  And the fallout in the aftermath of her disobedience drives straight into the very core of the family and of civilization, of the woman’s role as child-bearer, of her relationship with the man, and perhaps most importantly the part she will play in the advent of Messiah, the One Who will come forth from her womb and crush the serpent!  Now of course in Paul’s day (as in ours) that has already happened, Messiah had already come and won the victory, but let us make no mistake - our society, the present and future well-being of it and the well-being of the next generation - depends on mom, more than any other.  Not on government.  Not on social programs or education.  Not on liberals, nor on liberation.  Some of these can be helpful to be sure, at least to a certain degree.  But we all, from the moment of conception, need all the mom we can get.  Education begins with mom.  Provision begins with mom.  Caring and nurture begins with mom.  With a big assist from dad, no doubt.  And this is not confined to the physical ability to bear children.  Most of what mom brings to the table happens outside of the delivery room - being a mom for someone is not only about giving birth to them.  

-Surely we need to support and help and appreciate and honor mom all we can.  Mom needs help to be mom.  And yes, mom needs a lot of faith and love and holiness and self-control to be the mom God has called her to be.  But let us not get caught up in the spirit of our age, let us not be dissuaded and discouraged by the voices of the world (and the serpent!) as they try to undermine God’s plan and destroy His beautiful design.  Surely there is no higher calling than that of being a mom - let us make no mistake about that.

1Timothy 2:13-14 - On timeless designs and anarcho-syndicalist communes...

”For Adam first was made, then Eve... And Adam was not deceived, but the woman having been deceived in disobedience has come to be.”

-What does the order of Creation have to do with some cultural issues playing out in Ephesus?  Precisely.  Some would want to maintain that Paul in insisting that women should not, do not occupy roles of authoritative teaching in the local church was simply addressing a problem which was confined to something Timothy was dealing with in Ephesus.  And yet when Paul zooms out to explain his rationale, he harkens all the way back to Genesis.  To the way God set things up in the very beginning.  Back there we read that in the beginning, God created them male and female (Genesis 1.27).  Note that Christ Himself validated the timeless binding authority of this verse (Matthew 19.4).  But we read that God made Adam first (Genesis 2.7).  He put him in the garden and put him in charge of it (Genesis 2.15).  It was all good (Genesis 1.31) - very good, except for one thing.  It was not good for the man to be alone (Genesis 2.18).  And the Lord ultimately provides him with the perfect partner - Woman.  They were partners, but this apparently is about sequence.  God made Adam first for a reason.  Some commentators suggest that this is about birth order, that throughout the book of Genesis we see that the right and responsibility of headship in a family fell to the firstborn.  But just how does a preference for primogeniture extend to leadership within the family of God?  Surely the order of creation speaks to us more about the headship of man within marriage and family, and by extension within the family of God.  The headship of the husband (and the wife submitting to such) is a repeated theme in Scripture (1Corinthians 11.3, Ephesians 5.23, Colossians 3.18, 1Peter 3.1).  And this is rooted in the order of Creation.  God made the man first, put him in charge of the garden, and then made the woman to be his ideally suited helper.  Now this Hebrew word for helper does not imply inferiority.  It’s not like she is the “hired help”.  The Lord our God is our Help (Psalm 33.20, 70.5, 121.1-2).  This is not about ability or status.  But in that Adam was made first, he is the head.  That is his God-given role.  

-There are several ways this plays out.  1) He is the initiator in this relationship - note that the man leaves his mother and father to cling to his wife (Genesis 2.24).  2) He is also the buck stopper - he is held accountable (God confronts Adam first even tho He knew full well who fell first - Genesis 3.9-11, and in perpetuity places the burden of responsibility entirely on him - Romans 5.12-14).  3) And more importantly, this headship is intended to be(come) a wonderfully mysterious reflection of how Christ relates to His bride, the church.  The husband is called to provide the world with a beautiful picture of how Christ loves the church in how he relates to his bride (Ephesians 5.25-32).  Leading her, yes.  But loving her.  Nourishing and cherishing her.  Providing for her.  Helping her to be holy and blameless.  Sacrificing and laying down His life for her.  Honoring her (1Peter 3.7).  Serving her - not being served BY her (Matthew 20.28).  Not domineering her - this posture came in as a consequence of the fall, where Adam did not lead at all.  When it came time to stand up and speak up, he was in fact entirely silent.  Passive (Genesis 3.6).  And so now the broken order set in as a result of the fall is that women instinctively want to control their husbands, and men default not to sacrificial service but to demeaning domination of their wives (Genesis 3.16).  If they lead at all.  But Christ led by laying down His life for the sake of His bride.  Others-first-others better.  Not too many people - women OR men - who would have trouble accepting that kind of leadership, don't you think?

-It is instructive to note how the serpent appears to almost deliberately have targeted the woman.  Is it not possible that his end game was not merely the fall of humanity but also to destroy the divine beauty and design of marriage?  It is not that the woman was inherently more prone to deception than the man per se.  But she took the lead, and led the way into sin, while the man stood back and did nothing.  He simply joined in.  He did exactly what his wife told him to do.  He could have said no to his wife.  So Paul says, not Adam.  Adam was not deceived, no.  But it is as much about what Adam did not do.  Not Adam.  He did NOT say no.  He did NOT take charge of a situation which was literally heading to hell in a handbasket.  And much as he tried later to pass the buck, placing the blame on both the woman AND on the One Who made her in the first place (Genesis 3.12), he is held accountable first and last and forever (Genesis 3.9-11, 17-19; Romans 5.18-19).  Which again goes back to role.  Buck-stopper.  Initiator.

-The man must answer the call to lead as much now because if left to his own devices he will leave it up to the woman.  This is true in the home, and it is true in the family of God, in the church.  And isn’t this what we see?  Men who leave it up to the women, especially when it comes to the church and spiritual leadership in the home (or lack thereof).  Or we see domination and dishonor and abuse.  And we see women (and children) who are tragic victims.  We see women who want to be in control in the home and the church, or who think they have to be because Adam is over there doing his passive and silent thing.  And what the world sees ultimately is a sad sad picture of Jesus.  No, this is not about some unique cultural situation at Ephesus.  This is about the God-ordained role of leadership in the home and in the church, based upon the order of creation.  We are talking about the glorious timeless designs of almighty God, beautiful pictures which should shine throughout the ages regardless of cultural predilections or peccadillos.  It is a collaborative effort, to be sure, a partnership yes, but one with clearly defined roles.  And men are called to be the initiators, the buck-stoppers.  And they are the ones tasked with the authoritative teaching in the church.  It is the role of elder, overseer, pastor.  It does not make them better or more loved or valuable in God’s eye in any way.  No, no, no.

-Important to note that the Bible does not teach unlimited equality.  Ours is no anarcho-syndicalist commune.  There are different gifts, different enablings, different roles in the family, in the church, in society.  Intellectually, physically, financially, spiritually - this side of heaven there is inequality, and some of it is actually God-ordained.  There are different stations in life.  While we can embrace total equality of personhood, that each and every man woman and child are equally valuable in God’s eyes, each one vested with dignity and worth and bearing the image of their Creator, what we do not see is a level playing field, not even in the beginning.  Equality of status does not mean equality of station.  This is no less true in the family, as well as in the body of Christ.  There are indeed differing roles, and Scripture is quite clear as to what those are.  Paul is quite clear.  It is our culture which is confused.  And that should come as a surprise to no one...