Cultural Differences in the Church

The early months and years of the Church were not without their challenges brought about by discriminatory behavior. Two such incidents were recorded by Luke in the book of Acts, and Paul finally expresses the resolution in Ephesians.

The Greek Widows

The first discrimination recorded in the Church, if not racial, was definitely cultural in nature. At that point in time, there were Jewish communities in most of the major cities in Asia Minor, and southern Europe. And it was customary for numbers of these Greek-speaking pilgrims to travel to Jerusalem for the feasts.

Many of these pilgrims joined the group of converts who became part of the Church in the first months after Pentecost. Among those new followers of Jesus were also some Greek-speaking Jewish widows. We read that the Church would come together to share meals—possibly commemorate the Last Supper. The logistics of such an undertaking must have been daunting.

However, there was a problem. The Greek-speaking widows in Jerusalem were not being fed. As the food was being distributed, they were being left out. They were being discriminated against. When confronted with the problem, the Apostles decided not to get directly involved, and gave the Greeks instructions to choose seven men “full of the Holy Spirit” to serve them, but the issue of prejudice was not addressed. The men who were chosen had Greek names.

The Inclusion of Gentiles

A second challenge in respect to a contextual shift of ministry was racial in nature. It occurred when Gentiles—Cornelius and his household—experienced Pentecost. A conference was convened in Jerusalem to deal with these changes. There, Peter retold experiences he had at Cornelius’ house, and ended with these words,

“God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them (the Gentiles) by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith” (Acts 5:8-9).

It was at this point the Apostles recognized and agreed that the Gentiles were able to receive the gospel message. Here, the Holy Spirit purified the hearts of the Gentiles by faith. Also, one of the essential qualifications of those chosen to serve the Greek widows was that they be full of the Holy Spirit. In each instance, their acknowledgement of the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit was the focal point of the resolution. 

Jesus Destroys the Barrier

Several decades later, in the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul gives theological expression to these decisions. In Ephesians 2:11-13, he describes how, in Christ Jesus the Gentiles have been brought near. Then in 2:14-22, he says the following:

“¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near…²²And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

Paul begins by declaring, “He himself is our peace.” He then goes on to circumscribe what he means by using words and phrases like: the destruction of walls of hostility, reconciliation, peace, unity, being built together, and being indwelled by the Spirit of Christ. These characteristics should be foremost features of any church aspiring to minister in complex culture.

I am sure that extending God’s love to others could be added to them? Which features would you add?

How does your church demonstrate these qualities in the cultural complexities of those who attend?

What about attitudes toward the cultural complexities in your community?

The Pharisee and the Widow – Giving, Receiving, and the Lord’s Favor

Luke 20:45 - 21:4

Jesus is arriving in Jerusalem for the Passover. Still flush with the excitement that surrounded His entry into the city, He goes straight to the Temple to pray. Furious over the exploitation He sees there, Jesus challenges the religious leaders at their very seat of power. He throws out those who were fleecing pilgrims at crooked concession stands, which were charging shocking exchange rates and most likely paying kickbacks to the Temple leaders.

At this point, Jesus is standing again at the main Temple gate with His disciples. He is observing the "teachers of the law," strutting and swaggering in their expensive clothes, and reveling in the deference the crowd pays them. Both the "teachers" and the crowd concur that their ill-gotten gain is proof of God's favor.

Jesus is indignant about the shameless ways these religious elitists are lining their pockets on the backs of the poor, and then flaunting their riches in public. Critical to understanding the point Jesus is making is not only that God’s spokesmen are parading around in expensive robes. It’s also how much guilt these rich religious elite are heaping upon themselves by the methods they are using to acquire their wealth. Their costly attire, their social status was purchased, in part, with money stolen from widows who were helpless against them.

Jesus turns to His disciples, and to those within the sound of His voice, warns them about the consequences of such injustice. He declares that these leaders are not only very mistaken about their standing with God and the people, but that they will also be severely punished.

Then the scene continues to unfold before them. Jesus observes a poor widow digging deeply into her purse. Slowly she takes her hand out, and places her last two small copper coins in the collection plate. It is conceivable that this particular widow's poverty is attributable to the greed of the powerful "teachers of the law," whom Jesus has just passed judgment on.

If true, Jesus could very well be suggesting that the most significant part of this story is not that she gave everything. He could be pointing to a deeper theological issue. In spite of the economic injury she has suffered at the hands of the most important members of the Temple, she still gives everything she has in the offering. This poor, powerless widow understands the principle behind giving. She refused to be vindictive! She refused to be a victim! In her mind, she was not giving to the "teachers of the law," or even to the Temple. She was giving to God Himself.

In this story, Jesus offers to us two snapshots of people of faith. In the first picture, we see a picture of pride, power, and presumption. In the second photo, we witness absolute loyalty and giving to God without regard to personal injury – even when the oppressor seems to be the Church itself.

The dynamics of economic exploitation can be found today. Take elderly widows, for example. These widows have given, because of their compassion and generosity, to causes that have sent them heart-wrenching letters. A substantial share of their donor base is home-bound widows, most of whom live on fixed incomes. Then those organizations sell the addresses of those who have given to them to additional “ministries” who, in turn, send them their letters. Once in their databases, the widow’s addresses are not easily deleted.[i] These dear women continue to receive scores of letters per month, even after they have almost nothing left. And yet they continue to give what little they have to God.

Jesus warns that those who engage in practices that exploit people economically "will be punished most severely." Exploitation is most often not what we do it’s what we don’t do. It can be agreeing with policies that favor the rich to the detriment of the poor; keeping silent when we know employees are being ill-used; or supporting government programs that knowingly keep people in permanent dependency.

What about you and me?

How often do we withhold our tithes and offerings over disagreements over how the money is being spent or personality clashes with or character flaws in our church leaders?

How often do we excuse not giving God our tithes and offerings because we don't have enough money?

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[i] An 85 year-old woman in my church had asked me to visit her in her apartment. I had to clear mail off a chair to be able to sit, and she seemed disoriented. I asked her if she was alright, and she told me she didn’t know what to do about all her mail. We discovered that over 100 different Christian organizations were sending her monthly letters requesting money. It took more than two years of letter writing and telephone calls to stop them from coming.

What Do Ethics Have To Do With the Childhood of Jesus?

The word ethos occurs only four times in the New Testament. Luke is the only New Testament writer to use it. He uses it in the early chapters of his gospel in connection with events surrounding the early life of Jesus. The NIV translates ethos two ways, three times as the word “custom,” and once as “as usual.”

The first time Luke uses ethos, is in 1:9, “he [Zacharias] was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense." This usage refers to the custom of choosing priests for Temple duty by division and lot. It was during his time of service the angel of the Lord revealed to Zacharias that he would have a son, John, who would be the forerunner of the Messiah.

The second use of the word ethos, is found in 2:27, "Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law." The custom for which they were going to the Temple, was to declare Mary to be ritually clean. Again, it was at God’s prompting that Simeon finds himself in the Temple and sets up Simeon’s prophecy about who Jesus is.

The third time it is used is in 2:42, “And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival.” It is not said explicitly, but it is possible that this trip to the Temple was to commemorate Jesus’ bar mitspha. One indication of this is that when pressed as to why He missed His parent’s departure He expressed that He was to be doing His Father’s (not Joseph’s) business.

The word ethos is also used a fourth and final time, 4:16, “When he came up to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom."

We can discern a pattern in these verses. In all four an ethos is being honored. God is revealing Himself and His plan: 1) to Zechariah, 2) to Jesus' parents, 3) to Jesus Himself, and finally 4) to the citizens of Nazareth.

By extension, God revealed Himself to the world and ultimately to us through the rituals and customs of the Law in the midst of a corrupt society. We never know when God will reveal Himself to us in an extraordinary way.

We learn that when we remain faithful to the ethic of regular attendance in the place of public worship, He will reveal Himself to us and His plan for us. Not every time, but in His timing. And it will always have ramifications beyond us. Even if it seems our society is corrupt, and the Church fraudulent, God will honor our faithfulness as we honor the customs and rituals of our faith.

Is there a place for such consistency today?

Can we require such dependability of ourselves today?

What about the ethics (ethos) of meeting with Him daily in a time set aside for communication with Him?