What did the New Testament believers do to respond to the needs of widows?

Acts 6:1-5As the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.” Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith).

The movement of Christ-followers that had recently exploded on the scene began to experience the growing pains of human needs. Conditions had necessitated a practice of daily food distribution. But accusations of racial favoritism threatened to derail the fledgling organization. The report reveals that compassionate efforts were being made but the extent of the needs was overwhelming the original system. The need was recognized but the response needed adjustment.

Acts 9:36-43There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas). She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room. But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible!” So Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them. But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up! He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive. The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord. And Peter stayed a long time in Joppa, living with Simon, a tanner of hides.

Luke’s original reference to the poor whom Tabitha had been helping included the widows who later gathered to grieve her death. She was an early example of a follower of Jesus who exercised her faith in Christ by meeting the needs of others (particularly widows) in practical ways.

1 Corinthians 7:8-10So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust. But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband.

By the time Paul wrote the Corinthian church, widows were a significant group within the local churches. This group needed instruction related to their roles in ministry as well as future marital status. The apostle balanced his desire for more teammates in ministry with his acknowledgement that personal needs also needed to be addressed.

1 Timothy 5:7-16Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism. But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband. She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good? The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry. Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge. And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn’t. So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them. For I am afraid that some of them have already gone astray and now follow Satan. If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone.

In his instructions for Timothy who was busy organizing local churches, Paul had the needs of widows very much in mind. Their treatment in the community of faith served as a measure of the compassion shown among believers. The first layer of the safety net for widows was their own extended families, which appears to have been a basic cultural expectation carried out even by unbelievers. The church was to give special extended help to older widows, particularly those with a history of gracious ministry themselves.

James 1:26-27If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James described the most essential form of genuine obedience and love for God as a willingness to love our most needy neighbors: orphans and widows.