Today we read how the Church overcomes another crisis situation. The problem is no small matter...
Today we read how the Church overcomes another crisis situation. The problem is no small matter: in a community where love for one another should be the principle of relationships, the neglected suddenly appear, and, as usually happens in the world, they turn out to be members of a "socially vulnerable minority": the widows of the "nonlocal" Hellenists, Jews who had come to Jerusalem from the diaspora and believed in Jesus.
So the weakest found themselves not at the center of everyone's attention and love, but the opposite. What matters for us now is not the indication of such a misfortune in the Church (the lack of love and indifference of Christians surprise no one today), but how it is resolved: Stephen appears on the scene, a deacon and martyr, full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, faith, and power, along with the other six deacons, ready to restore peace and love in the community of the first disciples.
God, one way or another, acts through people who are open to the guidance of His Spirit. And for you and me, what matters most is to be exactly such people, people of the Spirit, wisdom, and faith, so that through us the Lord can lead toward perfection the world He created for His Glory.
6
6:1 There arose a murmuring - Here was the first breach made on those who were before of one heart and of one soul. Partiality crept in unawares on some; and murmuring on others. Ah Lord!how short a time did pure, genuine, undefiled Christianity remain in the world! O the depth! How unsearchable are thy counsels! Marvellous are thy ways, O King of saints! The Hellenists were Jews born out of Palestine. They were so called, because they used the Greek as their in other tongue. In this partiality of the Hebrews, and murmuring of theHellenists, were the needs of a general persecution sown. Did God ever, in any age or country, withdraw his restraining providence, and let loose the world upon the Christians, till there was a cause among themselves? Is not an open, general persecution, always both penal and medicinal? A punishment of those that will not accept of milder reproofs, as well as a medicine to heal their sickness? And at the same time a means both of purifying and strengthening those whose heart is still right with God.
6:2 It is not right that we should leave the word of God and serve tables - In the first Church, the primary business of apostles, evangelists, and bishops, was to preach the word of God; the secondary, to take a kind of paternal care (the Church being then like a family,) for the food, especially of the poor, the strangers, and the widows. Afterward, the deacons of both sexes were constituted for this latter business. And whatever time they had to spare from this, they employed in works of spiritual mercy. But their proper office was, to take care of the poor.And when some of them afterward preached the Gospel, they did this not by virtue of their deaconship, but of another commission, that of evangelists, which they probably received, not before, but after they were appointed deacons. And it is not unlikely that others were chosen deacons, or stewards, in their room, when any of these commenced evangelists.
6:3 Of good report - That there may be no room to suspect them of partiality or injustice. Full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom - For it is not a light matter to dispense even the temporal goods of the Church. To do even this well, a large measure both of the gifts and grace of God is requisite. Whom we will set over this business - It would have been happy for the Church, had its ordinary ministers in every age taken the same care to act in concert with the people committed to their charge, which the apostles themselves, extraordinary as their office was, did on this and other occasions.
6:4 We will constantly attend to prayer, and to the ministry of the word - This is doubtless the proper business of a Christian bishop: to speak to God in prayer; to men in preaching his word, as an ambassador for Christ.
6:5 And they chose - It seems seven Hellenists, as their names show.And Nicholas a proselyte - To whom the proselytes would the more readily apply.
6:7 And the word of God grew - The hinderances being removed.