Women and children are often the ones most adversely affected.” ELIAS D. “In the places where CNEWA works, violence and grinding poverty - which possesses a violence all its own - are prevalent. It begins, “If I had only lived during the time of Jesus and known him….” What follows is: “I would have found it easier to believe, I would be a more fervent disciple, I would have done heroic things and I certainly would have been better than I am now.” But, the reasoning goes, since I didn’t know Jesus, second class discipleship is good enough. The Temptation of the Good Old Days is basically an excuse. The second and all later generations of Christians faced a temptation that the first generation did not face - what we might call the Temptation of the Good Old Days. The people addressed by Luke and, especially, John, had not known the earthly Jesus and most probably did not know anyone who had known the earthly Jesus. The work of Luke and John follows that of Mark and Matthew, and addresses a second or later generation of believers. Although we are told that “The whole group of believers was united heart and soul” (Acts 4:32), a closer reading reveals deep fault lines within the community. There is not a single “Hebrew” among them. The English reader can easily miss the fact that each of the seven has a Greek (Hellenistic) name. Seven men are appointed to take care of the Hellenist widows.
Had the Twelve forgotten so soon?Įven the solution is not very satisfying. Jesus forcefully reminds them that their leader and Jesus himself are servants ( diakonōn).
At the Last Supper, Luke recounts that the Twelve had (another) argument about who of them was the greatest (22:24-27). Things do not get better when the Twelve gather the community and announce, “it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve ( diakonein) tables.” Throughout the Gospels, Jesus constantly reminds the Twelve they are to be “servants” ( diakonoi). While ignoring the widow might not be all that much for the modern reader, for the Jew it was one of the “sins that cry to heaven for vengeance.” Thus, the Hellenist complaint against the Hebrews in this reading is a serious accusation. Most powerful is Exodus 22:22-24: “You will not ill-treat widows or orphans if you mistreat them in any way and they appeal to me for help, I shall certainly hear their appeal, my anger will be roused and I shall put you to the sword….” Mention of widows, orphans and the stranger appear again and again in the Hebrew Bible - and in the Old Testament, widows and orphans are a specially protected group. This is not a small complaint, nor just a demographic oversight.
In our reading, the Hellenists complain their widows are being neglected in the daily distribution ( diakonia) of food. “Hebrews,” on the other hand, were Jews who lived in the Holy Land, spoke Aramaic and for whom the Temple in Jerusalem was central.
Those who spoke Greek and lived in the Greco-Roman were called “Hellenists.” They were Jews who lived away from Palestine, spoke Greek and for whom the Temple in Jerusalem was not (could not be) central for their religious life. Jews were scattered throughout the Roman Empire. We are told there was a “grumbling/complaint” by the “Hellenists” against the “Hebrews.” This can be misleading, especially if one reads these descriptions as ethnic terms. However, the text is remarkably interesting in other ways. However, the actual text never calls the seven “deacons.” In a sense, it is irrelevant because people referred to as “deacons” clearly appear elsewhere in the New Testament. The section we read this Sunday has traditionally been regarded as the foundation of the diaconate in the church. It important to recall that the Acts of the Apostles is universally recognized as having been written by Luke, the author of the third Gospel. This Sunday’s first reading is one of the most interesting in the Acts of the Apostles.
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