20130505
In 1 Tim. 5:17 the Apostle Paul writes that: “the elders … are worthy of double honour” since even an ox gets its due, grazing as it ploughs, raises some questions. Does it mean that elders, “especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” get double pay? Or, at least that elders must receive some monetary benefit?
One of the key duties of an “overseer” is to be “able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2). Yet, other Bible passages teach us that all Christians have different gifts and the word “especially” in 1 Tim. 5:17 signal that “preaching and teaching” are gifts for some elders, not all. So if “preaching and teaching” are gifts from God, recipients cannot claim credit for them and be paid more – or paid at all. In this sense, 1 Tim. 5:17 cannot be referring to the economic benefit of eldership.
However, it cannot be so hard that elders, especially those serving full-time in ministry, have nothing to eat (muzzling the ox). The Macedonian Church gave the Apostle Paul his material needs. That said, Paul did not see his ministry as a way to earn money. Rather, as a professional tentmaker, he was self-sufficient so as not to be “burdensome” (2 Cor. 11:9). So elders may receive tangible benefits, though not with the expectation of them – for “dishonest gain” taints the purity of ministry (1 Pet. 5:2).
Looking at Jesus who had no place to lay His head, it is questionable that elders in some churches today seem comfortable deriving economic gain from their service, saying for example, that big bucks are signs their flock like to “feed” them. How do you reconcile this with Paul who expended his life in intense service to God, in prison and in chains?
How then do we honour our elders, especially those who preach and teach? The word “honour” also means to be held in high regard or to be given deference. Note also the word “well” in the verse, which means “excellently” so there is “no room for blame”. In 1 Pet. 5:3, elders are told to rule not as “lording” over us but “being examples to the flock”. Like the Lord Jesus, elders are called to have an excellent shepherd’s heart. Those who do shall receive, from their sheep, the double portion of high regard that is theirs. And the Chief Shepherd himself shall honour them with a crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4).
