Defender of Widows

A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.

Psalm 68:5

We’re told in James 1:27 that: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” But this concern for single moms…is it just a God the Father thing or is it something that is part of Christ’s character?

When Jesus went with His disciples to the town of Nain, He observed a funeral procession go by. Scripture tells us that He had compassion on that widow who just lost her fatherless son (Luke 7:11-15). He told her not to cry, raised the boy back to life, and reunited them.

Widows were remembered in Christ’s teaching. An exploited widow was the focus in the parable of the unjust judge (Luke 18:2-8) where the bottom line is that God answers prayer. The Lord also denounced hypocrites who devoured widows’ houses and for a show made long prayers (Luke 20:46).

Just a day or two before Jesus was betrayed, tension was building as He taught in the Temple. A crowd gathered to watch Jesus teach while the religious leaders tried to pull Him down. When no one was looking, a widow put two cents into the collection box (Luke 21:1-4). No one noticed her insignificant offering. No one noticed, except the One who sees all things and He blessed her for giving everything she had. It doesn't say what happened next but I expect that He somehow provided for her because on the Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught “that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:4).

Since there’s no mention of Joseph after Christ began His ministry, it is generally assumed that he died, leaving Mary as a widow. As the first born son, it was Jesus’ responsibility to take care of her. Not even the anguish of death allowed Him to shirk that obligation. While He was hanging on the cross, He asked His disciple John to take her to his home and provide for her. Even to the very end Jesus was a defender of widows.