Elders

 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning. I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. (I Timothy 5:17-21) 

            Sometimes, we seem to have the impression that pastors and elders, or people in authority outside the Church should be treated like servants. Maybe it’s because of Jesus’ teaching that they are to act like servants. Maybe it’s just jealousy and covetousness. Paul describes them as an eldest brother in a household, who received twice the inheritance of the rest of the brothers. He then quotes two proverbs. An ox may eat what seems like a lot of grain as it is treading, but if you don’t let the ox eat, it won’t maintain the strength to work. The worker who is not given his wages cannot afford to work for you. 
            I notice this more in the world than I do in the Church, probably because I’m not involved in the business end of the Church. We want our entertainers to get millions of dollars (perhaps because we all dream of being discovered someday) but we want our politicians to work for less than minimum wage while maintaining a home, office, and staff both where we live and where they work and commuting between the two. I have to confess, even when I was working, I hated paying seventy dollars for an hour (or even an hour and a half) of a hairdresser’s time, then being expected to provide a tip, when an hour of my time only netted me eight to fourteen dollars. I know, the hairdresser didn’t get all of the seventy dollars but I struggled. That’s why I am letting my hair grow. It’s easy to look at someone else and question their value to you.
            That’s at least part of the second problem Paul discusses in today’s passage. Those who serve us open themselves up to criticism. Sometimes the criticism is deserved/ Sometimes it is not. Paul followed the directions of the Mosaic Law. The Church operates as a legal body, requiring two or three witnesses as proof of a charge. Those who were found guilty were to be publicly rebuked. They bore a greater punishment. They had more responsibility and part of that responsibility was to be an example, even in their punishment.
            With all of this in mind, one of the thoughts that has gone through my mind is “Who are the elders at my churches?” I don’t tend to pay much attention but even without knowing their names, these are a few things that I should probably be praying about on their behalf: that they will be treated as they should, and that they will behave as they should.