Acts 6:1 - Meaning and Application

After seeing the church’s struggles with its enemies, and then sharing in its victories, we now turn to the church’s life at home. Here we find an unhappy dispute among some of the church members, one that could have caused serious harm, but was wisely settled in time (Acts 6:1).

When the number of the disciples, as Christians were first called, learners of Christ, had grown to many thousands in Jerusalem, a complaint arose. It is encouraging to see the disciples multiplying, even though it surely grieved the priests and Sadducees to see it. The opposition the gospel faced did not slow its progress. In fact, it helped spread it, and this young Christian church, like the young Jewish church in Egypt, grew more under affliction.

The preachers were beaten, threatened, and abused, yet the people still received their teaching. Their calm courage under suffering likely drew others in, because it showed that a better spirit was at work in them. Still, it is discouraging to see growth in the church become a reason for division. So far, the believers had all been of one heart. That had often been noticed with praise, but now, as their numbers increased, they began to murmur. This was not a public break, but a quiet bitterness in the heart.

The complaint came from the Grecians, or Hellenists, against the Hebrews. The Grecians were Jews scattered in Greece and other places. They usually spoke Greek and read the Old Testament in the Greek translation, not the original Hebrew. Many of them were in Jerusalem for the feast, believed in Christ, and stayed in the church there. The Hebrews were the native Jews who used the original Hebrew Scriptures. Some from both groups became Christians, but their faith in Christ did not fully remove the old jealousies between them. They still carried something of that old leaven. They had not yet fully grasped, or remembered, that in Christ Jesus there is neither Greek nor Jew. All are equally welcome to Christ, and for his sake they should love one another.

The Grecians complained that their widows were neglected in the daily distribution, meaning the public giving of charity, while the Hebrew widows were better cared for. The first quarrel in the Christian church was about money, which is a shame, since the small things of this world should not divide people who profess to care about the great things of the next. A great deal of money had been collected for the poor, but, as often happens, it was impossible to please everyone in how it was shared out.

The apostles, at whose feet the money had been laid, did their best to use it as the donors intended. They no doubt meant to act with complete fairness and were far from favoring the Hebrews over the Grecians. Yet they were accused, at least indirectly, of neglecting the Grecian widows. These widows were truly needy, but they may not have received as much, or as regular a share, as the Hebrews.

This complaint may have been unfair. Those who are already at a disadvantage, as the Grecian Jews were compared with the Hebrews, are often quick to suspect that they are being slighted when they are not. Poor people are also often unthankful for what they receive and quick to complain that others get more. Envy and greed, those bitter roots, are found among the poor as well as the rich, despite the hard lessons their poverty should teach them. Yet we should also allow that there may have been some real reason for the complaint.

Some think the widows were overlooked because the managers followed an old Hebrew custom that a widow should be supported by her husband’s children (see 1 Timothy 5:4). But it seems better to understand widows here as standing for all the poor, since many on the church’s charity list were widows. These were women who had been supported by their husbands while they lived, but were left in need when their husbands died. As those who handle public justice should especially protect widows from harm (Isaiah 1:17; Luke 18:3), so those who handle public charity should especially provide for widows in need (1 Timothy 5:3).

These widows, and the other poor as well, received daily support. They likely could not save enough for the future, so the church gave them their bread day by day. They lived from hand to mouth. It seems the Grecian widows were, by comparison, neglected. Perhaps those in charge thought the Hebrews had contributed more to the fund, since the rich Hebrews had estates to sell, while the rich Grecians may not have had the same resources. Even if that seemed somewhat reasonable, the Grecians still felt it was unfair.

In the best-ordered church in the world, something will still go wrong. There will be some poor management, some grievance, or at least some complaint. The best churches are those with the fewest such problems.

The happy result was that this matter was settled, and a way was found to remove the cause of the murmuring. Up to this point, the apostles had directed everything. People brought their appeals and complaints to them, and they had to use helpers under them. But those helpers may not have paid enough attention, and they were not as well guarded against favoritism as they should have been. So others needed to be chosen, men with more time to attend to the work than the apostles had, and better fit for the task than those the apostles had been using. Now observe:

How the apostles proposed to handle the matter: They called the whole group of disciples together, meaning the leaders of the Christian congregations in Jerusalem. The twelve would not make such an important decision by themselves, because where there are many advisers, there is safety. In a matter like this, those who had more experience with daily life than the apostles might give the best advice.

The apostles said they could not step away from their main work. They explained, “It is not right that we should leave the word of God and serve tables” (Acts 6:2). Handling money and food distribution was a kind of serving at tables, much like the tables of the money changers in the temple. That work was outside the task Christ had given them, which was to preach God’s word.

They knew preaching was enough to occupy a whole person. Even though they did not need long study before speaking, because God would give them the words at the right time, they still believed preaching deserved their full attention. If they took on this other duty, they would have to give less time and care to their preaching. Their minds could not be pulled into two separate anxious jobs at once.

Even though this serving of tables was for holy purposes, helping the rich give and the poor receive, the apostles would not let it take time from preaching. They would not be turned aside from their preaching by money placed at their feet any more than they would be driven from it by stripes on their backs. When the number of disciples was small, they could manage these matters without much trouble. But now that the church had grown, they could no longer do both.

Preaching the gospel is the best and most necessary work a minister can do. It is the work he must give himself wholly to (1 Timothy 4:15). To do that well, he must not get tangled up in the affairs of this life (2 Timothy 2:4), not even in the outward business of God’s house (Nehemiah 11:16). Feeding souls with the bread of life is more important than caring for the bodies of the poor, though both are good works.

So the apostles asked that seven men be chosen for this task, men well suited to the work, whose duty would be to serve tables, that is, to act as deacons to the tables (Acts 6:2). The business needed more care than it had received, and the apostles could not keep up with it themselves. These men would handle the church’s funds, review accounts, make payments, buy what was needed before the feast (John 13:29), and take care of everything needed for orderly worship.

These men had to meet clear qualifications. The people were to choose them, and the apostles were to appoint them, but neither side could choose men who were plainly unfit. They were to look for seven men, enough for the present need, with more added later if necessary. First, they had to be men of good reputation, free from scandal, known by others as honest and trustworthy. Their neighbors had to speak well of them, and they had to have good testimony about their conduct.

Second, they had to be full of the Holy Spirit. That means they needed the gifts and grace of the Spirit for this work. They were to be more than just decent men, they had to be capable and brave, like the able men Moses was told to appoint in Israel, men who feared God, loved truth, and hated greed (Exodus 18:21). Such qualities showed that they were full of the Holy Spirit.

Third, they had to be full of wisdom. It was not enough that they were honest and good. They also had to be careful, sensible, and hard to deceive, so they could manage matters wisely. Since they would handle public money, they needed to use it faithfully and also wisely, with careful thrift. The Spirit gives both truth and wisdom, and these men needed both.

The people were to choose the men themselves: “Look among yourselves for seven men.” They were in the best position to know who had the right character, or at least to find out. So the choice was entrusted to them. After that, the apostles would appoint the men to the work, give them their charge, and give them authority so everyone would know who was responsible for these matters. In some English Bibles, a printing error changed this to “whom ye may appoint,” but the right sense is that the apostles would appoint them.

Then the apostles promised to devote themselves fully to prayer and to the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). These are the two great gospel duties. By the word, God speaks to his people, and by prayer, his people speak to him. Through both, fellowship with God is kept alive. Through both, Christ’s kingdom grows, as we speak to the dry bones and then pray that God’s Spirit will give them life. The word and prayer also sanctify the other ordinances and give the sacraments their effect.

The great work of gospel ministers is to keep giving themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. They must keep fitting themselves for those duties or actually carrying them out, in public or in private, at set times and whenever the need arises. They are to speak to God for the people in prayer, and to speak for God to the people in preaching. To bring sinners to conviction and conversion, and to build up and comfort believers, ministers must not only pray for people, but also bring them the word and use the means God has appointed.

They must also pray for their hearers, so the word may be effective. God’s grace can do everything without our preaching, but our preaching can do nothing without God’s grace. The apostles had special gifts from the Holy Spirit, including tongues and miracles, yet they gave themselves continually to preaching and prayer, because that is how the church is built up. Those ministers truly follow the apostles, not by claiming the apostles’ full authority, which would be a bold and unlawful claim, but by carrying on their best work, when they give themselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. Christ will always be with such workers, even to the end of the world.

The proposal was gladly accepted by the disciples and quickly carried out. It was not forced on them by bare authority, though the apostles could have spoken firmly as servants of Christ (Philemon 1:8). It was presented as something very suitable, and the whole group was pleased with it (Acts 6:5). They were glad to see the apostles willing to be freed from handling secular matters and to pass those duties to others. They were also glad to hear that the apostles would devote themselves to the word and prayer, so they did not argue or delay.

They then chose the men for the task. It is unlikely that everyone chose the same men at first, since each person would likely favor someone he knew. But the larger number of votes settled on the men named here, and the others accepted the choice quietly, as people in church matters should do. An apostle, who held an extraordinary office, was chosen by lot, which showed God’s direct hand more clearly. But the overseers of the poor were chosen by the people’s votes, while still recognizing God’s providence, since he holds every heart and tongue in his hand.

We are given the names of those chosen. Some think they were among the seventy disciples, but that is unlikely. They had already been appointed by Christ long before to preach the gospel, and there was no more reason for them to leave the word of God to serve tables than for the apostles to do so. It is more likely that these men were among those converted after the Holy Spirit was poured out. The promise was for all who were baptized, that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. That gift, in the sense of being filled with the Spirit, was what was needed in men chosen for this service.

We may also reasonably think that these seven had sold their property and put the money into the common fund. Other things being equal, those who had been most generous in giving were the best people to handle the distribution. It also seems likely that they were all Greek-speaking Jews, since they all had Greek names. That would have helped calm the complaints of the Grecians, or Hellenist Jews, whose concern led to this arrangement. Putting the trust in men who were foreigners, like themselves, would have made it less likely that they would be neglected. Nicolas is clearly one of them, since he was a proselyte from Antioch, a Gentile convert to Judaism from that city. Some think the wording suggests that the others were proselytes from Jerusalem, just as he was from Antioch.

Stephen is named first, and he was the shining honor of this group. He was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. He had strong faith in Christ’s teaching and was fuller of it than most. He was also full of faithfulness and courage, as some understand it, because he was full of the Holy Spirit, with his gifts and graces. He was an extraordinary man and stood out in every good thing. His name means “a crown.”

Philip is named next because he used this office well and gained a good standing through it. Later he was appointed as an evangelist, a helper and companion to the apostles, and he is called that plainly (Acts 21:8). Compare (Ephesians 4:11). His preaching and baptizing, which we read about in (Acts 8:12), were certainly not done as a deacon, since that office was for serving tables, in contrast to the ministry of the word. They were done as an evangelist, and when he was advanced to that work, he likely left this office, since the two duties did not fit together.

As for Stephen, nothing we read of him proves that he was a preacher of the gospel. He only argued in the synagogues and defended himself before the council and the court (Acts 6:9; Acts 7:2). The last named is Nicolas. Some say he later fell away, like Judas among the seven, and became the founder of the Nicolaitans mentioned in (Revelation 2:6, Revelation 2:15), whom Christ says he hated. But some early writers defend Nicolas from that charge and say that the sect used his name unfairly. They say he only strongly taught that those who had wives should live as if they had none, and that wicked people twisted that into a claim that wives should be shared in common. For that reason, Tertullian, when speaking of the sharing of goods, carefully makes an exception for wives: “All things are common among us, except our wives” (Apology, chapter 39).

The apostles then appointed these men to the work of serving tables for the present (Acts 6:6). The people had presented them to the apostles, and the apostles approved their choice and set them apart for the work. They prayed with them and for them, asking God to give them more and more of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, to fit them for the service they were called to, to bless their work, and to make them a help to the church, especially to the poor among the flock. All who serve the church should be entrusted to God’s grace through the prayers of the church.

The apostles also laid their hands on them. That was a way of blessing them in the Lord’s name, since the laying on of hands was used in giving a blessing. Jacob blessed both sons of Joseph in that way, and without dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater (Hebrews 7:7). So the deacons are blessed by the apostles, and the overseers of the poor are blessed by the pastors of the congregation.

After prayer, the apostles laid their hands on these men. By doing so, they showed that the blessing had truly come in answer to prayer. They also gave these men authority to carry out their work, and they placed an obligation on the people to respect them in that office.

III. The church then advanced. When matters were put in good order, with grievances corrected and complaints settled, religion began to spread, as in Acts 6:7. The word of God increased. Since the apostles now devoted themselves more closely to preaching, the gospel spread farther and reached people with greater power. When ministers free themselves from worldly tasks and give themselves fully and earnestly to their calling, that greatly helps the success of the gospel.

The word of God is said to increase, like seed that is sown and then grows back with a harvest of thirty, sixty, or a hundred times as much. The number of disciples in Jerusalem greatly multiplied. While Christ was on earth, his ministry had its least success in Jerusalem, but now that same city produced the most converts. God always has his remnant, even in the worst places.

A great number of the priests became obedient to the faith. God’s word and grace are greatly honored when they change the people who seemed least likely to believe, as happened here with the priests. They had either opposed the gospel or were at least tied to those who did. The priests, whose livelihoods came from the law of Moses, were willing to give that up for the gospel of Christ. It seems they came together as a group, agreeing to strengthen one another and preserve one another’s standing while they all gave themselves to Christ.

They were obedient to the faith because they accepted the teaching of the gospel. Their minds were brought under the power of Christ’s truth, and every opposing thought was made subject to him, as in (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). The gospel is said to be made known for the obedience of faith, as in (Romans 16:26). Faith itself is an act of obedience, because God commands us to believe, as in (1 John 3:23).

They also proved that their faith was real by gladly following all the rules and commands of the gospel. The gospel’s purpose is to purify and reform our hearts and lives. Faith gives us our rule, and we must live in obedience to it.