Paul wrote some curious words about older women: “Teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good” (Titus 2:3). Hmm . . . why would Paul say those specific words to this specific group in the church? Here’s my theory—words and wine are very tempting to older women.
Younger women are often so busy with school and work and raising exhausting children that they don’t have a lot of personal time to unwind. But as women grow older, when work slows down and the kids are out of the house, they get to spend more time with friends. Wine is poured. Words fill the room. And reverence for God can be quickly forgotten.
Paul warns older women about this because he knows the power of a godly woman (read Titus 2:4,5). A sober, self-controlled woman can mentor young Christian women. She can teach them how to do good in God’s name, how to avoid the most common pitfalls of female life at home and in the world. Most important, she can urge the next generation of women to seek God, to find her identity and wholeness in the rock-solid promises of God through Christ.
If she slurs her words or is known as a gossip, the message might not get through. But if she can speak clearly and confidently about Christ, her impact can’t be measured. Let’s pray that God fills our churches and the nations with women like that!
