Cross-References and Cross-Checking (Commentaries)
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.—Hebrews 4:12
When I start studying a passage, it truly is an adventure. I’m not always sure where I’ll go, but with every new discovery, I add a little more to the growing understanding of God, myself, and others.
That is what has happened as I have been studying Titus 2:3-5 over the past few weeks. I started this study wanting to know what God expected of me as an “older woman,” but I have found it is far more than a to-do list. As I unfold my discoveries today, I hope you’ll also see how much deeper it goes.
To keep this post from getting too long and unwieldy, I’ll focus on one question: Why is this ministry of teaching and training in the home so vital for older women to pass on to the next generation? More specifically, what can I learn from the phrase “that the word of God may not be reviled” in verse 5?
Looking at Other Translations
At this point, I like to pull out other translations to do some comparison work. Sometimes the different words add shades of nuance to my understanding.
So here is the same Titus 2:3-5 passage to compare:
ESV: Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
NASB: Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may [c]encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.
NIV: Likewise, 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. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
As I compare these, I am looking for differences in wording, order, connections. Here are a few:
The NIV uses “likewise” in a different way than the ESV and the NASB. Is it that the older women are to be like the older men in v. 1 in their behavior? Or is Paul referring to the fact that Titus is to likewise teach the older women, just as he teaches the older men?
All three versions translate to some form of the word “teach” in verse 3, specifically teaching what is good. This is the Greek word, kalodidaskalos, which is used to mean, “a teacher of that which is noble (honorable) and good.”
The words “so that” give us a very clear purpose for these good works at home. The ESV says “so that the word of God may not be reviled,” while the NASB says the word “may not be dishonored,” and the NIV says “no one will malign” the Word. The testimony of their lives and how they live is critical because the Word is on the line.
The Greek word for this is blasphēmeō, where we get our English word “blaspheme.” The meaning in the Greek dictionary is “to speak contemptuously of God or of sacred things.”
Lesson learned: What we do in the privacy of our hearts and homes has great impact on the Gospel. It will either cause others to worship or to walk away.
Looking at Cross-References
In addition to looking at other translations, I look outside of this passage to see if there are other places in Scripture that support and/or extend this passage. Doing so helps me to integrate these truths with the larger Story of Scripture.
Like a dictionary, cross-references can help us deepen our understanding of words, but they go beyond that. They also help us look at broader themes, topics and subjects.
So how do I find these? Here’s three I use:
My study Bible with cross-references in the margin. This is my first and favorite go-to method.
Blue Letter Bible: type in your verse and next to the verse of your choice, hover over “tools,” then select “Cross-references,” where you will find R. A. Torrey’s cross-references from his work, Treasury of Scripture Knowledge .
Open Bible’s cross-reference finder. The “darker” the color, the more closely connected.
For this study, I want to find some cross-references to explore that last part of verse 5. From the above sources, I was directed to 1 Tim. 5:14; 6:1 ; Heb. 4:12; Rom. 2:24; 2 Sam. 12:14, Ps. 74:10. I have arranged them working outwards from TItus 2: starting with other pastoral epistles, then New Testament references, and then Old Testament references.
Again, when encountering a new passage, I start with observing these in context one by one and taking notes. My goal is to see how these can help me enrich my understanding and answer my starting question more insightfully. Often, I find other rabbit trails to pursue, leading to even more treasure!
Here are some things I discovered:
So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. —1 Tim. 5:14
As in Titus, Paul gives Timothy counsel on his relationships with different sectors of his congregation. This verse is found in the context of how to treat true widows, older women without any other close family support.
Those who have grown children to care for them should let them do so and younger widows should remarry, for the specific reason that they “give the adversary no occasion for slander.”
Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. —1 Tim. 6:1
This passage is directed to bondservants, not women, but the sentiment is the same. The call to this group is to watch how they relate to their masters, to honor them, so that both the name of God and the teaching of the gospel may not be reviled.
It is interesting that how they relate to one another is a reflection of their faith and a testament to the truth of the Word of God. Though he does not directly say it, there is the suggestion that how we behave to one another can diminish the power of God’s Word.
For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”—Rom. 2:24
This verse is directed to the Jewish people who thought they were exempt because obeyed God’s law. From the surrounding context, presumably “godly” Jews were actually a stumbling block to the Gentile community around them. Because Romans was probably written before 1 Timothy, Paul may have had this situation in mind. He saw the damage these people did to his work of spreading the gospel by their lack of integrity.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. —Heb. 4:12
This reference focuses on the nature of God’s Word. Unlike any other word, it is from God. It is living and active and discerning. While it does not tell us not to malign the Word as the other passages so far have stated, it shows why it is worthy of our honor and best representation.
“…Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” —2 Sam. 12:14
In this Old Testament narrative passage, the context is the prophet Nathan’s confrontation of King David after his adultery with Bathsheba.
In his arrogance in thinking he could hide this shameful act from God, the king is called out by the prophet for what sin is—an act of scorn towards God. Again, how we treat other people is a reflection of what we really think about God. And there are serious consequences.
How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?
Is the enemy to revile your name forever?—Ps. 74:10
Lastly, we have a lament of Asaph’s. Using my previously-learned skills in reading Psalms, I can quickly gather that the Israelites have experienced attack from foes. This attacker, whoever they are, has scoffed and reviled the name of God, which grieves the psalmist. What strikes me is the psalmist’s righteous grief as he sees God’s name being reviled.
Summarizing these highlights several more gems to add to my growing treasury.
How an individual relates with others is a reflection of what that person thinks about God and the Word they profess to believe.
Seeing God’s Word being reviled should grieve us.
A young woman who is not trained to honor her marriage relationship, love her children, and keep her home well is a liability. Such women run the risk of jeopardizing the work of God’s Word.
This is important as the new church was just gaining hold. As outsiders watch, they are making judgments not merely about them but about their beliefs. Are they helping or hurting the message?
The unsullied testimony of the gospel is Paul’s passionate desire. No wonder he implores Titus to train his congregation to do all they can to prevent God’s name and His Word to be unsullied.
When we take the rest of Titus 2 in context, we come across vv. 11-14 that makes this connection. They have been saved by God’s amazing grace! This grace trains us to live godly and self-controlled lives. Their upright behavior is a credible witness to the hope they believe.
This is a mark of a truly wise older person: they know the foolishness tendencies of youth and expend their energy to help lead them in the paths of wisdom. Armed with what they themselves have learned, they are to help by sharing those lessons and skills with the next generation, not just so they stay out of trouble, but for a greater purpose—to be a testimony for God.
Unlike the Cretan culture, Paul wanted them to live lives true to their calling as believers. They served a God who never lies. He wanted them to also live the truth, not just believe it.
Lesson learned: Their behavior may not save them, but their good works in the home and family are vital to their witness of God’s honor and His Word. As this is unnatural or counter-cultural, the older generation must faithfully pass on their wisdom to the next generation.
Looking at Commentaries
All this was done without consulting a commentary. But here’s where they do come in. Not only do I gain new insights from scholars who have far more training and spent much more time studying these passages, I also am corrected in wrong interpretations.
For the sake of space, I will share what I learned from R. Kent Hughes and Bryan Chappell’s commentary on the pastoral epistles (Preaching the Word series):
The Gospel is not a commodity to benefit us. Our choices impact the actions of others. Recognizing this is a sign of maturity.
Titus is to teach the older women as he teaches the older men, something captured by the NIV use of the word “likewise.” He is to teach them to be reverent in their behavior, not merely for their own reputation’s sake but so they can serve the younger women in like manner. There is a ripple effect.
Interestingly, Paul does not tell Titus to teach the younger women. If anyone is to teach her, it should be her husband (1 Cor. 14:35—another reference to explore later!). There are proper lines of family authority that can be understood here.
This is more than just merely how to fulfill responsibilities conscientiously but communicating how to do so as an act of faith and spiritual concern, especially since they are living in a time where there are opponents to the church in their culture.
So far, so good.
In one area, however, I am in need of correction. I had read Paul’s words as an ominous warning: Beware, lest you give the church a bad name, or something to that effect. However, Hughes and Chappell point out this idea in the positive: that through our good behavior, the Word of God gains credibility.
This is an important corrective. Instead of looking at God’s Word as something I am to defend, as if I could mess up God’s plan, I need to look at it is contributing as a powerful witness to further the gospel.
I want to live a godly life so I reflect the excellencies of God’s Word, not live in fear lest I mess it up. That’s a very different posture and attitude—something that reflects my personal bias and tendency and needs to be corrected.
Lesson learned: When the older women teach and train the younger women in both the practical and relational skills of building the home, they are participating in enfleshing the truth of the gospel.
Timeout!
Even if your mind isn’t swimming like mine, I need to pause once again to add these new insights to my growing understanding of this passage.
In the next post, we will transition to the last stage of Bible study: application. Finally, we will ask the question, after all this time in the passage, What does this mean for me?
I’ll see you then.
