Friday, June 15 The Greek-speaking Jews began complaining against the Hebrew-speaking Jews.​—Acts 6:1.

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, June 15

The Greek-speaking Jews began complaining against the Hebrew-speaking Jews.—Acts 6:1.

 

As the early Christian congregation grew, a situation that apparently involved discrimination arose. Greek-speaking Jews complained that their widows were not being treated fairly. To settle this issue, the apostles appointed seven men to make sure that nobody was neglected. These men all had Greek names, which seems to indicate that the apostles wanted to ease any tensions over background that might have existed among the early Christians. (Acts 6:2-6) Whether we realize it or not, we are all deeply influenced by our culture. (Rom. 12:2) Moreover, we likely hear neighbors, fellow workers, or schoolmates make derogatory remarks about those of another background, tribe, or skin color. How deeply are we affected by such biased views? And how do we react when someone makes fun of our nationality—maybe by exaggerating some feature of our culture? w16.10 1:7, 8

[Spechellekaye]

We can see that not all complaints are displeasing to Jehovah. The Greek-speaking Jews were not being selfish about their lot in life. They were drawing attention to the failure to meet the needs of the widows. They were not troublemakers. They directed their complaints to the apostles who saw their complaints were justified. Jehovah is a God of order, so these responsible men arranged for prompt action to be taken and unity was maintained. 

May we keep free from murmuring and having a unwholesome complaining spirit, but contribute to the unity of the congregation by allowing the Holy Spirit to produce love in us.