James says that “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27 ESV). Religion really isn’t that complicated, but it is challenging. To care for the “fallen,” those who have lost so much and are afflicted, is a daunting undertaking. We often think of religion as our worship service itself, but this isn’t how religion is defined by James. Religion is how we care for the vulnerable.
Consider these passages: “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling” (Psalm 68:5). “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing” (Deuteronomy 10:18). “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:17). Throughout the entire Bible, God cares for the orphans and widows and expects His people to do the same.
In Luke 7, Jesus enters a small village called Nain (which means pleasant or beautiful). There he finds a widow whose only son died. As the bearers carried the bier, Jesus touched it and said, “Young man, I say to you, arise” (Luke 7:14). The peopled glorified God and great fear seized them. This story highlights Christ’s compassion on the widows. We may not be able to bring people back from the dead, but we certainly can have compassion on people who are struggling.