11Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. 1 Timothy 3:11
I recall the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock thriller starring Jimmy Stewart, The Man Who Knew Too Much. Here Dr. Benjamin McKenna and his wife and boy are unwittingly exposed to the details of an assassination plot.
A wife of a deacon—or elder—because she normally serves as her husband’s confidant, more often than not, “knows too much.” She can be an asset to her husband offering wise advice and perspective, or an acid, corroding the peace of the church by sharing confidences “out of school.”
Paul applies the same set of godly qualifications to deacons’ wives with the word “likewise” or “in the same manner,” drawing particular attention to the sensitivity of the information to which they will be exposed, and the need to be serious, sober and steady in the Lord’s service.
Having served as both an elder and deacon in a church, it is a blessing and benefit to have a righteous wife with whom to discuss the affairs of the church. But keep in mind, “knowing too much” may be an unnecessary burden for her to bear.
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