Paul's Ministry in Thesalonica
1You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. 3For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 5You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed--God is our witness. 6We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.
7As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 9Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
10You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
13And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 14For you, brothers, became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, 15who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men 16in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.[1]
Paul's Longing to See the Thessalonians
17But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. 18For we wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, did, again and again--but Satan stopped us. 19For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20Indeed, you are our glory and joy.
The second chapter of 1 Thessalonians is 20 verses in length. Let’s take a look:
1) V1-4 – 1You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you His gospel in spite of strong opposition. 3For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.
Paul explains his ministry in the first half of this chapter in order to serve as an example for the Thessalonians to continue to emulate. Though it may be that not many were converted, the visit was not a failure (v1). Calvin suggests that the persecution faced by both Paul and the Thessalonians ought to be deemed a positive, emboldening result of his visit. Perhaps those persecuting the Thessalonians suggested that they were foolish to buy into Paul’s teaching by appealing to the majority of Thessalonians that did not repent and believe the gospel. Perhaps they also accused Paul of trying to trick them or flat out being wrong. But as Vincent Cheung says, “Slander is a favorite tactic against the gospel… If we preach and practice the gospel, it is likely that we will be slandered. The proper response is to rejoice, defend, and believe. Then, the awareness that we as individual believers might be slandered alerts us to the possibility that other believers, Christians other than ourselves, might also be falsely maligned at times. This realization is significant because it reminds us that many criticisms and accusations against other Christians are untrue, and just as we would not want people to slander us, we should not slander others, spread slander about others, or to believe slander about others.” The Pharisees slandered Jesus throughout his ministry; Paul was slandered at every major city he stopped in along his second missionary journey. But slander can’t stop the boldness of Holy Spirit working in His people.
In fact, the key feature of Paul’s ministry which ought most be mimicked is the boldness revealed in v2. Though beaten and imprisoned for speaking God’s gospel (v2,8-9) in Philippi, Paul and his companions continued speaking God’s gospel (stressing that the words and power are from God, not from man) after being called into Greece. See Peter and John acting with boldness as well in Acts 4:18-20. That boldness is strong evidence that the message is not a trick (v3); and the lack of hypocrisy, along with Paul’s obvious integrity, helps others to see that motives are pure. Paul’s doctrine was sound; he was not trying to delude the Thessalonians. In v4, Paul notes that his efforts were never intended to be appealing solely to man in the first place. Rather, he was intent on pleasing God, not man, and that is what matters; pleasing God is seen in “faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6; cf. Romans 8:8, 12:1, 14:17-18; Galatians 1:10; Colossians 1:10; 1 Timothy 2:1-3, 5:4). Thus even if not a single person is won to faith in Christ, God is pleased with a bold message, preached from the heart.
2) V5-12 – 5You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed – God is our witness. 6We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, 7but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 9Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom and glory.
Paul began this chapter with “you know.” He says it again in v5, v9 (“surely you remember”), v10 (“you are witnesses”), and v11. It’s a powerful argument to remind of Paul’s integrity. The Thessalonians know that Paul and his companions did not flatter or try to cover up greed; though they had the right, as preachers, to be honored for their labor, they did not seek vainglory. Nor did they arrogantly lord themselves over the Thessalonians in authority (v6), but they mothered them and showed gentle care (v7). Calvin comments, “In this comparison [Paul] takes in two points that he had touched upon – that he had sought neither glory nor gain among the Thessalonians. For a mother in nursing her infant shows nothing of power or dignity. Paul says that he was such, inasmuch as he voluntarily refrained from claiming the honor that was due to him, and with calmness and modesty stooped to every kind of office. Secondly, a mother in nursing her children manifests a certain rare and wonderful affection, inasmuch as she spares no labor and trouble, shuns no anxiety, is wearied out by no assiduity, and even with cheerfulness of spirit gives her own blood to be sucked. In the same way, Paul declares that he was so disposed towards the Thessalonians that he was prepared to lay out his life for their benefit. This, assuredly, was not the conduct of a man that was sordid or avaricious.”
In v8, Paul says, “We loved you so much… you had become so dear to us.” Remember that just 3 months prior to writing this letter, Paul had never met a single Thessalonian. He was a stranger in every sense (race, culture, ethnicity, and religion). Yet he affectionately desired fellowship with these people in the unity of the gospel. That’s what God wants with us through Jesus. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). In v9, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he and those with him worked hard to support themselves during their ministry in Thessalonica. They didn’t burden the audience, though they rightly could have, with a requirement of supporting them for preaching the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:3-14). Instead he worked hard to earn his own way; when with the Corinthians Paul even proclaimed to “rob” the other churches in order to minister to them (2 Corinthians 11:7-9). Calling God as his witness, Paul reminds the Thessalonians again of his integrity; he and his companions were “holy, righteous and blameless” among them (v10).
Now after comparing his ministry to that of a mother (gentle care), he offers the comparison that his ministry was like that of a father for his children, “encouraging, comforting, and urging” them to “live lives worthy of God” (v11). V11-12 serve as both a summary of Paul’s teaching to the Thessalonians and conclusion of his ministry delivered in v1-12. Just as fathers are not to “exasperate” their children (Ephesians 6:4), so Paul trained them and instructed them rightly. And Paul mentions worthiness in several of his letters; here he urges living a life worthy of God Himself. Elsewhere, he writes of being “counted worthy” of God’s kingdom (2 Thessalonians 1:5), being worthy of God’s calling (2 Thessalonians 1:11; Ephesians 4:1), being worthy of the Lord (Colossians 1:10), and being worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1:27-28). A worthy life is, as the footnote of my Reformation Study Bible (2 Thessalonians 1:5) declares, one of “patient, joyful discipleship even in the face of life-threatening abuse from those hostile to the faith. Such lives are sure evidence that God’s judgment is right. Even while enjoying the benefits of citizenship in the heavenly kingdom, Christians still must suffer for its sake (Acts 14:22), since the kingdom will inevitably confront diabolical opposition.”
3) V13-16 – 13And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 14For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, 15who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men 16in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last [or fully].
Paul again gives reason for thanking God, that His word is efficacious (“at work in you”); see Isaiah 55:11, Jeremiah 23:29, and Hebrews 4:12. God’s word accomplishes exactly what God wants it to do every time it is preached. Paul thanks God, because the Thessalonians received and accepted the gospel. In other words, God opened their deaf ears and blind eyes and gave them faith; that’s why Paul is thankful. And God did this by His word; in fact, “God” and “Scripture” are often used interchangeably in the New Testament. Calvin says, “The relative pronoun may be taken as referring either to God or to His word, but whichever way you choose, the meaning will come all to one, for as the Thessalonians felt in themselves a Divine energy, which proceeded from faith, they might rest assured that what they had heard was not a mere sound of the human voice vanishing into air, but the living and efficacious doctrine of God.”
But notice that those who do not receive the word of God, those who do not accept it as divinely inspired, infallible and inerrant, are neglecting what “it actually is, the word of God.” We might also conclude from that implication that the word of God is not at work in the same way for unbelievers as it is for believers. We might argue that the word of God is always at work, even if only to bring condemnation. Vincent Cheung says, “To regard the word of God as the word of mere men is not faith, not even weak faith, but non-faith, unbelief, and blasphemy. The difference is not a matter of ‘more or less,’ but one of ‘either-or,’ not a matter of degree, but of truth and reality. Thus to regard the doctrine of the apostles as the word of men is to deny that it is the word of God – it is to reject the gospel, the only message that saves.” Elaborating further on v13, Cheung says:
“Unbelievers cannot perceive the word of God for what it is because it is spiritually perceived. They lack the disposition and competence to perceive it for what it is with their minds. They think that men wrote the Bible, and therefore it must be the word of men. They make this judgment without regard to the heavenliness of the content. Yet some claim that they would believe if the same message were delivered to them in conjunction with some spectacular display of divine presence. But this just shows that they are sensual and irrational, and not intellectual. This is part of the reason Jesus could say, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead’ (Luke 16:31). If they are irrational and non-intellectual, then what would a shock to the senses do? They would still lack the intellectual disposition and competence to recognize the true nature and source of an intellectual message. But if they possess the intellectual disposition and competence to recognize intellectual truth, then they would not need a shock to the senses. This intellectual enlightenment is what is granted to the elect in conversion. Reprobates remain in darkness and a mentally disabled condition.”
Moving on, Paul says in v14 that the Thessalonians “became imitators of” the Jewish Christians in suffering for the faith. Calvin says they “had in good earnest embraced the gospel, as being presented to them by God, inasmuch as they courageously endured the assaults which Satan made upon them, and did not refuse to suffer anything rather than leave off obedience to it. And, unquestionably, this is no slight test of faith when Satan, by all his machinations, has no success in moving us away from the fear of God.” Furthermore, the Thessalonians may have wondered why, if the truth of Jesus extends from the Jews, the Jews would persecute Christians. But Paul elaborates on that in the coming verses.
In v15-16, Paul speaks of the Jews being responsible for killing Jesus. Quite bluntly, the Jews, who self-righteously and arrogantly yet piously and truthfully claimed to be ambassadors to the world with theological truth, murdered Jesus, and even though God foreordained that and by whom it should happen, the Jewish people, led by their selfish, pharisaical shepherds, were morally culpable for their actions. Paul goes on and says that “they displease God” by prohibiting Paul and others from preaching the gospel, especially to the Gentiles. Cheung says of Paul, “He describes the ongoing effort of the Jews to frustrate the works of God on the earth. They killed the prophets and the Lord Jesus (v15a), and now they pursue the Christians. Some they drive out. Others they imprison. And the rest they kill. They do not only refuse the gospel, preferring the fires of hell to the glories of heaven, but they also attempt to prevent the gospel from reaching the Gentiles, often by any means necessary, including murder. Whereas there is much talk about anti-Semitism today, Paul writes that they are the ones who are ‘hostile to all men,’ and this is seen in their efforts to impede the progress of the Christian faith, which is the only hope of salvation for mankind. Determined to destroy the Christian faith, in effect they have assigned themselves the task of mass damnation, the instigators of spiritual holocaust.” And in that way, they, as Jesus said (Matthew 23:32), fill up the measure of their sins.
For additional commentary on this concept, we might need to look at Romans 9-11 (compare Romans 1:18-32 for an image of God’s wrath poured out on the Gentiles) and consider Jewish envy. But in the meantime, we can say that the wrath on the Jews may be seen as partial, though severe. It may have included and continue to include famine (Acts 11:28), massacre in the Temple (as recorded by Josephus), or the Holocaust, and expulsion from Jerusalem at the hands of Claudius (Acts 18:2). It likely also prophesies, as Jesus did throughout the gospels, the fall of the Temple in 70 AD.
4) V17-20 – 17But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. 18For we wanted to come to you – certainly I, Paul, did, again and again – but Satan stopped us. 19For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? 20Indeed, you are our glory and joy.
Paul uses the phrase “torn away,” the word for “orphaned,” speaking of himself and his companions in v17, and you can continually see the familial illustrations throughout this chapter (v7,8,11,17). Paul says that “Satan stopped us” from coming back to Thessalonica, which he wanted to do since the Thessalonians are his “glory and joy” (v20). He had unfinished business in teaching the Thessalonian believers, and he reveals the way he felt about that here; though he could not at that moment be with them “in person,” he was always with them “in thought” (v17). He’ll elaborate in the next chapter, but for Paul, the Great Commission to go and make disciples, teaching them everything, takes more than a 1-hour Bible study or once a week church service. Paul’s life was devoted to this task, and he often spent years with as many people as would gather (Corinth; Ephesus) to teach them discipleship. But he was forced out of Thessalonica rather abruptly. He wanted to go back and spend more time with them, because he cherished the Thessalonian believers and wanted to see them persevere and grow.
In acknowledging that “Satan stopped us” from coming back to Thessalonica, Paul reminds his audience, says Cheung, “that they are in a spiritual struggle against forces hostile to the Christian agenda (Ephesians 6:12). Along with this is a reminder that Christians stand for truth and righteousness, unlike Satan and the non-Christians, who persecute God’s people. Or, again in line with this, it might be a reminder that the apostle and his companions are also engaged in this conflict, that they and the Thessalonians are both enduring persecution for the sake of the gospel, and all that is good and right, in contrast to the devil and the unbelievers.” And we might also wonder why God, who has complete control over Satan, would allow Satan to stop Paul from returning at this point. One reason may be to occasion the writing of these Thessalonian epistles. Had Paul been able to return there, he would not have needed to write. So God’s purpose in Paul’s persecution, and the Thessalonians’, is a good one. Cheung continues:
“Since evil is not an end in itself and since evil itself is not the termination point of God’s plan, but since God’s purpose is the perfection of the saints, it is perfectly sensible for God to ordain evil and then tell the elect to resist it. James writes, ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything’ (James 1:2-4). God’s plan is not that evil might prosper, but that His own people would ‘be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’ There are other reasons for God to ordain evil, but for now this explanation alone is sufficient to show that it is unnecessary to appeal to mystery or paradox. God uses Satan and non-Christians for His own glory and for our benefit, testing and refining our faith. When they have served their purpose, they will be thrown into the lake of hellfire to be punished and tortured forever.”
In v19, Paul uses the word “parousia” (“when He comes”), which is only used once outside of the Thessalonian epistles (used 6 times – 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 3:13, 4:15, 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:1,8) by the apostle (1 Corinthians 15:23). We’ll cover the second coming of Christ in much more detail when we come to chapter 4. But in the meantime, we can see that the Thessalonians have learned about this from Paul and are familiar with the language he uses when writing about it (1 Thessalonians 3:13). Concluding, Paul celebrates the Thessalonians, acknowledging that he will glory and rejoice for eternity about their communion with him, as well as their inclusion in and edification within God’s Kingdom.
Footnotes
Bible text from Gospelcom.net. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.