2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:18

2 Thess. 2:13-17 How God sees the Thessalonians

From God’s perspective, who are the Thessalonians?  How does Paul describe them?

In verse 13, Paul says that the Thessalonians are the “firstfruits.”  Note: Some translations use an alternate translation that instead says, “from the beginning.”  The uncertainty arises because at that time, Greek had no spaces between words and the letters in question form either two words meaning “from” and “the beginning” or the single word meaning “firstfruits.”  (Similarly, if we did not use spaces, we might not know whether a report was being described as “information” or “in formation.”)

“Firstfruits” is probably the better translation for several reasons:

1. The term “firstfruits” is used repeatedly in the Old Testament.

2. Paul had a deep knowledge of Jewish Scriptures.

3. Paul uses the same term in other letters, for example, in Romans 8:23 and 11:16 and in 1 Corinthians 15:19-23 and 16:15.

4. The word captures an important point that Paul makes in those other passages, which we will explore now.

Read Leviticus 23:9-21 and Exodus 23:14-19a to understand the concept of the firstfruits.

What are the firstfruits?

Why might the Lord have wanted the people to offer the first sheaf of wheat that was harvested, the first pieces of fruit plucked from the vines and trees, the lamb born in the past year, etc.?  What was the message or purpose hidden in this practice?

Jeremiah 2:3 says that Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of the Lord’s harvest.  How is it appropriate, then, for Paul to describe the Thessalonians as the firstfruits of salvation?

Note: The idea of the “firstfruits” also appears in many other places in the Old Testament, including in Leviticus 2:14; Number 18:13; Deuteronomy 18:4; 26:1-3, 10; Nehemiah 10:36; and Proverbs 3:9-10.

Now return to 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17.

What is Paul’s point in saying that the Thessalonians are the “firstfruits” for salvation (verse 13)?

If they are only the first fruits, that suggests that others are also “fruit.”  What does that tell us about people who come after them?

The firstfruits in the Old Testament were an offering to God, a choice gift set aside for God at the beginning of the harvest.  In what ways are we, too, called to be an offering to God as part of his harvest?

In verse 14, what does Paul say they are called for?

You have the same calling.  What does it mean to you, that you are called to have the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Given all of this, what does Paul call on them to do in verse 15?

We can only “hold fast to the traditions” (verse 15) if we know what those traditions are.  Are there things you could do to understand the “traditions” of your faith more fully?

Early signs of the Church’s belief in the divinity of Jesus

In verse 16, we see a sign that Paul believes in the divinity of Jesus – that Jesus is one with God the Father. Here, he is praying for the Thessalonians.  The prayer starts by describing our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father as having given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace.  He continues the sentence by saying, may he encourage your hearts and may he strengthen them.  He uses the third personal singular he; he does not say, may they encourage and strengthen your hearts.  Again, as in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, Paul gives us an early indication that he sees the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father as one God.  See my article When Did Christians First Recognize the Divinity of Jesus? for a more complete exposition of the early Church’s belief in the divinity of Jesus.

How does Paul describe Christ/God the Father in verse 16?

In what ways have you experienced God’s love and the encouragement that lasts forever?

What can you do to more fully embrace God’s love and encouragement?

In verse 17, what does Paul ask God to do for the Thessalonians?

It is characteristic of Paul that he does not simply ask God to encourage them so that they can feel good.  He asks God to strengthen them in every good thing they do and say.  Paul wants to see faith in action.  What is the good deed or good word that God might be calling you to, right now?

What has Paul said in this letter that might encourage you that you can trust in God’s strength to enable you for every good deed and word?

2 Thess. 3:1-5 Paul asks for their prayers and continues to pray for them

What does Paul ask them to pray for him?

Paul also continues his prayer for them in this passage.  Looking through the whole passage from verse 1 through verse 5, what does he name that you think you most need?

2 Thess. 3:6-15 Live an orderly life

In verse 6, Paul criticizes those who live a “disorderly” life (NABRE) or live in “idleness” (NRSV).  “Disorderly” is the better translation, as the word (ataktos) was used by Greek writers such as Herodotus and Thucydides to describe troops that were “not in battle-order,” with Thucydides also using it to mean “undisciplined” or “disorderly” (Liddell and Scott, p. 128).  Therefore, we will talk about an “orderly” or “disorderly” life below; but if your translation talks about “idleness,” we are referring to the same word.

What does an orderly life look like according to Paul?  What are people who are living an orderly life doing, and what are they not doing?

Why did Paul work and earn his own keep when he was with them?

In verse 10, Paul says that anyone who is not willing to work should not eat – i.e., should not eat at the community meals Christians were taking in common together.  Notice that Paul does not say those who are not working should not eat.  He says those who are unwilling to work should not eat.  Why is that an important distinction?  Why do people sometimes find themselves without work even though they are willing to work?

The Catholic Church (and some other Christian bodies) have an understanding of work that includes several elements that build on each other, and all of the components are needed to have a full understanding of work from a Christian perspective:

1. God intends for people to work.  He built this feature built into humans from the very beginning.  In the Garden of Eden, God gave the Garden to humans to cultivate and take care of (Gen. 2:15).  Work is part of our design. We are called to contribute to the common good by working.  Some people do this through volunteer work, but most people need to be paid for their work in order to meet their needs.  All are called to participate in the work of God’s ongoing creation.  It is part of being who we are meant to be.

2. People have a right to productive work with decent wages and fair treatment.  This follows from the first principle.  Since we have a calling to work, we must have access to productive work to fulfill that calling.  And since most people need to work to meet their needs, they have a right to be treated fairly in that work so that their need for work is not abused.  (See USCCB’s “The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers” and Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, paras. 288 and 291-293, pp. 127-128, for more on this right).

3. God did not create people to meet the needs of the economy; rather, the economy was made for people.  The economy is a necessary structure to benefit the common good.  As the U.S. bishops put it, “The economy must serve people, not the other way around” (USCCB, “The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers”).

4. Since people have a need and a right to work, governments have an obligation to ensure that their societies provide productive employment to all who need it and that they are treated fairly in their work.  (This is also spelled out in the USCCB’s document and in the Compendium.)

Since God has made it clear from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden that he wants people to work, the Catholic Church and some other Christian bodies teach that people have a right to productive work, and therefore that governments have an obligation to create the conditions where everyone who seeks employment can find productive work.  How does that inform our reading of Paul’s statement?  How do we balance the idea that those who are unwilling to work should not share in the church meal with the idea that governments should structure their economies so that everyone who is willing to work can find productive employment that treats them fairly?

People who face health issues or other struggles that make it hard for them to find appropriate work or to keep a stable job sometimes feel that Christians are unduly harsh in trying to enforce work requirements against them while failing to follow Jesus’s Second Commandment – to love your neighbor as yourself.  How can we balance the desire to promote good order with the demand of Christ to love your neighbor as yourself?  What is a loving approach to those who struggle to work and need assistance?

Reread verse 11.  Paul’s concern goes beyond just that some people are not working.  What is it that they are doing, that he is especially concerned about?

We can be good workers and still fall into the trap of minding other people’s business.  How might that be a danger for some in our day?

They are minding other people’s business.

How can you find an appropriate balance of encouraging others to do good without “minding other people’s business”?

In verses 14-15, Paul sets forth an approach to people who refuse to follow the teachings of Christ and Christian leaders.  What is his approach?

Paul tells the Thessalonians not to associate with such people, but to treat them as a brother, not an enemy.

This instruction to keep away from or not associate with people who do not follow the teachings of Christ is a theme that is common in Paul – besides 2 Thessalonians 3:6 and 3:14, we see it in Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 5:11; and Titus 3:10.  Jesus says something similar in Matthew 18:15-17, and we also see it in 2 John 10.

Why do you think Paul was so concerned about having the new Christians at Thessalonica avoid those who did not obey Paul’s teachings?

Is it possible to disassociate from someone yet still avoid treating them as an enemy and instead actually treat them as a brother?  What would that look like?

Do you think busybodies are a problem in the church today?  Paul is about to pray for the Lord’s peace for the Thessalonians in verse 16.  What do you think is the best way to deal with people who are busybodies while maintaining the Lord’s peace?

2 Thess. 3:16-18 Paul adds final greetings and his unique signature

What does verse 16 say to you?

When you are in need of peace, do you think of God as “the God of peace”?  How is that a helpful image?

Why is Paul’s final greeting in verse 17 important?

Looking over chapter 3, what do you think are the most important things to take with you for dealing with relations between people in the church?

Take a step back and consider this:

Throughout both of his letters to the Thessalonians, Paul has been praising them for how their faith is made manifest in love and endurance.

How important is it for our faith to be manifested by our love and endurance?  Can we have true faith if it does not show in these ways?  How are they signs of faith?

What is the greatest challenge for you in dealing with people in the church right now?  How would Paul counsel you to deal with that challenge, and what can you do to put your faith, love, and endurance into action in that part of your life?