Paul's ministry in Thessalonica
2
1 Now you yourselves know, brothers, that our entrance to you did not happen without purpose. 2 Rather, in spite of having already suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, we made bold in our God to speak to you the Gospel of God, in the face of strong opposition.* 3 Further, our exhortation does not spring from delusion or impurity, nor is it in deception, 4 but we speak precisely as those who have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,† not so as to please men, but to please the God who evaluates our hearts.‡ 5 Further, you well know that we never used words to flatter, or to disguise greed (God is witness), 6 or to seek glory from men (whether from you or from others)§—as apostles of Christ* we could have been ‘heavy’, 7 but we were gentle among you, like a nurse† cherishing her own children.
Paul's devotion to them
8 Yearning over you in this way, we were well pleased to share with you not only the Gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become dear to us. 9 Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and exertion, because working night and day, so as not to burden any of you,‡ we proclaimed the Gospel of God to you.
10 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; 11 indeed, you know how we treated each one of you as a father does his own children, exhorting and comforting you, 12 insisting that you conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.§
Their conversion
13 Another reason we give thanks to God continually is that when you received from us the spoken Word of God, you welcomed it not as the word of men but, as it actually is, the Word of God, which is indeed operative in you who believe.* 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of God's congregations in Christ Jesus, the ones in Judea,† in that you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen that they did from the Jews 15 (the ones who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, who have persecuted us, who do not please God and are hostile to everybody,‡ 16 trying to prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved—so as to fill up the measure of their sins. They have received the full impact of the Wrath).§
Paul's concern for the Thessalonians
A sense of bereavement
17 Now we, brothers, having been bereaved of you for a short season (in presence, not in heart), made every effort to see your face, from intense longing.* 18 (We actually tried to come to you—I, Paul, time and again—but Satan thwarted us.)† 19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of glorying? Is it not precisely you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus‡ at His coming?§ 20 Indeed, you are our glory and our joy.
* 2:2 They deliberately chose to pay a personal price to reach the Thessalonians. Are we prepared to do the same for the increase of Christ's Kingdom today? † 2:4 They knew who they were and what they were about. They deny any form of delusion or hidden agenda—they were honest and aware. To be entrusted with the Gospel is a serious privilege. ‡ 2:4 There it is: if you want to be a serious servant of God, His approval must be more important to you than that of the people around you. § 2:6 Wow! If all Christian workers could say the same—no impurity, no deception, no flattery, no greed, no seeking glory—the church and the world would be different than they presently are. * 2:6 By his use of the plural, Paul is saying that Silvanus and Timothy were also apostles, presumably. † 2:7 The basic meaning of the noun is ‘nurse’, but the reference to ‘her own children’ has led some to translate it as ‘mother’. I take the point to be that whereas a professional nurse is supposed to take good care of anyone in her charge, she will be especially careful with her own children. ‡ 2:9 It is clear that they supported themselves financially by working (making tents, or whatever). Between working, evangelizing and discipling (teaching), their sleeping time was probably short. So when could they be alone with God? In prison Paul had lots of time for contemplation (and writing letters), but not in Thessalonica. God places us in different situations at different times, and those situations place different demands upon us. § 2:12 They really involved themselves in the lives of their converts, a deliberate (and costly) investment, that produced remarkable results. God is calling us into His Kingdom and glory. * 2:13 Whether written or spoken, any word from God is powerful, and changes lives. † 2:14 Israel was God's congregation, but not in Christ Jesus. ‡ 2:15 I take it that by “the Jews” Paul is referring to the leaders (John used the phrase in the same way). § 2:16 I did the best I could with this last sentence, but the concept seems difficult. The verb is in the past and it is the wrath (not just any old wrath). I get the impression that ‘the Jews’ described here had passed the point of no return (like Pharaoh and the plagues—at first he hardened his own heart, but after a while God hardened it and his doom was sealed) and were just making their accounting worse and worse, ‘filling up the measure’—from God's perspective the “full impact” had already been decreed. When someone passes the point of no return, Satan takes over, and they just get worse and worse. (If you think about it, you can probably come up with some examples.) Ephesians 4:19 speaks of persons who ‘have abandoned themselves to depravity, greedily indulging in every kind of vileness’. And how should society defend itself against those who have ‘abandoned themselves to depravity’? The consequences of depravity always spill over into the surrounding society, and according to Psalm 5:5-6 the Lord hates such people, and so presumably will not ‘draw’ them (John 6:44). 1 John 5:16-17 teaches that certain sinners are beyond the reach of prayer, they have passed the point of no return. If someone cannot be saved, then he needs to be neutralized (because of the harm he causes to others)—we need to ask God to teach us how to do this. * 2:17 I find the degree of emotional attachment described here to be surprising—perhaps a natural consequence of having poured himself into them as he did. † 2:18 I, for one, would like to know just how the enemy managed it. ‡ 2:19 The Greek manuscripts are evenly divided between “Jesus” and ‘Jesus Christ’. I follow the best line of transmission. § 2:19 The Thessalonian believers represented ‘the fruit of their labor’, evidence that they had been faithful servants, to be presented to the Lord at the Accounting.