2 Thessalonians 3:6-18_The lazy troublemakers
24/3/24
Questions
Warning against lazy, irresponsible behaviour
6 But we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who lives irresponsibly [ἀτάκτως!, irregular, out of line]1 and not according to the tradition that they received from us.
They could have been a divisive group that had sprung up. For sure these “naughty people” were refusing to work [v10] and yet expected to be fed!
What was the dispute in the Thessalonian church we are aware of?2
Here the tradition [παράδοσις] and the traditions in 2:15. The tradition and the διδαχή [Titus 1:9; 2 John 9] were the apostolic oral teachings that supplemented the Hebrew bible, the scrolls in the synagogues.3 Not much of an NT at this point!
7 For you yourselves know how it is necessary to imitate us, that we did not behave irresponsibly among you,
The apostles did not just deliver a tradition or teaching. How else did they teach?4 How then should we live?
8 nor did we eat bread from anyone without paying, but with toil and labor, we were working night and day in order not to be a burden to any of you, 9 not that we do not have the right, but so that we may give ourselves as an example to you, so that you may imitate us.
Those who work full time, let alone “night and day” in the ministry of the gospel, planting churches and discipling can be paid for their work. Paul and his companions did not cash in [pun intended] this privilege so as to not be a burden to the new Christians.
What might be the general principle about our finances and the kingdom? Discuss.
10 For even when we were with you, we used to command this to you: that if anyone does not want to work, neither should he eat. 11 For we hear that some among you are living irresponsibly, working at nothing, but being busybodies.
How do we assess individuals, organisations and churches asking us for financial support today? Do you think we can sometimes enable lazy or misguided people?
The Torah is very clear on the love we are to show to the vulnerable and destitute, but idea is to get people productive and working with their own hands. How does the story of Boaz and Ruth show the love for a vulnerable foreigner in action?
12 Now we command and we exhort such people in the Lord Jesus Christ that, working with quietness, they eat their own bread. 13 But as for you, brothers [who are working], do not be discouraged while doing what is right.
That’s a wonderful blessing, isn’t it? Don’t cause trouble, work hard and don’t be discouraged by those who act otherwise.
14 But if anyone does not obey our message through this letter, take note not to associate with him, in order that he may be put to shame. 15 And do not consider him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
We can imagine what this might have looked like in Thessalonica 2000 years ago. How might it work in our culture today?
Final greeting and benediction
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself grant you peace through everything in every way. May the Lord be with all of you. 17 The greeting is by my hand, Paul’s, which is a sign of genuineness in every letter: this is how I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
In the early church there was the “holy kiss” [Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14]. One scholar5 says that "the verbal exchange of 'peace' with a kiss appears to be a Christian innovation, there being no clear example in pre-Christian literature".
Can we mindfully ask God to bring peace on each other?
More
BibleProject Guides: Book of 1 Thessalonians»
Ατάκτος in Cyprus means “naughty”! The literal meaning is “out of line”. They did not receive the teachings passed on from the apostles.
Some believed that the day of the Lord had or was so close. Those refusing to work were also addressed in the first letter [1 Thessalonians 4:11-12]. Are they the same group?
The παραδόσεις of the Pharisees etc. are viewed negatively by Jesus [Matthew 15:2,3,6; Mark 7:3,5,13] and Paul [Galatians 1:14; Colossians 2:8] but the παραδόσεις received from Paul and the team are requirements for the Thessalonian Christians. These παραδόσεις may have become known as the διδαχή [Titus 1:9; 2 John 9]. There is an early Jewish Christian document called the Διδαχή which seems to be an attempt to write down these traditions in the late first or early second centuries. This is much like the Mishnah and Talmud of the Jews who continued to reject Jesus.
It was not just taught with words but lived out by the example of the apostles. Here, I’m calling Silas and Timothy apostles because Paul does [1 Thessalonians 2:7] along with Paul himself. The apostles lived it. The apostles were to be imitated [Philippians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6] as was the church in Judea [1 Thessalonians 2 14].
Stutzman, Paul Fike (1 January 2011). Recovering the Love Feast: Broadening Our Eucharistic Celebrations. Wipf and Stock Publishers.