Give & take
Readings: 2 Thessalonians 3
As Paul moves into the final part of his letter his attention turns to the second of the issues he wants to address, work. Whilst he’d mentioned it in passing in a few places in his first letter, here he dedicates the second longest section to this topic, clearly it is becoming an issue. There are some in the Thessalonian congregation who are idle. And here Paul doesn’t just mean lazy as we might assume, although there is that, but he also means they are not or are slow to follow the teaching they have been given. They’re not working, instead they are relying on the generosity of others to sustain them.
Now some link this issue to Paul’s previous point about Jesus’ return, arguing that there are some who aren’t working because they don’t see the point, Jesus will be back any day now, why would they waste time on work? But there’s a fair amount of scholarship, and I find it convincing, that links it to the system of clients and patrons in the ancient world.
Basically there was a system where wealthy patrons would give money and food to those termed clients. This patronage would show off their generosity and in turn the clients would run errands, or speak to the causes of the patron. And this system was such that, provided the clients were upholding their half of the deal in talking you up, it was shameful for the patron to cut them off from the money and food they’d been giving them. In some ways it was a pretty great deal as a client, get a wealthy patron to sponsor you, and you get money for pretty much doing nothing, just talking your patron and their causes up. But this has led to two issues for these people and the church in Thessalonica.
The first is that they’re not busy, they’ve become busybodies. Without work to occupy them and give them purpose they’re busy meddling in the affairs of others, causing issues for the church there. And it’s an age old scenario, with nothing to occupy your time, temptation comes and sin lurks close at hand. They’ve ended up meddling in the affairs of others, gossiping about them or getting involved with things they have no real business in being part of.
The second issue is that they’re not earning their way. They’re not earning their bread, it’s being handed to them. Rather than working to sustain themselves they’re sponging off the generosity of others, rather than contributing something to the community they’re simply taking from it.
Now we don’t know who these patrons are, they may be fellow Christians and the patrons feel obligated to continue supporting these people, and so here Paul is giving an out to these Christians patrons that they don’t need to support those who simply don’t want to work, they can stop and encourage those clients to earn their way. Or it may be that the patrons aren’t Christians and being clients is leading these believers to engage in things they shouldn’t be, and so Paul is calling them to stop, and instead to earn a living that accords with their newfound faith.
Either way Paul wants these people to earn their way, to stand up on their own two feet, and he reminds them that they have no excuse for not knowing they’re meant to be doing so. He points to his own example whilst he was with them. Whilst he was entitled as an Apostle to not have to work, and to be provided for by the Church there, he and his companions earned their way, worked their trades, we know Paul was a tent maker, so as not to be a burden, and to give an example of how the Christian was meant to live. And he also points to his teaching he gave whilst he was with them that ‘the one who is unwilling to work shall not eat’.
Now it’s important to notice the caveat Paul has put in there; unwilling. Those unwilling to work shall not eat, this isn’t aimed at those who cannot work, or who are struggling. Paul’s teaching here is specifically targeted at those who can work, but don’t want to, would rather live off others means.
Later in this section Paul encourages the other believers not to tire in doing what is right, in other words to continue to provide for those among them who are in genuine need and need the support of the wealthier Christians among them. That even though there may be some taking advantage of this, they should not allow this to wear them down and mean they cease doing it altogether.
Paul is holding in tension two different Christian truths; the dignity and purpose that work gives, such that it should be that Christians occupy themselves with some form of work, which includes the work of the home for those who do that, allowing them to stand on their own two feet. But also the need to support those who are in genuine need, to act as a community to uphold and support them whether long-term or until such a time as they are back on their feet. What he doesn’t want is this generosity to be exploited by those who don’t want to do the first point, to work.
Now what does all of this mean for us? None of us here are living off the generosity of another member of the church, or being sponsored by someone to speak to their causes. Indeed a fair amount of us are retired and not working anymore. What does this have to say to us?
Well part of Paul’s focus here is the need for balance between contributing and receiving as a church community. The need to be giving as well as receiving. And in our day when things are less communal than they were in his day, it’s so easy to become a consumer at church. The Vicar stands at the front every week and does his stuff, Jackie plays the Organ, and we just sit and receive. Some weeks you might lead prayers or the readings, and that’s wonderful and greatly appreciated. But do we just think in terms of what we got from Sunday, what we got from Small Group on a Tuesday. Oh, I didn’t really get anything from Sunday. Perhaps that’s been what you’ve been thinking about the sermon so far, not really getting anything from this, it’s not aimed at me.
The nature of our life together here is such that we aren’t here trying to work out what we’re getting, it’s rather about what we’re giving. Are we just along for the ride, or are we helping to keep things moving? Is our first thought when something is needed ‘that’s not really my thing’ or ‘someone else will probably do that’ or ‘I’ve done my time’. Or are we seeking ways to serve and build one another up? Contributing isn’t always about the big stuff, the little things matter too. Are we consumers, or are we contributing to our life here?
But that must be balanced with those times when we need to receive. Where we’re unwell, or suffering, when we’re struggling in our faith or are simply just tired. In those times we need to be willing to receive, to allow our brothers and sisters to do what is right, to support us and encourage us, to bear our burdens. We’re allowed to fall back on one another, it’s what we’re here for. But if all of us are just looking for someone to carry our burdens, no-one is doing the carrying.
A final thought. Whereas in many places in his letters Paul commands the church to cast out those who do not obey, this is not the case here. He commands them not to associate with those who are refusing to work, but the language used is of close connection rather than cutting them off entirely. The idea is to win them back, that in pushing them away a little physically it will better illustrate the spiritual reality that they are somewhat separated by their way of living and so will realise and come back into the fold.
But Paul still speaks of them as fellow believers, as brothers and sisters, they’re not enemies, they’re still part of the family. Even when we get this wrong, when we only consume when we are able to contribute, it may strain the bonds of Christian fellowship, but they are not broken. As we seek to muddle our way forwards in building one another up, we do so as family, untied in Christ.
Paul ends his letter in with his own handwriting, to avoid the issues he raised in chapter two of people impersonating him, a mark of authenticity that had become necessary, but before he does he prays for the Thessalonians one more time, and so I’m going to pray that prayer for us now as I finish, combining it with his prayer in verse 5.
May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. And may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.
Amen.