I Thessalonians 5:23-28

I Thessalonians 5:23-28

I.        I Thessalonians 5: 23-24

a.      V. 23

§  Paul often speaks of God as the “god of peace” towards the end of his letters       

·         Cf. Romans 15:33; 16:20; II Corinthians 13:11; Philippians 4:9; II Thessalonians 3:16

§  Reference to God as the “god of peace” go back to the Old Testament concept of shalom, or holistic well-being

§  The first wish is their complete sanctification, echoing Paul’s prayer in 3:13, and showing sanctification to be a process, rather than a one-time event

§  There is a connection between the God of peace and sanctification.  Our sanctification is not divisive

§  The phrase “blameless” has been found on some tombstones in Thessalonica

b.      V. 24

§  They receive the needed reminder that their sanctification, and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, is in the hands of God, and not solely dependent on their own efforts

§  The use of calling implies that God’s call is continual, and ends not only in salvation, but in sanctification.  Indeed, we cannot have one without the other

§  “This happens not from my prayers, he says, but from the purpose with which he called you.” – John Chrysostom

§  “Give me the grace to do as you command, and command me to do as you will.” – Augustine, Confessions

II.      I Thessalonians 5: 25-28

a.      V. 25

§  Paul requests prayer, and in fact is in need of prayer, which makes the relationship between Paul and the Thessalonians one of mutual intercession before the Father on each other’s behalf

§  Paul, and Timothy and Silas as well, are humanized in his request for prayer

b.      V. 26

§  In the ancient world one kissed the hand, knee, foot, or breast of a superior, but the cheek of a friend.

§  Only other time the greeting with a “holy kiss” is mentioned is in II Corinthians 13:12

§  In Roman culture, this was a mark of friendship, and in the church would have shown the radical nature of their fellowship, crossing cultural, social, and economic boundaries

c.       V. 27

§  Paul instructs the letter to be read, possibly so that the “unruly/idle” mentioned previously will receive their warning

§  Paul’s insistence on the letter being read aloud is probably because of their separation, and his desire for all the Thessalonians to know of his attempts to return, and for them to hear his words of comfort and instruction

§  The public reading of the letter kept it from being used piecemeal by only a few

·         Reflects the idea that the Word of God is for all

§  Does the injunction to have the letter read to all mean that Jews and Gentiles met separately? 

·         More than likely, it simply means that there were multiple house-churches at this time

d.      V. 28

§  Paul substitutes “grace” for the common secular ending of “farewell”

§  Reflects the idea that Jesus Christ is the source of grace

§  The letter begins and ends with grace.

I Thessalonians 5:12-22

I Thessalonians 5:12-22

I.        I Thessalonians 5: 12-15

a.       V. 12

§  “acknowledge” is better translation “respect”, and “care for” is better translation than “over”

§  Probably refers more to a patron relationship than a formal leadership structure present in the church

§  To admonish usually means to correct, but without embittering those being corrected

b.      V. 13

§  Respect is given based on Christian work, not status, title, class, or position

·         The love and esteem from the church for its patrons derives from their willingness to take responsibility for the church and its members

§  They are within the circle, not outside it or above it

§  The pursuit of peace is instructed in Psalm 34:14, and the New Testament in Mark 9:50; Romans 12:18; II Corinthians 13:11

c.       V. 14

§  “brothers and sisters” shows he is talking to everyone

§  Ataktoi refers not to the idle, but the “unruly”, and is a military term for one who does not keep in rank

§  The “disheartened” could be so because of their worries about death already addressed

·         Oligopsychos means literally “small soul”, or “little soul”

§  “The weak” is ambiguous, possibly refers to the physically weak

§  Patience is literally translated “having a long fuse”

·         The instruction to “be patient toward everyone” frames the responsibilities Paul has just given them

d.      V. 15

§  “Wrong for wrong”, or “evil for evil” is also found in Romans 12:17 and I Peter 3:9, and possibly comes from the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 5:38-44) or from the Old Testament (Proverbs 25:21)

§  Christian “payback” is doing good

II.      I Thessalonians 5: 16-18

a.       V. 16

§  This refers more to expression than experience of joy

§  Cf. Philippians 4:4, where we see doing this in Christ Jesus empowers rejoicing

§  Joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and thus not something that emanates from Christians themselves (Galatians 5:22; Romans 14:17)

b.      V. 17

§  Paul frequently instructs the churches to prayer regularly (cf. 5:25; II Thessalonians 3:1; Romans 12:12; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2-3)

§   “It is not in the moving of the lips, but in the elevation of the heart to God, that the essence of prayer consists.  Thus amidst the commonest of duties and recreations of life it is still possible to be engaged in prayer.  And in this sense the command to pray without ceasing must receive its noblest and most real fulfillment…It is in the Spirit alone that it is possible to ‘pray without ceasing.’” – Joseph Barber Lightfoot

c.       V. 18

§  “in all circumstances”, not “for all circumstances”

§  See Philippians 1:3-4 where Paul does these things in the context of imprisonment

§  God’s ability and willingness to bring good from the bad gives us a basis to offer thanksgiving (cf. Romans 8:28)

§   “No matter what the circumstances (persecution, sickness, etc.) the Christian ought to be able to give thanks to God, not of course for the difficult circumstances but for his salvation through Christ, and when he is able to do this then he also is strengthened to endure what is difficult.” – Ernest Best

III.    I Thessalonians 5:19-22

a.       V. 19

§  Cf. II Thessalonians 2:2 where Spirit refers to charismatic manifestation

§  The word “quench”, or “put out”, is the word used to refer to extinguishing a fire (cf. Mark 9:48), with a possible reference to Acts 2:3 and Matthew 3:11

§  Cf. Ephesians 4:30

§  They were impeding the Spirit’s role in their community, a role manifested by such gifts as prophecy, speaking in tongues, etc.

·         Do not correct abuse with disuse

§  Cf. Jeremiah 20:9

b.      V. 20

§  Cf. Joel 2:28-30

§  The word used for test also refers to the testing of precious metals

c.       V. 21a

§  Cf. Deuteronomy 18:21-22

§  Kalon, the word used here for good, refers not to something with good effect, but something that is good in and of itself

§  To test something meant to compare it to the ethical norms and teaching already accepted as God-given in the community

§  Cf. II Thessalonians 2:13; I Corinthians 14:3, 31

§  The results of such testing would lead to something either being embraced, or rejected

d.      V. 21b-22

§  There is a baseline of Christians tradition and doctrine that serves to test the words of prophets, whether they be in Paul’s time or our own

§  Cf. Romans 12:9

§  There is only one good (v. 21), but multiple evils

I Thessalonians 5:1-11

I Thessalonians 5:1-11

I.                   I Thessalonians 5:1-3

a.       V. 1

                                                              i.      It’s possible that Timothy had reported the Thessalonian churches struggle with eschatology

                                                            ii.      “times and seasons” is a stock phrase which always refers to eschatology in the scripture

1.      Chronos refers to the quantity of time, while kairos refers to the quality of time

b.      V. 2

                                                              i.      Irony in that they are wanting to know accurately, what cannot be known at all

1.      “thief in the night” stresses suddenness and unexpectedness, but also its unknown timing

                                                            ii.      Cf. Zephaniah 1:14-18; 2:1-3

                                                          iii.      Cf. Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:38-39; II Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3; 16:15

c.       V. 3

                                                              i.      The Thessalonians’ enemies would have found safety in the Pax Romana, but the empires might cannot protect them from the Day of the Lord

1.      Cf. Jeremiah 6:14

                                                            ii.      For believers the timing is unexpected, for unbelievers the event itself is unexpected

1.      The “they” of this verse will be contrasted with the “but you brothers” of the next

                                                          iii.      This passage is meant to be an encouragement, not a threat

II.                I Thessalonians 5:4-11

a.       V. 4-5

                                                              i.      Sons of “light” and “day”- Christ is the light, the day points forward to the final realization of God’s kingdom

1.      “Night is the time for thieves, daylight is the time for truth.” – Euripides

                                                            ii.      Cf. Luke 16:8; Ephesians 5:8

b.      V. 6-7

                                                              i.      Paul characterizes the opposition as asleep and drunk, thereby exhorting the Thessalonian Christians to be the opposite, awake and sober

1.      “Sleepers” are careless and indifferent, “drunkards” are profligate and reckless

2.      For Christians, there are 24-hours of daytime

                                                            ii.      Cf. Mark 13:32-37, Romans 13:11-14

c.       V. 8

                                                              i.      The Greek does not have us “putting on” the armor, but rather has us clothed with armor that comes from God

                                                            ii.      “Thus the phrase ‘hope of salvation’ does not refer to a vague ‘hope’ for salvation in the future; rather, this phrase has to do with one’s certain future based on God’s saving work effected by Christ.” – Gordon D. Fee

                                                          iii.      The triad of “faith, hope, and love” occur again

                                                          iv.      Cf. Isaiah 59:17, Ephesians 6:14-17

d.      V. 9-10a

                                                              i.      Converts are to put on the armor “because” God did not appoint them for wrath

1.      “Wrath” is not the lot of believers.  Paul is operating with an OT view of wrath not as an emotional response of God, but as a judicial one

                                                            ii.      “This passage is somewhat like Romans 8:28-29, and in both cases the language of destining is used to reassure Christians, those who love God, about their future.  The subject is not about destining or electing some to be believers.”       – Ben Witherington, III

                                                          iii.      The goalà “the obtaining of salvation”; the agentà “through our Lord Jesus Christ”; the meansà”who died on our behalf”

1.      “Christ became what we are and died, so that we might become what he is and live.” – Ben Witherington, III

2.      Destinies and destinations can change

e.       V. 10b

                                                              i.      The latter part of chapter 4 deals with the deceased, the beginning of chapter 5 with the living, with this clause tying the two “together”

f.       V. 11

                                                              i.      Cf. I Thessalonians 4:18

g.      “Those who believe in the immortality of the soul believe that life after death is as natural a function of man as digestion after the meal.  The Bible instead speaks of resurrection.  It is entirely unnatural.  Man does not go on living beyond the grave because that’s how he’s made.  Rather, he goes to his grave as dead as a doornail and is given his life back by God (i.e. resurrected) just as he was given it by God in the first place, because that is the way God is made…The idea of immortality of the soul is based on the experience of man’s indomitable spirit.  The idea of resurrection of the body is based on the experience of God’s unspeakable love.” – F. Buechner

h.      “Learning how to die has something to do with living each day in full awareness that we are children of God, whose love is stronger than death.” – Henri Nouwen

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

“If then you seek [the deceased Christian], seek him where the King is, where the army of angels is; not in the grave, not in the earth.” – John Chrysostom, Homily on II Corinthians 1:6

I.                   V. 13

-          Cf. Mark 5:39

-          “that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope”- it is not that we don’t grieve as Christians, but that we grieve differently, understanding that death is not final, or permanent (cf. John 11:35)

-          The story of Augustine’s mother Monica

II.                V. 14

-          Ancient philosophers like Plutarch and Seneca would appeal to reason as a comfort in grief, citing universal mortality as a reality in life

-          What does “fallen asleep” mean in light of “bring with him”?  More than likely, based on Paul’s other references to being “absent from the body, but at home with the Lord” (cf. II Corinthians 5:8), it means that the soul is with God, awaiting the resurrection when it will be reunited with the body

-          “In Jesus” could also refer to those who have died as Christians, or have died “in Jesus”.

-          “Jesus died and rose again” is quite possibly a creedal statement, given its assumed truth and the economy of words

-          God is the one who initiates action, but Jesus is the agent through which is happens (consider also creation, in addition to the resurrection which is in view here)

-          “Paul only spoke of the resurrection of Christ in connection with, and as the beginning of, the resurrection of the dead in general…As the overcoming of death it is for [Paul] the beginning of the rule of the one with whom the kingdom of divine freedom begins.” – Ernst Kasemann, The Saving Significance of the Death of Jesus

III.             V. 15

-          The fact that Paul is referring to Jesus as Lord reaffirms a high Christology, or idea of who Christ is.

-          Paul is not saying he will be alive when Jesus returns.  Rather, he is placing himself in the appropriate category for that moment in time.  As he gets older, it becomes clear that he finds it increasingly unlikely that he will be alive for the Lord’s return

-          Paul is seeking to reassure the Thessalonians that those who have already died as not at a disadvantage when it comes to the resurrection

-          The material here has several parallels with Matthew 24:29-51, which could be the word of the Lord Paul is referring to

-          Cf. Daniel 12:1-2

-          Cf. II Corinthians 5:6-10

IV.             V. 16

-          The picture painted is meant to compete with the image of the advent of the emperor in a town

-          Cf. Exodus 19:16-20; Psalm 47:5; Isaiah 27:13; Joel 2:1; Zechariah 9:14; I Corinthians 15:52

V.                V. 17

-          “Together with them” is the first phrase of the sentence in Greek, placing emphasis on this idea

-          For “in clouds” cf. Daniel 7:13; Mark 13:26; Mark 14:62; Acts 1:9

-          The goal of the meeting is to be with Christ, and thus believers are left “in the air”.  Our home is not a geographical location, but a relational one.

-          While rulers are met outside the city gate, the Lord is met in the air, implying the universality of his dominion

-          To be “caught up”, or “snatched” is in this instance a good thing.  Just as death is often referred to as “snatching away” its victims, here we see the Lord “snatching away” death’s victims from death itself

-          “For when a king drives into a city, those who are honorable go out to meet him; but the condemned await the judge within.  And upon the coming of an affectionate father, his children indeed, and those who are worthy to be his children, are taken out in a chariot, that they may see him and kiss him; but the housekeepers who have offended him remain within.” – John Chrysostom, Homily 8 on I Thessalonians

VI.             V. 18

-          The Thessalonians should find comfort, and hope, in these words