Apostolic Anguish
APOSTOLIC ANGUISH
1 THESSALONIANS 3:1-5
Your deep concern for the welfare of other Christians is a reflection of God’s yet deeper concern.
From the time of the second missionary journey Paul adopted the policy of delegating important tasks to members of his company. When he was forced to withdraw from Philippi, Luke was left behind to organize and nurture the believers. Under similar circumstances Silas and Timothy remained at Berea to consolidate the gains of the mission (Acts 17:14). When Timothy rejoined Paul at Athens he found the apostle very restless about the welfare of the believers at Thessalonica. While Paul writes in 3:1 “we could bear it no longer,” he says clearly in 3:5, “I could bear it no longer.” When it became apparent that Paul could not leave the city, he sent Timothy north once more to learn how his people were faring.
Timothy had undoubtedly earned the respect of the Christians during the weeks he had labored at Paul’s side. Paul’s regard for this younger man is expressed often (see also 1 Corinthians 4:17; Philippians 2:19-22). Here he describes his delegate as “our brother and God’s servant” (3:2), a man fully qualified to assist the oppressed young church. Timothy’s ministry was a reinforcement of teaching Paul had already committed to the church. The experience of the Thessalonians from the first days of the mission confirmed that suffering is an integral element in Christian experience (3:3; 1:7; 2:2). The statement that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22) was an established item in the instruction Paul shared with all his churches (3:4). Subsequent experience had served only to confirm the importance of that insight.
Paul was fully aware of the dynamics at work in Thessalonica and the eagerness of the Tempter (see 2:18) to unravel the fabric of faith. Continued opposition by neighbors and kinsmen, aggravated by the reports that Paul actually did not care at all for the believers, would provide fertile ground in which to plant the suggestion that the commitment to faith was not worth its cost. Behind that suggestion Paul saw clearly the devices of Satan. Out of deep concern for his converts Paul had extended himself through the person of Timothy.