Persistent Idleness
PERSISTENT IDLENESS
2 THESSALONIANS 3:6-13
Paul tackles head on the problem of those who refuse to work. Despite others’ bad example, we are to keep busy doing what is good.
The remainder of the letter is addressed to the persistent problem of idleness. The offense of those in the congregation who refused to work had two aspects: first, they were living irresponsibly, and secondly their behavior showed a rejection of the clear teaching Paul had given. Paul had first confronted the problem of idleness in the early days of the mission (3:10). He had supplemented his command instructing the necessity of work with the appeal in his first letter (1 Thessalonians 4:11f.; 5:14). He now imposes a more severe injunction on the congregation, to place the idle under the discipline of separation (3:6). Paul’s appeal drew its support from his own example of toil and labor while in Thessalonica (3:7-9; see 1 Thessalonians 2:9). He had applied himself to his trade as a tentmaker (Acts 18:2f.), and with the money he earned he had paid for the food eaten by his company (3:8). The motive which prompted this course of action was the necessity to establish a pattern of responsible self-support which could be imitated by his converts (3:7,9).
In any great cosmopolitan center, idlers and beggars could be found in great number. When these people came to faith, it was necessary to demand of them a reformation of manners. Persistence in the professional loafing which suited their disposition would burden the church unduly and detract from the seriousness with which the gospel was advanced. To set them an example, Paul had refrained from accepting hospitality or support; he would not make the gospel a spade with which to dig, in spite of his right to do so (see also Matthew 10:9-10; 1 Timothy 5:17f.).
Throughout this section Paul is writing to the majority in the congregation. He now speaks directly to those unwilling to work. Moffatt’s translation succeeds in reproducing Paul’s word play in 3:11: “Some of your numbers are loafing, busy-bodies instead of busy.” On the authority of Jesus Christ, Paul commands them to stop interfering and to earn their own living (3:12). The final word is addressed to the whole congregation. They are not to be distracted from the central concerns of the Lord by the hysteria of the fainthearted or the demands of the idle for community support (3:13). The prayer of 3:5, pointing to the steadfast patience of Christ, is the apostle’s provision for a people who, understandably, are growing weary with exasperation.