But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan blocked our way. For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy. So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain. (1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5)
This little section narrates quite an ordeal. We have some sense of what happened because of the account given in Acts 17. A riotous persecution that drove Paul from Thessalonica on to Berea and eventually down to Athens. But Paul’s point here is not to convey the facts so much as the relationship.
There are intense pictures of emotion here as Paul describes the experience of separation as that of “being orphaned” and names his intense desire to come and encourage the Thessalonians in their faith. So what’s at stake here that connects to our lives still today?
It seems that Paul’s concern is mainly with how the Thessalonians will weather the storms of persecution and temptation—both spiritual and embodied. Satan, the tempter is at work spiritually through the embodied realities of travel plans and local pressures seeking to keep the Thessalonians isolated and doubting. Was their decision to follow Jesus all in vain?
We do not face persecution like the Thessalonians or Apostles did. But the temptations to turn away from the hard, disciplined path of following Jesus are nevertheless active in our lives. The deceitfulness of wealth, the self-improvement paths to flourishing, and any number of other things we seek to keep up with our peers in all provide pressures and wind storms that seek to unsettle our faith. These things alongside of the sorrows and hardships we face together add up to some pretty stiff resistance to faithfulness. In the face of these trials we are all destined for as Christians, it is easy (and easily justifiable) to fall away from the church and any regular habits of relationship with God or his people.
Yet, this is not the whole story. Already here against this dark and strained backdrop, Paul gives inklings of a firm hope. He pictures standing before Christ, pointing to the Thessalonians faithfulness as evidence of his own, which betrays a confidence Paul holds onto that God will complete the good work he’s started in this fledgling Thessalonian church. “Indeed, you are our glory and joy.”
The contemporary testimony, Our World Belongs to God names this dynamic that we still face as God’s people and puts it this way: “Satan and his evil forces seek whom they may scatter and isolate; but God, by his gracious choosing in Christ, gathers a new community” (st. 34). Indeed, we rest secure in the fact that God’s work of gathering will, in the end, outstrip every effort of the enemy to scatter. More on that tomorrow.
As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:
May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it! The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you! (1 Thessalonians 5:23,24,28 The Message).
