1 Thessalonians 2:17–3:5

2:17–18 Local opposition in Thessalonica compelled the church to send Paul away from the city much earlier than he had wished (Acts 17:5), so Paul and his colleagues were concerned about how the church was faring amid difficulty. Paul refers to this separation in verse 17 as his having been “torn away,” metaphorically employing the Greek word (aporphanizō) referring to an orphaned child’s being separated from his parents. Paul thus expresses a deep feeling of loss at his departure. Yet he also hastens to assure the church that this separation will be short-lived. He speaks of their distance as being “in person” (the Gk. is literally “in face”) and not “in heart” (cf. 1 Cor. 5:3; Col. 2:5).

Paul and his colleagues were eager to see the Thessalonians again. They are quite emphatic in this regard, and Paul notes that they endeavored “more eagerly” and “with great desire” to see the Thessalonians in person (cf. 1 Thess. 3:10). Note that Paul chooses this moment to switch to the first-person singular (“I” rather than “we”), highlighting his personal efforts “again and again” to return to the church.

Concerning his failure to return to Thessalonica, Paul attributes this to satanic spiritual opposition. Satan is the Greek transliteration of a Hebrew name (meaning “accuser”) that appears in a few key OT episodes in which this sinful angelic being falsely accuses God’s people (Job 1:6–2:10; Zech. 3:1–2). The Gospels and Acts mention Satan by name in several places in the roles of tempting Jesus (Matt. 4:1–11), appearing as an enemy in Jesus’ teaching (Mark 3:22–30; 4:15; Luke 10:18; 13:16; 22:31), luring Judas into betraying Jesus (Luke 22:3; John 13:2, 27), and tempting Ananias to lie to the church (Acts 5:3). Paul mentions Satan in connection with temptation (1 Cor. 7:5; 1 Tim. 5:15), eschatological opposition to the church (2 Thess. 2:9), and the church’s victory over Satan (Rom. 16:20; also Eph. 4:27; 6:11). In 1 Thessalonians, Paul does not specify just how he knows Satan hindered him from traveling to Thessalonica.

Paul provides multiple reasons for desiring to return to Thessalonica: the believers there are his “glory and joy” (1 Thess. 2:20); he feels longing, compassion, and affection for them (2:17; 3:6); he knows they need to be further established in the faith (3:2, 10); and he is concerned that the persecutions and afflictions they face may have dissuaded them from following Christ (3:3–5).

Paul wants the church to be assured of his affection. The Thessalonians may well have felt “orphaned,” even as Paul felt “torn away” from them. Paul and his team all along had been concerned about these believers’ welfare, and they were praying, seeking avenues of return, and longing for news. Even at the time he writes this letter, Paul is continuing to seek opportunities to be personally present again with the church (3:10–11).

2:19–20 Imagine how happy a child feels when his mom declares that she is “proud of him,” or when a father tells his daughter that she is his “joy.” We should understand verses 19–20 in similar ways. Paul and his colleagues call the church their “joy,” their “crown of boasting,” and their “glory.” This language conveys both a real eschatological truth for Paul and an encouragement for the church.

At Christ’s appearing (cf. comment on 4:15), Paul believes his legacy before the Lord will especially be the people to whom he has ministered (Phil. 2:16; also 1 Cor. 9:15–18; 2 Cor. 10:13–18). Such “boasting” is a two-way street; thus Paul can say of the church in Corinth, “On the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you” (2 Cor. 1:14). Paul refers to the church as his “crown” (also Phil. 4:1), much as an athlete in antiquity received a crown for victory (cf. 2 Tim. 2:5; 4:8).

While “boasting” can often designate sinful pride (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:28–31), Paul affirms an appropriate kind of boasting. The distinction concerns in what one “boasts.” For example, Paul forbids anyone to boast in his or her meritorious works, as if such works garnered salvation (e.g., Rom. 2:23; 3:27; 4:2; Eph. 2:9). On the other hand, Paul takes appropriate confidence in the way he behaves among the churches, and boasts of such things (2 Cor. 1:12). He willingly boasts in his weakness, since it leads to Christ’s glory shining through his witness (2 Cor. 11:21–12:10; cf. also Rom. 15:17–21). Paul even boasts of particular churches in his communications with other churches (e.g., 2 Cor. 7:14; 8:24; 9:2–3).

Paul addresses his joy and pride in the Thessalonian church especially as a means of encouraging them. Such expressions should be seen in light of the deep affection he repeatedly expresses throughout the letter. Thus when Paul and his colleagues remind the church of their joy in them, we should expect that the church too would rejoice in the profound news that they have brought joy to their spiritual fathers in the Lord, who had first conveyed the gospel to them and who have expressed such affection for them. When Paul calls them his “crown of boasting,” this would indeed be akin to children’s witnessing their parents’ beaming with pride.

3:1–3a Though Paul was hindered from traveling to Thessalonica (2:18), Timothy was able to go. Paul wants the church to see Timothy’s visit as an affectionate effort to encourage them and to learn of their welfare (3:2). Paul hoped Timothy’s work would help prevent the church from being “moved” by their afflictions (3:3a), since Paul was concerned that Satan was utilizing persecution to attack the church’s faith (3:5; cf. comment on 2:14).

Paul refers to Timothy as his “brother” and “God’s coworker,” and says that the church should therefore receive him as Paul’s honored apostolic delegate (cf. 2 Cor. 1:1; Col. 1:1; Philem. 1). Paul had specially invited Timothy to join his mission (Acts 16:3), and Timothy later served as Paul’s delegate to other churches, including Philippi (Phil. 2:19–23) and Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:2–3).

Timothy voyaged to Thessalonica around AD 49–50, while Paul was in Athens (Acts 17:15–34). The full sequence of events is not entirely clear, but the broad outline appears to be this: Paul and Silas were compelled to flee Thessalonica (Acts 17:10), and then later Paul had to escape from Berea to Athens, while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea (Acts 17:14). Paul then requested that Silas and Timothy join him in Athens (Acts 17:15). It is possible that once Timothy arrived in Athens, Paul directed him to travel back to Thessalonica. Others have postulated instead that Paul sent a second directive to Timothy (subsequent to the one mentioned in Acts 17:15) to go to Thessalonica even before Timothy had arrived in Athens.

3:3b–5 Paul and his colleagues remind the church that affliction and suffering are part of Christian testimony. Jesus himself spoke of how the church would be persecuted (e.g., Matt. 5:10–12; 10:16–23). If Jesus suffered opposition in this world, then his followers should expect much the same (e.g., Matt. 10:24–25; John 15:18–25). Paul, having previously been a persecutor of the church, well understands both sides of this reality. In electing Paul as his chosen instrument, Jesus even declares that Paul will be shown “how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15–16). Paul fully expects hostility against the gospel (e.g., Col. 1:24; 2 Thess. 1:4; 2 Tim. 3:12).

Paul emphatically reminds the church that they had been forewarned that persecution was imminent (“you yourselves know,” and “we kept telling you beforehand”), underscoring that such difficult circumstances are in keeping with his theology, witness, and expectations.

Paul specifically says that he had delegated Timothy to “learn about [their] faith.” Timothy approached the Thessalonians to encourage them (1 Thess. 3:2), but he was also to report on their condition. Paul vocalizes his fear: the Tempter may have tempted them away from the faith. The Tempter is Satan (cf. comment on 2:17–18; cf. Matt. 4:3; 1 Cor. 7:5). Paul expresses the fear any missionary may feel who has had to leave the field too quickly: what will happen to the faith of those left behind? Paul is also concerned lest their labor among the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 2:9) show itself ultimately to be without fruit or result (cf. Gal. 4:11; Phil. 2:16).