Jul 05 2008
Notes on 1 Thessalonians 3:1-8
As we saw in the last post on this letter, part 2 of the letter (2:17-3:13) exhibits the same concentric structure as the other parts (see introduction).
A1) The missionaries wish to see their converts “face to face” (2:17-20)
B) Timothy is sent to Thessalonica (3:1-8)
A2) The missionaries pray that they might see their converts “face to face” (3:9-13)
text: 1 Thessalonians 3:1-8
1. Therefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone;
2. And sent Timothy, our brother and God’s co-worker in the Gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith;
3. That no man be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know that this is to be our lot.
4. And truly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction; even as it came to pass, as you know.
5. For this reason also, when I could no longer forbear, I sent that I might know your faith, lest by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.
6. But just at this moment Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always remember us kindly, and long to see us, even as we long to see you;
7. for this reason, brethren, we are comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith:
8. for now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.
Notes:
1. Therefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone. Therefore serves as a conjunctive, it links what is about to be said with the thoughts expressed in the previous passage (1 Thessalonians 2:17-20). The thought of that passage may be summarized as follows: (1) the missionaries are bereft of the Thessalonians. (2) That separation was due to opposition to the Gospel and the hindrance of Satan. (3) The missionaries joy and hope at the coming of Jesus is at stake.
Thoughts that Satan (1 Thessalonians 2:18), the Tempter (1 Thessalonians 3:5) had jeopardized or destroyed the missionary labor done among the Thessalonians motivated the evangelists to send Timothy back to them (see vs 2). This action they deemed good, even though it meant a separation among themselves: we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone. Note that the statement doesn’t just say “left behind,” but also employs the word “alone” for emphasis. The implication is that Timothy’s absence is a hardship for the other evangelists, but it is good for the sake of the Thessalonians, thus exhibiting the care and love of the missionaries towards their converts (see 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).
2. And sent Timothy, our brother and God’s co-worker in the Gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith. The term God’s co-worker is a translation of the Greek synergon tou theou found in some manuscripts and early Christian writers. Other manuscripts read “servant of God” (diakonon tou theou) or similar variants. As a rule, it is generally advisable to accept the more difficult reading, which has been done here. The idea is not un-pauline, as a comparison with 1 Corinthians 3:9 shows. God’s duly constituted ministers are his instruments (vessels), imbued with his power ( see Acts of Apostles 9:15; 2 Corinthians 4:7). They act on His behalf as he works through them (see 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 5:20). The purpose of Timothy’s embassy is to establish (sterizo=make stable, firm, strengthen) them in the faith, and to comfort (parakaleo=console, encourage, admonish) them. Essentially, he is to continue doing what the missionaries had begun among the Thessalonians (see the similar wording used in 1 Thessalonians 2:12).
3. That no man be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know that this is to be our lot. The converts had received the word in great affliction (1 Thessalonians 1:6); and suffering (1 Thessalonians 2:14). Timothy is returning to them to “establish” them (vs 2), so that no man be moved by these afflictions. No doubt part of his mission was to remind them of the opposition which living out the Gospel brings (this is to be our lot).
4. And truly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction; even as it came to pass, as you know. Builds upon the end of vs 3.
5. For this reason also, when I could no longer forbear, I sent that I might know your faith, lest by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would be in vain. Verses 1-3 gave the reasons why all the missionaries decided to send Timothy. This verse gives Paul’s specific concern that the tempter may have tempted them out of the faith, thus making the labor done among the Thessalonians vain. While there has been an emphasis on the possible havoc wreaked by opposition to the Gospel, here Paul is concerned with any means the tempter might have used to render the labor vain. The reference to the missionaries labor calls to mind the work they had done and its effects. Perhaps Paul is concerned that they had turned back to serving idols (1 Thessalonians 1:9); or that they had come to the conclusion that Paul had been preaching his own word (1 Thessalonians 2:13). For more on Satan’s temptations against the Gospel see 2 Corinthians 11:2-4 and Mark 4:13-15.
6. But just at this moment Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always remember us kindly, and long to see us, even as we long to see you. This single verse accounts for the joy which permeates this letter. The faith and love which the converts received and exhibited as a result of the Apostolic labor done among them remains firmly established. This was such good news that the letter appears to have been written immediately upon Timothy’s return. The reference to the kindly remembrance of the missionaries y the converts, and of their longing to see the missionaries again perhaps implies that the veracity and integrity of the evangelists was being called into question by the Gospel’s opponents (see 1 Thessalonians 2:3-9).
7. for this reason, brethren, we are comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith:
A masterful reversal! Paul shows himself to be adept at the use of rhetoric (in the good sense). Timothy had been sent to comfort the Thessalonians in their distress and affliction (vs 2), and the Thessalonian’s adherence to the faith now provides comfort to the missionaries who were distressed and afflicted concerning that adherence.
8. for now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. Recalls 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20. Being assured of the love and affection of their converts towards them, the evangelists play upon their heartstrings, using that love and affection as a motive for the converts maintaining their standing in the Lord. Recalls the use of “establish” in verse 2.
