Today Paul is going to talk about the problem of those who are trying to keep the gospel message from reaching the Gentiles. These are the same type of people who have caused trouble for Paul and for the other apostles and teachers. He warns that God's wrath is going to fall on anyone who tries to keep the Gentiles from being saved.
First he begins by speaking of the love he and his companions have shown the Gentiles at Thessalonica, then later he will contrast their behavior with those who are trying to keep the Gentiles from being saved.
He concluded yesterday by saying he works to please God and not man, and this is where he picks up today. "We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you." (1 Thessalonians 2:6-8a) In our passage today Paul will compare himself and his companions to children, to mothers, and to fathers. When they first came to preach the gospel in Thessalonica, they were as meek and humble as children. As the people there began to learn about and believe in Christ, Paul and his friends gently instructed them and looked after them, just as a mother gently instructs and looks after her small children. Later, as they began to grow in the faith, Paul and his friends became father figures to them, training them in godly and responsible living, just as a father trains his growing children.
"Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." (1 Thessalonians 2:8b) These teachers of the gospel lived and worked among the people of Thessalonica. Though they were apostles, they didn't consider themselves superior to anyone. Though many of them were Jews, they didn't consider the Gentile believers unclean. They treated these people as their equals by living among them, working among them, and eating with them.
"Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom and glory." (1 Thessalonians 2:9-12) Like good fathers, these men set examples for their children in the faith to follow. These men worked hard and taught the believers how to work hard. These men lived godly lives and showed the believers how to live godly lives.
"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe." (1 Thessalonians 2:13) When the people of Thessalonica heard the gospel, they recognized it as the truth. They didn't think of it as just one more philosophy of man, but as the word of God. As a result, their lives have been transformed because the power of God is working in them.
Now Paul is going to make reference to some people who have been his enemy and who are now also the enemies of the Gentile believers. When he mentions "the Jews" it's important for us to keep in mind that he doesn't mean the Jews as a whole. Paul, a Jew himself, is the last person who would make anti-Semitic remarks. He's talking about the particular group of Jews who opposed Jesus and who now oppose the followers of Jesus. It was the religious leaders of Jerusalem who wanted Jesus removed from the earth, but not even all of them were in agreement over this. We know Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin council, didn't cast his vote against Jesus. (Luke 23:51) There were likely other members of the council who didn't vote to hand Jesus over to Pilate. Some scholars think that when Luke says Nicodemus didn't consent to the decision of the council, it means that the council didn't invite members to the trial who couldn't be counted on to vote against Jesus. Either way, we know that Nicodemus and probably other council members didn't want to cause harm to come to Jesus. So when Paul talks about "the Jews" who killed Jesus and who killed the prophets and who are now troubling the church, he is in no way talking about all the Jews. Many Jews like himself converted to Christianity. Many more, who did not convert, were not interested in bothering the Christians but were tending to their own lives and going about their own business. Paul is only talking about those from among his own people who are actively trying to put a stop to the gospel.
"For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out." (1 Thessalonians 2:14-15a) Many of the Jews accepted the gospel message and formed churches. These "churches in Judea" were attacked and persecuted by some of their own countrymen who wanted Christianity wiped from the earth. A number of the apostles and teachers were driven from Jerusalem because of the intense opposition of some of the members of the Jewish religious organizations. Paul is saying, "In the same way that I and other Jewish believers have suffered persecution from our own people, now you Gentile believers are suffering persecution from your own people." Ever since Israel became a nation, not all her citizens were faithful to God. Those who didn't want to hear God's message through the prophets wanted the prophets to stop preaching, even if that meant the prophets had to die. In the same way, when the gospel came to the Gentiles, large numbers of them believed it and became faithful to the Lord. But there were Gentiles who wanted nothing to do with the Lord and they wanted to put a stop to the gospel message no matter what it took.
Some of Paul's own people who believed the gospel were still reluctant to believe that God would save the Gentiles. He has had to deal with an attitude that considers the Gentiles inferior and unworthy of salvation. So not only are some of the powerful religious leaders of Judea opposed to Paul's work among the Gentiles, but even some of his fellow believers don't think he should be preaching to Gentiles. In addition to all this, some of the Gentiles in areas where he's teaching are opposed to having Christianity come into their cities. Paul has harsh words of condemnation for an attitude that says someone is not worth saving. He warns that God's wrath is going to fall on anyone who tries to prevent people from obtaining mercy and grace. "They displease God and are hostile to everyone in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last." (1 Thessalonians 2:15b-16)
It's bad enough for a person not to seek redemption for himself. But there's nothing more wicked than trying to block someone else's path to redemption. Paul says that the wrath of God is going to fall on these wicked people. It is a foregone conclusion that God is going to judge them. The fate of these wicked people is sealed unless they repent. They can't expect God to bless their cruel behavior in this life and they will have to stand before Him in the next life and answer for their crimes against their fellow man. The punishment that fits such crimes has already been determined by God and He will not hesitate to sentence them for their crimes.
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