RSV ~ 1 Thessalonians 2 Notes

1 Thess 2:2 | ISB Notes

shamefully treated at Philippi: Just before coming to Thessalonica, Paul and Silas were hauled before the city magistrates of Philippi, stripped of their clothes, beaten with rods, and thrown into prison (Acts 16:19-24). This might have disheartened or terrified them into silence, but God gave them the courage to keep moving and preaching despite aggressive opposition (Rom 1:16).

1 Thess 2:3 | ISB Notes

error … uncleanness … guile: Perhaps Paul, in defending his motives, is countering slanderous charges circulated by his enemies. Despite such calumnies, his missionary team at all times lived and worked above reproach (2:10).

1 Thess 2:6 | ISB Notes

apostles: Refers to Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy (1:1). In the NT, the term “apostle” is used in several different ways. It can refer to (1) Jesus, the One sent by the Father (Heb 3:1), (2) the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus (Lk 6:13), (3) a group of witnesses to the Resurrection (1 Cor 15:7), and (4) messengers sent on missions by churches (2 Cor 8:23; Phil 2:25).

1 Thess 2:7 | ISB Notes

like a nurse: Or, “like a nursing mother”. The idea is that Paul and his companions developed a tender affection for the Thessalonians and made every effort to encourage them and serve their needs (2:8).

1 Thess 2:9 | ISB Notes

labor and toil: As apostles, Paul and his coworkers are entitled to financial and material support from the communities under their care (Lk 10:7; 1 Cor 9:13-14). But during their brief stay with the Thessalonians, they waived this right to avoid loading the Church down with burdens and to show that their ministry was not driven by greed or self-interest. It is not specified how the missionaries supported themselves, but we know that Paul was a tentmaker by trade (Acts 18:3).

night and day: Accentuates how tirelessly the apostles worked in order to provide for themselves and to continue their ministry at the same time. Paul, for one, was glad to spend himself in this way (2 Cor 12:15).

1 Thess 2:11 | ISB Notes

like a father: With great fatherly care, Paul has overseen the moral and spiritual formation of his Thessalonian children begotten through the gospel. The comparisons used here and in 2:7 highlight both the maternal and paternal sides of Paul’s ministry. See note on 1 Cor 4:15.

1 Thess 2:12 | ISB Notes

God, who calls you: The Father summons his children to a royal inheritance kept in heaven (1 Pet 1:14). The saints will be given the fullness of this heavenly kingdom, but those unworthy of the calling will be denied it (1 Cor 6:9-10; Eph 5:5).

1 Thess 2:13 | ISB Notes

the word of God: The revealed gospel (1 Pet 1:25). This saving message was written down in the books of the NT and delivered orally in the form of apostolic preaching (2 Thess 2:15; CCC 104, 1349).

• The ministry of the apostles parallels the ministry of the Hebrew Prophets, who received the word of the Lord and announced it to Israel by word of mouth and in writing (1 Kings 17:1-2; Jer 1:4; Ezek 1:3; Hos 1:1).

1 Thess 2:14-16 | ISB Notes

Paul has some unusually harsh words for the perpetrators of Christian persecution. He traces this madness back to Jerusalem, whose long history of mistreating the Prophets (Mt 23:37) reached a new and diabolical level when its leaders murdered Jesus the Messiah (1 Thess 2:15; Acts 2:23). The Thessalonians got a taste of this when Jewish zealots, fiercely loyal to the aims and outlook of Judean Judaism, stirred up a horde of angry locals to raid the house church where Paul and his companions were staying (Acts 17:5-9). Similar forms of harassment continued even after the missionaries fled (1 Thess 3:3; 2 Thess 1:5). Notice that Paul is criticizing Jewish persecutors, not the Jewish people in general. Years later Paul still insisted that Jews have first claim to the gospel (Rom 1:16), and he expected that “all Israel” would be saved (Rom 11:26) (CCC 597). See essay: The Salvation of All Israel at Rom 11.

1 Thess 2:14 | ISB Notes

in Judea: Attacks on the infant Church began with the martyrdom of Stephen in Jerusalem (Acts 7:58-8:1). Even Paul, by his own admission, was a persecutor of Christians before his conversion (Gal 1:22-23; 1 Cor 15:9).

your own countrymen: Macedonian pagans, but also hostile opponents from the Thessalonian synagogue (Acts 17:5).

the Jews: i.e., the Palestinian Jews responsible for terrorizing Judean churches.

1 Thess 2:16 | ISB Notes

fill up the measure: Paul imagines a cup that is full of iniquity and is about to brim over. Jesus used the same image against the Pharisees when he prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem within the first Christian generation (Mt 23:32).

wrath has come upon them: Perhaps in the form of divine abandonment of the people to sin (Rom 1:18, 24, 26, 28), which is an ominous prelude to the final manifestation of divine wrath in A.D. 70 with the downfall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, and the dispersion of unbelieving Israel (Lk 21:23). A nearly identical statement appears in Jewish tradition that describes the violent conquest of the city of Shechem (Testament of Levi 6, 11). For Paul, the wrath poured out on Jewish persecutors prefigures the “wrath to come” upon sinners at the final return of Jesus (1 Thess 1:10; 2 Thess 1:7-9).

1 Thess 2:17 | ISB Notes

deprived: The Greek can mean “orphaned”, a reference to Paul’s hurried departure from Thessalonica (Acts 17:10).

1 Thess 2:18 | ISB Notes

Satan hindered us: The nature of the obstruction is left unspecified. It may be linked with the Jewish and pagan opposition Paul faced in Thessalonica (Acts 17:5). Now, the same evil that forced him to flee also prevents him from returning.

1 Thess 2:19 | ISB Notes

crown of boasting: The expression Paul uses is found in the Greek OT at Prov 16:31 and Ezek 16:12. Here it signifies the pride that Paul will take in his readers when the day of rewards has come.

his coming: Several times the word “coming” (Gk. parousia) is used in the Thessalonian letters for the anticipated return of Christ in glory (3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2 Thess 2:1, 8). For some of its background and meaning, see word study: Coming at Mt 24:3.

1 Thess 2:20 | ISB Notes

our glory and joy: Paul had similar sentiments for the Philippian Church (Phil 4:1).