1 Thessalonians
Chapter 5
Christians Waiting
You don’t need anyone to write to you about the delay and the scheduled time for these events.
You know that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
When people feel safe and at peace, disaster will suddenly strike them like a woman’s labor pains, and they will not escape.
But you, beloved, are not in darkness, so that day will not catch you unprepared like a thief.
All of you are citizens of the light and day; we do not belong to night and darkness.
Let us therefore stay awake instead of sleeping like others do, but stay alert and sober.
Those who sleep go to sleep at night, and those who get drunk do it at night.
Since we belong to the day, let us stay sober, put on the breastplate of faith and love, and let the hope of salvation be our helmet.
For God has not willed us to be condemned, but to attain salvation through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
He died for us so that we could enter into life with him, whether we are still awake or are already asleep.
Therefore, continue to encourage and build each other up, just as you are doing now.
Final Advice and Greetings
Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to be grateful to those who work among you, who lead you in the way of the Lord and also correct you.
Respect them deeply and love them for their efforts. Live peacefully with one another.
We urge you to warn the idle, encourage those who feel discouraged, support the weak, and have patience with everyone.
See that no one repays evil with evil, but instead strives to do good, whether among yourselves or toward others.
Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing
and give thanks to God at all times. This is God’s will for you as Christians.
Do not quench the Spirit,
do not despise the prophets’ warnings.
Test everything thoroughly and cling to what is good.
Stay away from evil, no matter where it is.
May the God of peace make you holy and bring you to perfection. May you be completely blameless in spirit, soul, and body until the coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord;
he who called you is faithful and will accomplish it.
Brothers and sisters, pray for us.
Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss.
I order you, in the name of the Lord, to have this letter read to all of them.
The grace of our Lord Christ Jesus be with you.
Commentaries
Christians Waiting.
Paul continues to speak of the “day of the Lord,” but now, rather than emphasizing its ‘imminence,’ he stresses the element of ‘surprise” through images drawn from the Gospel tradition, such as the thief who comes in the night (cf. Mt 24:43ff; Lk 12:39f; Rev 3:3), or like the pains of childbirth that come suddenly, without warning (cf. Jn 16:21). The surprise of his coming will affect people in very different ways, depending on whether they are prepared or not. Paul concludes with a word of encouragement: what matters is not whether we are alive or dead when the Lord comes, but that we “always live with him” (10).
Final Advice and Greetings.
It is typical of Paul to give some advice before ending his letters (cf. Phil 4:8f), and, as always, his favorite advice is about internal harmony in communities. What is interesting about this epistolary ending is that this harmony and community peace are the responsibility of “those who work among you, govern you, and advise you in the name of the Lord” (12). The small community already has its local leaders, whom the Apostle urges to behave like good shepherds. He could not end without reminding them again of the gift of the Spirit that is present throughout the letter: joy, which should characterize their Christian life. He suggests that they maintain the rhythm of their prayer and their assemblies of thanksgiving, probably referring to the community’s Eucharistic celebrations.