2 Thessalonians
Chapter 3
Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of God may spread quickly and be glorified everywhere, as it was with you.
May God protect us from wicked and evil people, since not everyone has faith.
The Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and keep you safe from the evil one.
Furthermore, we have this confidence in the Lord: that you are doing, and will continue to do, what we command.
May the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God and the perseverance of Christ.
Against Idleness
We urge you, beloved, to stay away from believers who are living in idleness, contrary to the traditions we passed on to you.
You know you should follow our example: we worked while we were with you,
And we did not eat food received free from anyone without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked day and night to avoid being a burden to any of you.
We could have acted differently, but we chose to set an example for you.
Furthermore, while we were with you, we made it clear: If anyone is unwilling to work, they should not eat.
However, we heard that some of you are living in idleness—busybodies doing no work.
In the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord, we command these people to work quietly and support themselves.
And you, brothers and sisters, do not become tired of doing what is right.
If anyone disregards our instructions as expressed in this letter, take note of this person and avoid associating with him so that he may be ashamed.
Nevertheless, do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
May the Lord of peace give you his peace always and in every way. May the Lord be with you all.
I, Paul, am writing this greeting by my own hand. This is my signature on all my letters. This is how I sign my name.
May the grace of Christ Jesus our Lord be with you.
Commentaries
Mutual Prayers.
The Apostle, now addressing the faithful community, begins to draw practical conclusions from all of the above in an atmosphere of grateful prayer. Paul also asks for prayers for the apostolic group so that the Word of the Lord may spread and run like a living being: “He sends forth his command to the earth, and his word runs swiftly” (Ps 147:15). And so, by praying to God for one another—evangelizers and evangelized—they will know how to resist the attacks of the wicked and wait with patience and endurance for the coming of Christ (cf. Rom 8:25; 15:4).
Against Idleness.
If earlier he discussed the forces of evil that led some to turn away from faith and created confusion, now the author of the letter shifts focus to the chaos caused by certain individuals in the community through their irresponsible actions. An absurd and dangerous result of believing that the parousia was near—mentioned earlier in 1 Thessalonians 4:11—was idleness, waiting around for “the holy advent,” as it is popularly called. His warning is stern and realistic: “if anyone does not want to work, let him not eat” (10), or in other words, if they think that the Lord’s imminent return excuses them from working, it should also mean they don’t need to eat. Paul shares his personal experience as a worker who earns his livelihood through hard labor. The closing greeting adds a note of peace to this needed but firm message.