Dec 6 2019 - Introduction to Thessalonians

Again we interrupt our reading in Acts, this time to look at Paul's letters to the Christians in Thessalonica.

Thessalonica was the largest and the most important city of Macedonia and was also the capital of the province. Unlike Philippi, Thessalonica had a strong Jewish community and its own synagogue. For three weeks Paul went to the synagogue and reasoned from the Scriptures that "the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead" (Acts 17:3), declaring that Jesus is the Christ. Paul's ministry in Thessalonica may have continued some weeks longer than may be apparent from the narrative in Acts.

The success of Paul's ministry, particularly in attracting God-fearers away from the synagogue, angered the Jews who stirred up a riot outside the home of Jason, a man with whom Paul and his companions had been staying. Not finding the missionaries, they dragged Jason and a number of other Christians before the city officials saying, "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus" (Acts 17:6,7). Two things are evident from this accusation:

Firstly, Paul's preaching had at its heart the affirmation that Jesus, the Messiah, God's promised King, had come and that his reign had commenced. From the content of the letter to the Thessalonians it is evident that he also declared that Christ would one day return and that he would then establish his kingdom in all its glory.

Secondly, Paul's preaching was having no small effect upon the Jewish communities scattered around the Mediterranean. They viewed his ministry as a threat to their very existence, so much so that they were even prepared to use their own hope of the Messiah as an accusation against Paul before the Roman officials – as had the Jewish leaders at the time of Jesus' trial.

When Paul sent letters back to this young church it is evident that the believers were facing opposition, probably chiefly from the Jews. One element of this campaign of opposition seems to have consisted in a personal attack upon Paul. His opponents suggested that he was just another fly-by-night wandering preacher who had no real concern for the Thessalonians – after all, had he not abandoned them when the going got tough? In writing to them Paul therefore emphasises the purity of his motives and his deep affection for them.

Along with persecution the church was also troubled by erroneous views concerning the second advent – hardly surprising in view of the limited time that Paul had been able to stay with them and instruct them. Imagining that the return of Christ was imminent, some were troubled concerning Christians relatives or friends who had died; would they miss out on the coming kingdom? Others had abandoned their daily work on the supposition that further attachment to this present world is pointless.

In seeking to deal with these problems, the leaders in the church, lacking maturity, seemed to have caused further problems.

Paul addresses all of these issues in his letter. At the same time, he encourages the Thessalonian believers to keep away from the immoral behaviour so common in the Greek world, behaviour which may have formed part of their former lifestyle.

1 Thessalonians was probably written in the early part of AD 50.  Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians seems to have been written shortly after the first. It would seem that Paul's first letter was mistakenly understood by some to imply that the second coming of Christ had already occurred. Hence Paul writes to correct this misunderstanding. Most of the letter is taken up with instruction concerning the Second Coming and with how to deal with those who remain idle.

Peter Misselbrook