BOASTING OF THEM It was not possible for the apostle Paul, with his spacious heart, while writing this epistle, to correct the wrong concepts concerning the ultimate coming of the Lord; to exhort, and to rebuke those who became slothful in their daily life, but to begin his epistle, as it was his custom, by giving thanks to God, for what he saw in them of growth in the Spirit; by revealing before them the good sides in their spiritual life, and by proclaiming how he boasts of them, to encourage and support them. In a true spiritual fatherhood, he knows how to encourage before he rebukes; and to help the weak even while rebuking them. 1- The inauguration of the epistle 1 - 2 2- Giving thanks to God, and boasting of them 3 - 4 3- God’s righteous judgment 5 - 10 4- Praying for their sake 11– 12 1- THE INAUGURATION OF THE EPISTLE: “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1, 2). It is the same inauguration piece he used in his first epistle, as the tribulations surrounding the church was still the same. He sees her as a church abiding in Jesus Christ, rich, holy, and glorified amid her tribulations, and has her place in the bosom of her heavenly Father, through her union with her Head; the Lord Jesus Christ. Here, again, the apostle calls God as “Our Father”; as though, with the intention to talk in the text of the epistle about “the great rebellion, because of the appearance of the man of sin at the end of time”, he confirms to the church her position in the sight of God, whose role, as our heavenly Father, is to care for us and to keep us, whatever great the attacks of the devil against us are. The more strong and bitter the attacks of the devil, the opponent of the 15 truth, against the church, the more the fatherhood of God is proclaimed. 2- GIVING THANKS TO GOD, AND BOASTING OF THEM: “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of everyone of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure” (3, 4). The apostle Paul begins his epistle by revealing his commitment to pay back his debt to God, by offering Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving, for the sake of His work, not in his personal life, but in that of the brethren, as is fitting of the father who rejoices in the growth of his spiritual children in the Lord; his own life is to be overshadowed by the thanksgiving to God, being the Source of every good gift, and the Grantor of the virtuous life. The secret of failure of many zealous ministers is probably looking with pessimism to the failings in their own spiritual life, and in those to whom they minister, instead of giving thanks to God for His gifts in their own life, and in that of others. As to the apostle Paul, he “always” gave thanks to God; as though the failings and weaknesses, have not taken away the life of thanks from his heart, not even for a moment; His life turned into a ”Eucharistic life”; namely a life of incessant thanksgiving…. In other words, we can cay that thanksgiving in the apostle’s life, was not mere words he utters by his lips, or praises he sings, every now and then; but it represented a nature that touches his inner man, who incessantly praises God, by the language of the Spirit; … The praise comes out with each of the breaths of his life; … His life became like a new guitar, on which the Holy Spirit of God plays to offer a symphony of thanksgiving to the Father in His beloved Son, which He smells as a fragrance of pleasure, well received by Him. Through such a joyful spiritual binocular, the apostle recognized in the progress achieved by the Thessalonians. as far as the basic principles of the Christian life – faith, love, and hope, are 16 concerned; He felt in them an incessant growth of practical faith; of love for everyone; and of hope, the grantor of patience amid the tribulations. This achievement, he has already proclaimed more than once in his first epistle to them; saying: “remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1: 3). (1) Concerning faith, he says: “Because your faith grows exceedingly” (3). It was not something strange for the apostle to acknowledge the exceeding growth of their faith amid the tribulations; As, according to St. John Chrysostom, faith always does through the storms and waves of violent temptations; during which the soul of the believer, would not find a refuge for himself, except to hide in Christ; … to enter together with Him into the garden of Gethsemane; … to prostrate himself before the Father, crying out and moaning; … to enter into a new vision, to be revealed in his works; something that would not be possible to enjoy out of the sufferings, even if he spend long years in continuous worship! … Tribulation – for the sake of Christ – causes the believer’s soul to open up, and to enjoy new depths in the cross of the Lord, His burial, and His resurrection; and causes his faith to grow exceedingly. … Suffering for the sake of the Lord, commits the heart of the believer to cry out from its depths, to say together with the disciples of Christ: “Increase our faith, O Lord” (Luke 17: 5).. ..Then he would find the gates of heaven wide open before him. If it is befitting of the Christian to live by faith during the time of comfort; The fire of tribulation would reveal the soundness of his ‘faith’, and its furnace would give it a true shine; to become amid the darkness, like a glittering star. (2) Concerning ‘love’, he says: “And the love of everyone of you all abounds toward each other” (3). If ‘faith” is the foundation of, and the entrance into the Christian life; ‘Love’ is its glory, being the fruit of the Sprit (Galatians 5: 22), which never fails (1 Corinthians 13: 8). If the tribulation has given the Thessalonians growth of faith; it also enflamed their heart with love;… In the furnace of tribulation, the believer encounters the 17 Crucified, not just to behold Him, but to enjoy His attitude, by bearing within himself a flaming spiritual longing to deliver his own life for the sake of everyone, as His Lord has done; and to appreciate the importance of the commandment of the apostle: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2: 4, 5). St. John Chrysostom believes that the apostle’s saying: “of you all”, in his talk about the abounding ‘love’ (3), reveals the nature of love in us; … As, loving one, two, or more persons, is not true love; which is rather to have the heart open to everyone; … Loving one’s own is a human kind of love, whereas loving “all”, even the enemies, is a divine love!… It is as though the believer, in his encounter with the Crucified through the suffering, would not have his heart closed toward his adversaries, and would never seek revenge for himself; But, on the contrary, would have his heart open toward them; with the understanding that his true enemy is not his human adversary, but it is the devil who stirs men up against one another. (3) Concerning the “patience of hope”, the apostle says: “So that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure” (4). In the first epistle the apostle proclaimed to them that, because of their patience in tribulation, they have become an example to all in Macedonia and Achaia; That the word of God has sounded forth through their life, in every place; And that their faith toward God has gone out, so that he does not need to say anything more (1 Thessalonians 1: 7, 8). But now, as persecutions and tribulations on them have lasted that long, and got even stronger, he grew more aware of the increasing glory attributed to them, that he is boasting of them among the churches of God. The glory of the priest or the minister lies indeed in the faith of his spiritual children in the Lord; practically proclaimed through the patience of hope amid the tribulations. Here, the apostle connects patience to faith; … As many who, by nature, have great endurance; yet this feature would soon 18 fail, once they fall under oppression. Whereas faith would open the eyes of a believer by hope in the righteous judgment of God, to receive from the crucified his patience, and to partake of His feature; And would make him rejoice in affliction as his glory, and his depths enflamed with longing toward the last day. The subject of boasting of the apostle is the “patience” practiced by his spiritual children, being a practical and a true partaking of the passions and crucifixion of Christ…. This is the treasure, boasted by the church in the early era of martyrdom. … And once the persecution came to an end, the believers headed to the wilderness, to receive, through the monastic life, the suffering with patience, not to be deprived of the fellowship of the cross in new depths. … I truly say that the treasure of the believer, is to receive the patience of Christ in himself by the Holy Spirit, as a fellowship in the passion of the Lord; whatever is the kind or the source of the suffering! … To be keen on acquiring the true patience in his sickness, in troubles within his household, in his job, or In the bad treatment by others. … According to St. John Chrysostom: [It is befitting of us to walk along the same road of our Lord, to partake of His glory and honor … How glorious are the sufferings, through which we liken His death1! 3- THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT OF GOD: The eternal kingdom of God is the secret why the believers endure sufferings with patience; About this the apostle says: “… which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer” (5). Commenting on this apostolic statement, St. John Chrysostom says: [In the heart of a natural man, amid the tribulation and oppression, a desire for revenge against the oppressors would stir up; But not in the heart of the Christian, who anticipates the righteous judgment of God, that will bring to him the eternal kingdom, and make him enjoy the heavenly glories. When the true believer falls under oppression, he would not seek the divine revenge against his oppressors; but would rejoice in 1 In 2 Thess, hom 2. 19 carrying the cross; and his feeling of joy would exalt above any bitterness, to lift him up to glories. … He hates the oppression and not the oppressors; … He feels the weakness of the human nature, which is used by the devil -- the enemy of all mankind – as a tool to provoke man to oppress his fellow man; … And he longs to see the oppressors, liberated from the bondage of oppression and cruelty, to enjoy the eternal kingdom of love. By such a faith view, a believer accepts the suffering, not with the spirit of submission, but with that of strength and love, looking forward to the greater glory, longed for by all mankind. But the apostle goes on to state an actual fact, not sought after by the believer; saying: “… since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you” (6). Not saying “since God is righteous”, but “since it is a righteous thing with God”; it is as though the apostle states an undisputable fact; which is that God will repay with tribulation those who use tribulation, in case they persist on their position without repentance. … The apostle himself has been once an opponent who persecuted the church; Yet as he did that in ignorance; and as he received the truth once it shined on him, the forgiving mercy of God flowed over him; not only to make him forsake giving trouble to believers, but to receive with joy that of the wicked for the sake of faith. And as the Lord said to Ananias: “For he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel;, For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9: 15, 16). In order to cheer them up amid their anguish, he opened their eyes on the anticipated revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, saying: “And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with the mighty angels” (7). … The Lord was hanged on the cross, by the wicked religious authorities – the high priests, the priests, the Pharisees, and the scribes, etc. But, behold, the ultimate day is coming when the Lord Christ will be proclaimed as an eternal King; while the wicked who did not repent will perish…. It is as though he says to them: You, who partake here of the passions of the Lord, will 20 partake as well of His great glory. … The scene of the eternal glory and the heavenly comfort were never out of sight of the apostle. In his saying “rest with us”, he intends to say: For us, namely, the apostles, His ultimate coming is the secret of our comfort, and for you as well; You will all be with us, to enjoy together the same kingdom; on the day when the Lord comes together with His mighty angels; You, together with us, will partake of the glorified life, with the heavenly hosts, as a proclamation of the might of the Lord. The angels who come together with the Lord, are called by the apostle, “the mighty angels”. It is as though he intends to say to the Thessalonians: Although you may seem now as though in weakness amid the tribulations; yet you are here invited to join the angelic life, and being spiritual people, and the children of God, will come together with the mighty angels. The weakness in which you now live amid the furnace of tribulation, is like the seeds sowed in weakness on the soil, to produce abundantly and strongly. If the Lord Christ, in the weakness of the cross, has revealed what is greater than strength, presenting to humanity a new nature, according to the image of the Creator, raising it from its lowly and corrupt nature, up to the heavenly heights; … We, by our union with Him, will set forth from the weakness of the cross to the might and glories of resurrection. What is amazing, is that the apostle Paul, who wrote this epistle to correct their wrong concept and assumption that the day of the Lord is at hand, and got slothful in their daily life; talks to them about his longing for the coming of that particular day, putting it before their eyes as a motive for their strife amid the tribulations, yet without getting slothful in their present daily life. The apostle does not accept extremism, whether to the right or to the left; Man should not get preoccupied with temporal things, that would dampen his longing for eternity; But at the same time, he should not get his heart absorbed by the eternities, at the expense of sanctifying the temporal work. 21 The apostle goes on to say: “… In flaming fire Taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (8). The apostle, by his prophetic spiritual eyes, beholds our Lord Jesus Christ coming in His eternal kingdom, in flaming fire burning His enemies; And as the Psalmist says: “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him; And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him” (Psalm 50: 3); and, “A fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about” (Psalm 97: 3). It is the fire of the divine justice, that does not stand evil, but would abolish it; taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey His holy gospel. Why does the apostle write about the divine vengeance? Would this give any comfort to those in tribulation, and under oppression? … I do not think that the apostle Paul, with his heart spacious with love for all men; who longs for the salvation of every soul on earth, means that! … But he intends to proclaim an actual fact, that would happen, whether the oppressor likes it or not; Namely, that those who do oppression and persist on doing it, will crop its natural fruit as a divine vengeance; On those who choose corruption, corruption will dwell for their perdition; And those who give trouble and oppression to others, will be given like trouble and oppression; according to the words of the apostle himself: “To repay with tribulation those who trouble you” (6). … What is going to happen to the wicked as a divine vengeance, is not the desire of believers; nor the believers are the cause behind their punishment, but the cause is their ignorance and disobedience … The Gentiles who did not know God, would fall under punishment because of the darkness of their ignorance; While those who came to have the knowledge of the gospel, and came to receive it in their minds, and not in their life, will fall under vengeance because of their disobedience. God judges the wicked, whether they are ignorant Gentiles or rebellious believers. By saying: “who do not obey the gospel of our Lord”, the apostle probably means the congregation of the Jews who rejected the gospel, despite the prophesies they have within their hands; putting them among the 22 rebellious and disobedient to the gospel embedded in the prophesies of the Old Testament. The apostle’s talk about the eternal vengeance, is not giving the believers an inner comfort, because of their falling under the oppression of the wicked; as much as giving them an inner warning, lest they would, as well, fall under vengeance. … If they are now weak under oppression ; their weakness will eventually turn into strength. But in case they divert toward practicing oppression, they will be counted as unknowledgeable of God, and as disobedient to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, to fall, themselves, under the eternal punishment. … That probably remind us of the story told about one of the saintly monks, who used to weep bitterly every time he sees someone oppressing his brother. In response to a question, why he weeps, he said that whenever he sees others do that, and having in mind his own weak nature, he fears lest he would himself fall in the same transgression, oppresses another and loses his eternal salvation. … The punishment on the wicked, should instigates in us compassion on them, to work on taking them away from the eternal perdition; beside giving us a warning lest we may also fall and eternally perish. Describing the perdition under which the wicked fall, the apostle says: “These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (9). On one aspect, it is an everlasting, irreversible and incessant perdition, realized by the appearance of the Lord Himself, and the proclamation of His eternal glory; As though, in the proclamation of the face of the Lord, and the manifestation of the glory of His power, there is perdition of the wicked; like the light that scatters the darkness. His coming, which is the cause of our joy, glory, and our kingdom, is itself the cause of the everlasting perdition of the wicked. In the present world, the wicked seek their own glory; They appear, while the face of the Lord would be hidden from them; They practice their violent power, if not apparently in their behavior, it would be in their heart and inner will. Whereas in the world to come, when the face of the Lord which they once opposed 23 will appear, they would not be able to encounter or behold Him; The Holy Book says: The glory of God is manifested in His angels and His saints, to expose the vanity of the wicked and their utter weakness. Hence the proclamation of His coming is considered as a punishment for those of perdition, and glory for the saints. According to this concept the apostle goes on to say: “When He comes in that day, to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at among all those who believe, because our testimony to you was believed” (10). Who will be glorified: God, or His saints? … So asks St. John Chrysostom, to which the apostle responds: Yes, God is glorified in all His saints! … How? When the haughty wicked see how those they have scourged, despised, and ridiculed, have become so close to Him. … It is a glory to God, as well as glory to them; … It is His glory as well as their own!... It is glory To Him, having not forsaken them; and glory to them, having been found worthy of such great honor1. It is the will of God to be glorified in His suffering bride; to let her carry His features here and there; when His patience appear in her through her spiritual strife; as well as His glory and beauty through her enjoyment of the everlasting inheritance. … In His farewell prayer to the Father, the words of the Lord were: “I am glorified in them” (John 17: 10); “And the glory which You gave Me, I have given them, that they may be one, just as We are One” (John 17: 22); And as it came in the book of Isaiah: “You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of Your God” (Isaiah 62: 3); And in the book of Ezekiel: “’Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you’, says the Lord God” (Ezekiel 16: 14)…. If God flows His glory on His bride; proclaims His splendor in her; and holds her in His hand a crown of glory, and a royal diadem; when she is still living on earth, amid the tribulation and suffering, How much more would it be when she comes out of this world of suffering to live together with Him in His glories, partake of His everlasting 1 De Sacr 6: 14. 24 inheritance, and be forever in His presence, encountering Him face to face?! … That glorious day would be indeed a testimony of glory to God, who works in His church, and to the apostolic work, through which we came to enjoy the preaching of the gospel, to enter into the everlasting inheritance. 4- PRAYING FOR THEIR SAKE: “Therefore we also pray for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (11, 12). In this conclusive talk of the first division of this epistle, concerning supporting them, and boasting of them for their endurance of the sufferings and tribulation with thanksgiving, the apostle referred to the following aspects: (1) The apostle referred to his perpetual work for their sake, even while being away from them in flesh, through praying for their sake all the time. which a true shepherd should do for his flock; as the prophet Samuel says: “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you, but I will teach you the good and the right way” (1 Samuel 12: 23, 24); counting his ceasing to pray for them, even for a short time, a sin he commits against God, and a serious slothfulness in teaching his people the good and right way. Praying and teaching are integral, and go hand in hand in the life of the minister, without which he would be sinning against God Himself. … Talking about the importance of the prayers in the life of a priest, St. John Chrysostom says: [The priest, being entrusted to be a father to people in the whole world, approaches God, supplicates in his personal and public prayers, to put an end to wars and riots everywhere, and beseeches for peace and comfort for everyone, and for the healing of all the sick1. 1 In Gen. Pg 53: 76, 77. 25 (2) He perpetually prays to God to count the people worthy of the divine calling. … If it is God who called them to the everlasting glory, being His elect children; They are in need – through the prayers of their spiritual minister – to abide by this calling, that the good pleasure of God would be consummated toward them; and faith would be strongly proclaimed in them through work. … God has the favor of calling them to the everlasting glory; And the apostle is committed to pray that the divine Caller, with His grace, would work to make them worthy of His free call; Yet without disregarding the positive and practical aspect of the faith of the people themselves. In such few and simple words, and in an indirect way, the apostle Paul refers to the role of God Himself, to that of the minister, as well as to that of the people, in the enjoyment of the everlasting inheritance. God has the full favor of extending the free call; The apostle’s role, being aware of the true source of these good gifts to the people of God; is to keep on raising incessant prayers and supplications to the Lord,, to draw His compassion and mercy; While the people’s role is to proclaim the faith through the work, by the power of the Spirit. While writing, proclaiming his practical love through his incessant prayers for their sake, without disregarding his responsibilities toward the other churches, demonstrating the rich grace of God; he keeps exhorting them to work fervently to proclaim their living faith, and to prove their worthiness of the divine calling for them. It is as though God’s will in calling them to glory, would not be realized, even by the incessant prayers of the apostle, without their living faith working by the power of the Spirit. As according to St. John Chrysostom: [Grace is always standing by; It seeks and welcomes those who accept it; Our Lord Jesus, seeing a watching soul, fervent with love, He would flow on it an abundance of His riches1, even surpassing its own request; He just seeks from us a little contribution to take over the whole task2. 1 In Rom. PG 60: 499. 2 In 2 Thess, hom 3. 26 (3) If the goal of the prayers of the apostle is for the will of God to be realized by giving them the everlasting glory; That glory is actually a mutual glory: for the Groom as well as for the bride; he says: “That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ” (12). The glory that they enjoy, particularly on the day of the Lord’s ultimate coming, is the glory of His holy name. When the Lord bestows His glory on His church, this glory would reflect on His holy name; And every glory to His holy name, is proclaimed in them to their account. Because the goal of our life is for His holy name to be glorified; We pray every day, saying: “Hallowed be Thy name”; And according to the apostle: “That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2: 10, 11). This glorification is realized to our account, as we are glorified in Him, “For both He who sanctifies, and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Hebrew 2: 11); And together with Him we would reign in glory, according to the words of the apostle: “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2: 12); “And If children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” Romans 8: 17). Talking about the mutual glory between the Lord and His church, St. John Chrysostom says: [When the Lord is glorified, so will be His servants; Those who glorify their Lord, will, themselves, also be glorified by the same glory He has, beside a glory of their own … The grace He grants us, is to be glorified in us, and we in Him] 1. 1 Dialog. Cum. Trypho 110
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