1 Thessalonians 2

1 Thessalonians 2 Commentary

by Brad Boyles

Paul covers a broad range of topics in this chapter. He starts with defending, and moves to loving, laboring, modeling, leading, feeding, and suffering. He also took care in leaving no doubt that his preaching was authentic.

Although Paul encourages the church to support their pastors (1 Tim 5:17-18) he explains in verse 9 that he worked day and night to provide for himself, not accepting money for preaching so that he could not be questioned about his motives. This was a far cry from the false teachers then (and today) who do it only to get rich.

Paul wrote directly to the hostile Jews who crucified Christ and continued to persecute the early church, not allowing Paul and his companions to minister to the Gentiles. He compared their attitude to someone who is “storing up” wrath.

Today, this kind of warning would apply to anyone who seeks to hinder Christ’s kingdom from being fulfilled, and/or, someone who continually is living in sin and refusing repentance.

“Turning from past sins to present ones, Sha’ul says that they (the Judean unbelievers) are displeasing God and opposing all mankind by trying to prevent him from ministering the Good News of Yeshua among the Gentiles. Theirs is a dog-in-the-manger attitude, or, as Yeshua put it to some hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim, “You are shutting the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces, neither entering yourselves nor allowing those who wish to enter to do so” (Mat 23:13).”

Jewish New Testament Commentary