We have been reading from the Old Testament for the past nine weeks. We began with the 12th chapter of the book of Genesis and went through selected passages from each of the first eight books of the Bible in order: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Ruth.
Today we go back to the New Testament, and we begin with readings from the first letter of Paul to the Christians of Thessalonica, in Macedonia, northern Greece. The letters of Paul (and those attributed to him) are not presented in our New Testament in the order in which they were written. They have been listed according to their length, so the letter to the Romans, being the longest, is placed first and the short letter to Philemon is last.
The first letter to the Thessalonians, although well down the list, is the earliest of Paul’s letters that we have. It seems to have been written from the city of Corinth, in Achaia, in southern Greece. It was written about the year 51 AD, that is, just a little over 20 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. This makes it also the earliest of the 27 books of the New Testament. It was written, as were all the Pauline letters, well before the first gospel. This makes it a work of considerable significance. Twenty years, in many ways, was a much shorter period in those days than now because society changed much more slowly. In a 20-year period, the world would hardly have changed at all. Nevertheless, as we read through this letter, we see how well developed the Christian message already is.
The ideas contained here were, for the Christians who read them, part of the Gospel message, i.e. the “Good News” about God which came to us through Jesus Christ. Note that Paul uses the word “gospel” in today’s passage, although Mark, Matthew, Luke and John – as we know them – would not begin to appear for another 20 years.
Thessalonica was a bustling seaport city at the head of the Thermaic Gulf. It was an important communication and trade center, located at the junction of the great Egnatian Way and the road leading north to the Danube. Its population numbered about 200,000, making it the largest city in Macedonia. It was also the capital of its province. The background of the Thessalonian church is found in Acts 17:1-9. Since Paul began his ministry there in the Jewish synagogue, it is reasonable to assume that the new church included some Jews. At the time of Paul’s letter, however, the church was largely Gentile. Paul’s purpose in writing this letter was: to encourage the new converts in their trials; to give instruction concerning godly living; to urge some not to neglect their daily work; and to give assurance concerning the future of believers who die before Christ returns. The subject of eschatology seems to predominate in both Thessalonian letters. Every chapter of 1 Thessalonians ends with a reference to the Second Coming of Christ, with chapter 4 giving it major consideration. The two letters are often designated as the eschatological letters of Paul.
Paul expresses his satisfaction that the three principal Christian characteristics – faith, hope and love – are at work in the Thessalonian community. Unhesitatingly, he places its members among those especially beloved and chosen by God. He recalls that his preaching of the Gospel to them was not received as a mere intellectual exercise but had made a strong actual impact on their lives which not even the opposition of unbelievers could dispel. Their faith has been an inspiration to Christians elsewhere, who have been impressed especially by the Thessalonians’ complete abandonment of idolatry for the worship of the true God, and by their profound orientation toward the Second Coming of Jesus.
The letter begins, as usual, with greetings from Paul, together with Silvanus and Timothy, to the local Christians for whom he is writing. He assures the Thessalonians that they are constantly in his prayers and those of his companions.
There then comes a typical Pauline blessing: “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In today’s reading the very core of Christianity is expressed. We see the centrality of the Trinitarian relationship between the Father and Christ and the Spirit, as well as the vital elements of faith, hope and love. The triad of faith, hope and love is found frequently throughout the New Testament.
Paul addresses the Thessalonians as “brothers and sisters beloved by God”. Paul uses the term “brother” 28 times in the two Thessalonian letters. “Our gospel”, that is, the gospel proclaimed by Paul, Silas and Timothy, is a gospel they themselves had received by faith and passed on. It ultimately comes from God the Father and then through Christ to his followers and beyond. It is not mere hollow-sounding words. It is filled with power and, once assimilated, can have a transforming effect on one’s whole life.
This was its effect on the Thessalonian Christians. The example of Paul’s own life and that of his companions was a kind of living gospel. They lived this life, not to draw attention to themselves, but to lead the Christians to the following of Jesus’ Way. The Thessalonians had the same spirit, and the quality of their faith was known not only in Macedonia, but also in Achaia and Corinth
In his two short letters to the Thessalonians, Paul speaks much of the second coming of Christ. In this early period of Christianity, this was a major preoccupation for Christians. As the years passed and there was no sign of the Second Coming and people were dying off before it happened, the conviction of an imminent coming waned and the focus switched to spending a long life in the service of the Gospel.
Right now, though, they are waiting for the One who will save them from the Retribution, the Day of Reckoning, that is to come. We have in these last two sentences of the reading two main elements of the Good News as preached by Paul: a vigorous emphasis on monotheism and a Christology stressing the coming of the Risen Lord.
We might ask ourselves, if Paul was writing to the Christian community in which we live – our diocese or our parish – what do we think he might want to say by way of praise or criticism? What should we be developing further and what should we be correcting or abandoning? And how much of what he might say could apply to me personally?
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!