He Ain’t Heavy, We’re All Brothers
OK, this one’s been cooking for a while. I have to give some props to my Sunday School teacher, who just got done going over the book of First Thessalonians with us. So a lot of what I am about to impart I learned from him.
Paul didn’t intend to preach to the Thessalonians. He was going to go somewhere else, but the Spirit knew better and directed him towards Thessalonica by way of Philippi (Acts 16:6-10). Of course, it was in Philippi that Paul was broken out of jail and the jailer & his family came to know Jesus (Acts 16:16-34). That Paul was one tough hombre, getting the crap beat out of him & spending half a night in jail, then walking the two days to Thessalonica.
So for three Saturdays, Paul preaches in the synagogue in Thessalonica. The people respond, and in those few short weeks several folks come to know Jesus. A guy named Jason lets Paul crash at his house. Seems the local Jews are not to jazzed with the religious competition, and are looking to rub out Paul. So they team up with some of the local societal dregs & get a riot going; in order to get the crowd frenzied up enough to swarm Paul & Silas. But the evangelists can’t be found. So the mob settles for Paul’s temporary landlord Jason. They force Jason over to a local court and levy their complaint. Here they mean to indict the apostles, but unwittingly pay them a great compliment. “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here” (Acts 17:6). When Paul & Silas heard about that, I bet they were a little bit proud.
So, not wanting to cause trouble for Jason & the new Christians, Paul & Silas quickly leave town(Acts 17:10). They were probably tired of spending nights in jail & getting beaten, too. So, after only a short time, they leave a brand new band of Christians all on their own in a hostile town. But the Thessalonian Christians aren’t as isolated as it would seem.
Like a weed growing through a crack in the sidewalk, they establish a small, thriving church. Their faith is exemplary. Their excitement for Jesus becomes known to the churches in other cities. They know that Jesus has saved them and their lives are turned inside out by it. They are young, zealous and immature. They very much remind me of the 1970′s Hippie Jesus Freaks.
Paul writes to them to congratulate them on how well they are doing and give them some fatherly instruction. He tells them how everyone is picking up on their adrenaline, and how they are giving a positive example to the rest of the believers. Their faith is famous everywhere, and all the Christians are drawing on the enthusiasm of the Thessalonians. You see this in churches all the time today. You’ve got the old guard, the Christians who have kept the faith for decades. While their faithfulness is to be commended, often folks like this find it hard to maintain that aspect of falling in love with Jesus. But then a group of young, joyous new Christians comes along, and remind the dutiful, dusty old Christians how much they really do love God. And their faith is renewed. Just like the churches that could stomach the bare feet & suspect hygiene of the hippie Christians gained so much from the zeal of their younger brothers & sisters.
But, as the enthusiasm of the Thessalonians is their great strength, it it also their great weakness. These folks are so bananas for Jesus, and so looking forward to his return, that they are quitting their jobs to wait for Jesus to come. Paul sets them straight. Like our 70′s hippies who were watching their favorite flick, A Thief in the Night, and singing along with Larry Norman’s ubiquitous Jesus Freak anthem, I Wish We’d All Been Ready. He tells them that Jesus is most certainly coming back, but maybe not on the Thessalonians’ timetable. He tells them at the beginning of chapter that they shouldn’t worry themselves about when Jesus is coming(1 Thessalonians 5:1-2), but should instead concern themselves with living a holy & sanctified life (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8). Paul even expressly tells them to make sure they are know for their work ethic(1 Thessalonians 4:11-2), a sentiment shared by many who advised the hippies.
But this need for holiness brings us to their other main shortcoming. Seems the pagan side of Thessalonica practiced temple prostitution. And some of these new Christians are okay with a little pagan action on the side. Paul addresses them head on in chapter four. He tells them to avoid sexual sin like the heathen(1 Thessalonians 4:3-6), and to live a pure & holy life. Just like some of the Jesus People found it hard to let go of a little reefer now & then, some of the Thessalonian Christians found it difficult to give up some of the pagan culture that they lived in.
The end of the letter in Chapter five fires off a lot of instruction with an extreme economy of words. Paul tells them to be joyful(1 Thessalonians 5:16), to yield to the Spirit(1 Thessalonians 5:19-20); to examine all aspects of life carefully, discarding the evil while clinging to the good(1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). But one piece of instruction is very telling. Paul makes it a point to tell them to respect their leaders(1 Thessalonians 5:12-13). Don’t know if they had a problem with this, but it wouldn’t be surprising that a group of new converts might have trouble understanding that a few of them had authority over the others. We like our pastors to be older & wiser than we are, but the Thessalonian Christians didn’t have this advantage. I’m now getting old enough where some of my pastors are younger than I am, and it does make for a different perspective. The first time you learn something from a younger leader is somewhat humbling.
I like these Thessalonians. Just like our Jesus Freak brothers, hey had their problems, but they were head over heels in love with Jesus. The lessons Paul taught them apply well even now, especially to new Christians. But the best lesson is taught by the Thessalonians themselves; to always maintain that fresh love for God, that real thankfulness for the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and to listen to the Spirit today rather than just run your Christianity on autopilot.
