1 Thessalonians 2 explained: How Paul Lived Among Them

Courage after Philippi (vv. 1-2)

Paul reminds them that he and his companions had just been badly mistreated in Philippi, which the book of Acts describes as a beating and time in jail. Even so, they dared to share the good news about Jesus in Thessalonica despite strong opposition.

Honest motives (vv. 3-6)

Paul insists they used no flattery, hid no greed and sought no praise, though as apostles (messengers sent by Christ) they could have pressed their claims on the people. He names no accusers, so scholars are unsure whether he is answering real charges or simply drawing a contrast with paid speakers of his day.

Like a mother and father (vv. 7-12)

Ancient copies of verse 7 differ by one letter, so some translations say they were 'gentle' and others 'like young children'; either way, Paul pictures caring for them like a nursing mother. He worked night and day so no one had to support him, and urged each person like a father to live a life worthy of God.

Welcomed, then harassed (vv. 13-14)

Paul thanks God that they received his message as God's own word, not mere human opinion, and that it was at work in them. They suffered from their own neighbors, just as the believers in Judea suffered from fellow Jews there.

A harsh outburst (vv. 15-16)

Paul turns sharply on those he blames for killing Jesus and the prophets and for trying to stop his message reaching non-Jews, saying God's anger has come on them; translations differ between 'at last' and 'fully', and scholars are unsure what event he means. Paul was Jewish himself, and these verses were long misused to blame all Jews, a reading most churches today firmly reject.

Longing to return (vv. 17-20)

Paul says being torn away from them felt like being orphaned, and he tried again and again to come back, but Satan stood in the way; he does not say how, and scholars can only guess. He calls them his hope, his joy and his crown, probably picturing a winner's wreath, and says he will boast of them before Jesus when he comes.

Key verse: 1 Thessalonians 2:8

Where Christians differ

Christians differ over verses 14 to 16: many read them as Paul's angry words about particular opponents (helped by translations that put no comma before 'who killed'), older readers often took them as a verdict on the Jewish people as a whole, and some scholars think they were added by a later hand after Rome destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70.

Something to think about

What makes you trust that someone sharing an idea with you actually cares about you, and is not just trying to win you over?