A Week in 2 Thessalonians: Day Six – Lazy
The Introduction
It’s taken me until this small, relatively unknown corner of the Bible to admit that I need help. We’ve been on quite a journey to this point, haven’t we, but here I am admitting that I am out of my depth. So I’ve turned to Tom Wright for help and I will be sharing my thoughts on his thoughts on 2 Thessalonians in his ‘Paul for Everyone’ series. Because yes, even the most obscure bits of the Bible and the hardest to understand hold something for everyone.
Tom Wright reminds us that these letters to the Thessalonians are some of the ‘earliest documents we possess from the beginning of the church’s existence’ – how exciting is that? These letters are bursting with enthusiasm and excitement for this new thing that is happening among them, but also with questions and confusion and disagreement. This is a completely new way of life, challenging everything these people have ever believed before.
So let’s get stuck in!
The Passage: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Our friends, we command you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to keep away from all believers who are living a lazy life and who do not follow the instructions that we gave them. You yourselves know very well that you should do just what we did. We were not lazy when we were with you. We did not accept anyone’s support without paying for it. Instead, we worked and toiled; we kept working day and night so as not to be an expense to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to demand our support; we did it to be an example for you to follow. While we were with you, we used to tell you, “Whoever refuses to work is not allowed to eat.”
We say this because we hear that there are some people among you who live lazy lives and who do nothing except meddle in other people’s business. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we command these people and warn them to lead orderly lives and work to earn their own living.
But you, friends, must not become tired of doing good.
Reflections:
Lazy – In the version of the Bible Tom Wright uses in his book, the word ‘lazy’ does not appear. This version talks about believers who have ‘stepped out of line’ and how when Paul was with them, he never ‘stepped out of line’. Tom Wright likens this to the dancers in a ballet – each individual dancer has to have worked hard individually to learn the choreography and perform their part perfectly in time with the other dancers on stage. And the whole company has to work hard together as a group to make sure everyone is playing their role exactly as they should. This is how it should be for a company of believers. Everyone has a role to play and needs to work hard so that the whole body is functioning as it should. There should be no freeloaders. This is especially relevant on a practical level in an early community of believers like this where they were living as an extended family in mutual financial support. Some people had worked out they could get away with doing nothing and still be provided for.
It’s complicated in the modern world. At this point, it’s right to mention the benefit scroungers that are so often vilified in the press. And yes, they do exist – those who are cheating the system to get away with not working and to get support that they do not deserve. But not all of those individuals on benefits are benefit scroungers. Let’s not tar everyone with the same brush. And for some, the benefits they receive go nowhere near meeting their real everyday needs.
It’s complicated in our churches too, where we can often see 5% of the congregation doing 90% of the work. There are many reasons for this, but it is in part down to the laziness of some individuals and unwillingness to get involved.
Of course, it’s complicated on a personal level too. ‘Lazy’ is an emotive word for me, as I grew up in fear of being labelled ‘Lazy, fat and boring’ and have carried that fear with me into my adult life. That’s made me an extreme doer and part of my faith journey has been to learn that before God, my worth is not caught up in what I do. Rest is equally important to restore my body, mind and soul. There’s a balance to be had.
Meddling – This made me smile (although it has the power to make me frustrated and sad too). The people in a church who have nothing to do are the ones you find at the back after the service meddling in other people’s lives. We should not be spending our time and energy on poking our nose into other people’s business, but be playing our part in bringing the kingdom of God to earth.
‘Have you actually got nothing better to do with your time?’ I’ve been tempted to say that on occasions!
And yes, this is complicated too, I admit that, because on occasions, it is right to speak truth into someone else’s situation. But there is never a need to gossip or put someone (or a particular group of people) down or humiliate them or talk about them behind their back for entertainment. Find something else more worthwhile to do!
Do good – which leads us on to the final point.
But you, friends, must not become tired of doing good.
Sometimes it is tiring. We get weary. We work hard to support others and the need never seems to go away. There’s no let up. We work hard to do the right thing when those around us are making different lifestyle choices and it’s exhausting at times.
Caring takes it out of you. You can soon become burnt out. That’s where the balance between work and rest comes in. Having talked about the danger of laziness, let’s not forget the danger of burn out. When we are called to do good, that includes doing good for ourselves also – eating well, sleeping well, resting well. Self care is not wrong and it is not selfish. Staying healthy physically, emotionally and spiritually makes us far more able to be a support to others.
May we start to find what that balance looks like in each of our lives today.
