Homilies on Second Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 3:3-5

“But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you that you both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ.”

Neither ought we, having committed everything to the prayers of the Saints, to be idle ourselves, and run into wickedness, and to lay hold of nothing; nor again when working good to despise that succor. For great indeed are the things which prayer for us can effect, but it is when we ourselves also work. For this reason Paul also, praying for them, and again giving them assurance from the promise, says, “But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and guard you from the evil one.” For if He has chosen you to salvation, He does not deceive you, nor suffer you utterly to perish. But that he may not by these means lead them to sloth, and lest they thinking the whole to be of God should themselves sleep, see how he also demands coöperation from them, saying, “And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that you both do and will do the things which we command you.” “The Lord” indeed, he says, “is faithful,” and having promised to save will certainly save; but as He promised. And how did He promise? If we be willing, and hear Him; not simply (hearing), nor like stocks and stones, being inactive.

And he has well introduced the words, “We have confidence in the Lord,” that is, we trust to His lovingkindness. Again he brings them down, making everything depend thereupon. For if he had said, We have confidence in you, the commendation indeed was great, but it would not have taught them to make all things dependent upon God. And if he had said, We have confidence in the Lord, that He will preserve you, and had not added “as touching you,” and, “that you do and will do the things which we command you,” he would have made them more slothful, by casting everything upon the power of God. For it becomes us indeed to cast everything upon Him, yet working also ourselves, embarked in the labors and the conflicts. And he shows that even if our virtue alone were sufficient to save, yet nevertheless it ought to be persevering, and to abide with us until we come to our latest breath.

“But the Lord,” he says, “direct your hearts into the love of God, and the patience of Christ.”

Again he commends them, and prays, showing his concern for them. For when he is about to enter upon reproof, he previously smooths down their minds, by saying, “I am confident that you will hear,” and by requesting prayers from them, and by again invoking upon them infinite blessings.

“But the Lord,” he says, “direct your hearts into the love of God.” For there are many things that turn us aside from love, and there are many paths that draw us away from thence. In the first place the path of Mammon, laying, as it were, certain shameless hands upon our soul, and tenaciously holding it in its grasp, draws and drags us thence even against our will. Then vainglory and often afflictions and temptations, turn us aside. For this reason we need, as a certain wind, the assistance of God, that our sail may be impelled, as by some strong wind, to the love of God. For tell me not, “I love Him, even more than myself.” These are words. Show it to me by your works, if you love Him more than yourself. Love Him more than money, and then I shall believe that you love Him even more than yourself. But you who despisest not riches for the sake of God, how will you despise yourself? But why do I say riches? Thou who despisest not covetousness, which you ought to do even without the commandments of God, how will you despise yourself?

“And into the patience of Christ,” he says. What is “into the patience”? That we should endure even as He endured, or that we should do those things, or that with patience also we should wait for Him, that is, that we should be prepared. For since He has promised many things, and Himself is coming to judge the quick and the dead, let us wait for Him, and let us be patient. But wherever he speaks of patience, he of course implies affliction. For this is to love God; to endure, and not to be troubled.

Ver. 6. “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly and not after the tradition which they received of us.”

That is, it is not we that say these things, but Christ, for that is the meaning of “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”; equivalent to “through Christ.” Showing the fearfulness of the message, he says, through Christ. Christ therefore commanded us in no case to be idle. “That ye withdraw yourselves,” he says, “from every brother.” Tell me not of the rich, tell me not of the poor, tell me not of the holy. This is disorder. “That walks,” he says, that is, lives. “And not after the tradition which they received from me.” Tradition, he says, which is through works. And this he always calls properly tradition.

Ver. 7, 8. “For yourselves know how ye ought to imitate us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; neither did we eat bread for nought at any man's hand.”

And yet even if they had eaten, it would not have been for nought. “For the laborer,” he says, “is worthy of his hire.”

“But in labor and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of you. Not because we have not the right, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you that you should imitate us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat.”

See how in the former Epistle indeed he discourses somewhat more mildly concerning these things; as when he says, “We beseech you, brethren,— that you would abound more and more— and that you study” — and nowhere does he say, “we command,” nor “in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” which was fearful and implied danger, but that “ye abound,” he says, and “study,” which are the words of one exhorting to virtue; “that you may walk honestly” (becomingly), he says. But here is nothing of this kind, but “if any one will not work,” says he, “neither let him eat.” For if Paul, not being under a necessity, and having a right to be idle, and having undertaken so great a work, did nevertheless work, and not merely work, but “night and day,” so that he was able even to assist others—much more ought others to do this.

Ver. 11. “For we hear of some that walk among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busybodies.”

This indeed he says here; but there, in the first Epistle, he says, “that you may walk honestly towards them that are without.” On what account? Perhaps there was as yet no such thing. For upon another occasion also admonishing, he says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” But the expression, “walk honestly” has no reference to disorder; wherefore he added, “that you may have need of nothing.” And here he sets down another necessity, for thus doing what was honorable and good towards all. (For as he proceeds, he says, “be not weary in well doing.”) For certainly he that is idle and yet able to work must needs be a busybody. But alms are given to those only who are not able to support themselves by the work of their own hands, or who teach, and are wholly occupied in the business of teaching. “For you shall not muzzle the ox,” he says, “when he treads out the grain.” “And the laborer is worthy of his hire.” So that neither is he idle, but receives the reward of work and great work too. But to pray and fast, being idle, is not the work of the hands. For the work that he is here speaking of is the work of the hands. And that you may not suspect any such thing, he has added,

“That work not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Because he had touched them severely, wishing to render his discourse more mild, he adds, “through the Lord,” again what is authoritivate and fearful.

“That with quietness,” he says, “they work, and eat their own bread.”