Lazy Living

Ah, hanging out at the beach!  When our kids were young, that’s where we spent most of our summer vacations.  A week or two of lazy living!  But, as he nears the end of his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul condemns lazy living (but not, I hope, vacations) . . .

Command.

“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” (3:6, GNT).

Example.

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 (3:7-9, GNT).

Paul reminds the church how Paul, Silas and Timothy “kept working day and night so as not to be an expense to any of you.”  Church finances are far different from those in the 1st century.  For one thing, there was no staff to be paid (often biggest church budget item).  Nor no building mortgage or maintenance.  In fact, apart from helping widows, “budget expenses” may have been an empty category.   But why should hardworking believers sacrifice their money for someone who refused to support himself?

Furthermore, Paul wanted “to be an example for [the church] to follow.”  He refused to preach, “If you don’t work, you shouldn’t eat” and then live lazy himself.  Instead, he set the missionary team as the prime example of the need to work, even though they had “the right to demand [their] support.”

So today, pastors and other ministry leaders should be appropriately supported by the people whom they serve.  But that doesn’t mean million dollar mansions and private jets.  When preachers rake in outlandish sums for themselves (even though their church can afford it), it shows they don’t (or won’t) understand the nature of the gospel they preach or the great good that could be done with giving away much of their money for the gospel’s sake.

Rule.

While we were with you, we used to tell you, “Whoever refuses to work is not allowed to eat” (3:10, GNT).

Does Paul mean the church lets the lazy man starve?  No.  He means that when the lazy man’s stomach rumbles loudly enough, he’ll get a job and feed himself, if you’ll back off.  Of course, the man must be able to work.  For the disabled Paul would write a different rule.

Government help, while it can be a positive benefit, complicates matters.  For instance, given Paul’s rule, is it wrong for a Christian to accept unemployment benefits because they amount to more than he could earn on a job?

Church involvement can raise issues also.  For example, suppose a husband and wife are both working, but still repeatedly fall behind in their bill-paying.  Should the church offer assistance or invest time and energy to investigate how the family is spending their money?  Even if the problem isn’t income but expenses, should church leaders take on that project, and would the family cooperate or just find a different church?

Harmful Consequences

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 (3:11,12, GNT).

The Good News Translation translates the Greek ataktos “lazy” lives.  The Greek word connotes the idea of disorderliness of character which results in lazy living.   Doing nothing they “meddle in other people’s business.”  Thus their lazy living leads to conflicts within the church.  From my own experience, I can testify that almost all church divisions (and sometimes actual splits where people leave) are created by members sticking their nose (actually their mouth) into matters that aren’t their concern or about matters that concern other people.

What’s  Paul’s solution?  Get a job!  Work to become a contributing member of society and, more importantly, of the church.  Let Jesus find you sweating in the field or at the desk when he comes.

Faith Good-Doing

But you, friends, must not become tired of doing good.  It may be that some there will not obey the message we send you in this letter. If so, take note of them and have nothing to do with them, so that they will be ashamed.   But do not treat them as enemies; instead, warn them as believers (2 Thessalonians 3:13-15, GNT).

What does “doing good” have to do with working to feed yourself?  Working is “doing good.”   In fact, Martin Luther argued that any work done by faith is as sacred as the work of a monk or priest . . .

“Therefore I advise no one to enter any religious order or priesthood…unless he is forearmed with this knowledge and understands that the works of monks and priests,however holy and arduous they may be, do not differ one whit in the sight of God from the works of the rustic laborer in the field or the woman going about her household tasks, but that all works are measured before God by faith alone.”

So Paul warns the church they “must not become tired of doing good”, because their work is sacred.  Again, this is so important that if any disobey the message, Paul says, ” . . . take note of them and have nothing to do with them, so that they will be ashamed.”  But the disobedient must not be treated as enemies but as believers.

Paul had addressed this lazy living issue in his first letter . . .

“We urge you, our friends, to warn the idle” . . . {5:14a, GNT)  . . .”Make it your aim to live a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to earn your own living, just as we told you before.   In this way you will win the respect of those who are not believers, and you will not have to depend on anyone for what you need” (4:11,12, GNT)

The problem persisted, perhaps spread.  Paul obviously hopes his stronger language in his second letter will provide the cure.  He concludes his letter with a benediction/prayer . . .

“May the Lord himself, who is our source of peace, give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.  With my own hand I write this: [Greetings from Paul.] This is the way I sign every letter; this is how I write. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” (3:16-18m GNT).

Paul blesses them with a prayer for peace because they live in distress.  First, distress from their persecutors.  And, second, distress from the lazy living busybodies.  This command for them to work will fail if the Lord doesn’t intervene to change the lazy.  They need ” . . . the Lord [to] be with [them] all in ways that knit their hearts together and motivate them to obey in faith.

Why does Paul call attention to his signature?  Probably because the Thessalonians had received “a letter seeming to be from us” which had shaken them out of their wits about the Lord’s coming (2:1,2).  He’s given them the way to detect a counterfeit.

Grace.  How shall they, or we, live out the obedience of faith in this and other matters?  Only if “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [is] with us all.”

* * *

Two Take-Aways.

One, even if the government will support us, we should get a job (if able).  God created Adam to till the garden.  God created us to work.  Obviously that can be a challenge in today’s economy.  But, even if menial, we should fulfill God’s creation mandate, get off the couch, throw away the candy, and work.

Two, accept the truth that picking oranges is no less sacred than preaching sermons.  Let’s do our work as spiritual worship to God.  Easier said than done when dragging ourselves off to a hot day in the fields or a boring day in our office cubicle.  So here’s a prayer for morning prayer . . .

Life can be