Excel even more

Every day we’re asking four questions about part of the Bible. Today it’s Owen Lynch:

What did I like about today’s passage?

I rarely receive letters in the post anymore, but one dear friend called Christine, who we got to know 24 years ago in Reading, usually writes to us at least three times a year and it is full of news about her family and what they have been getting up to. There’s a lot of personal detail and nuance in the letter that a stranger would miss, simply because they aren’t familiar with the context of our friendship.

Now Paul’s letters are the same, but because these letters are in the Bible, we can forget that they are actual personal letters written by Paul to a group of people with whom he has a relationship and many shared experiences (the only exception being Romans).

This letter is an attempt to reconnect with his friends, after Paul was kicked out of their town by a mob threatening him with violence. Why? Well, Paul was a political and religious insurgent - he had convinced many people to switch their allegiance from Emperor Claudius to Emperor Jesus Christ and this was not going down well with the establishment! He describes in 1 Thessalonians 2:2 that he had been treated outrageously/shamefully in Philippi - strong language!

It seems that people who did switch allegiance to Emperor Jesus also attracted the attention of the Roman establishment - which usually ended up with them taking a beating (literally).

So, Paul writes to them to encourage and comfort them (2:12) and actually draws the comparison between their sufferings and the sufferings of Jesus (2:13-16).

What I like about this letter (as with many of Paul’s letters) is that you see his raw emotion and passion for those people whose lives have been turned upside down by Paul’s influence! Look at his passionate language - “just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you” (2:7-8); “out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you” (2:17); “indeed you are our glory and joy” (2:20); “when we could stand it no longer” (3:1). His passionate language is not limited to loving words, he condemns those who violently oppose them as deserving of the wrath of God.

The more I read Paul’s letters (and the book of Acts), the more I see that he was a man who wore his heart on his sleeve. I imagine you knew how Paul was feeling by the look on his face!

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

It reminded me of the divisive figure that Emperor Jesus Christ was in the Roman Empire. His followers like Paul, were insistent that Jesus was more than the Roman Emperor’s equal and this caused a lot of consternation and anger amongst the Roman establishment. I can see why the Romans crucified Jesus, Pilate saw him as a threat to his leadership of Judea and by definition a threat to the Roman Emperor. It’s no surprise then, that most of his disciples were also killed by the Roman Empire, one by one, including Paul; and that until the widespread adoption of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire (in 313), most people associated with Jesus were often the victims of prejudice.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

I’m going to read each of Paul’s letters carefully and not just take it at face value, realising that there is a back story to each letter.

Who am I going to share this with?

I am going to speak more about Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians this Sunday at church! Do join us on Facebook!