Introduction

The First Letter to the Thessalonians taught us the importance of looking forward to the coming of Christ in Paul’s preaching.

The hope for the Day of Christ was a powerful incentive for preserving the faith of the first Christians. Yet it could lead to an unhealthy nervousness. The Church of Thessalonica was the first example of those minorities and persecuted groups in whom the expectation of the end of the world distorts the normal development of Christian life.

In this letter, written a few months after the first one, Paul tries to reassure the community.

1 From Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalo nians which is in God our Father and in Christ Jesus, the Lord.

2 May grace and peace be yours from God the Father and Christ Jesus, the Lord.

3 Brothers and sisters, we should give thanks to God at all times for you. It is fitting to do so, for your faith is growing and your love for one another increasing.

4 We take pride in you among the churches of God because of your endurance and your faith in the midst of persecution and sufferings.

5 In this the just judgment of God may be seen; for you must show yourselves worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are now suffering.


The judgment and the coming of Christ

6 Indeed, it is just that God repays with affliction those who persecute you,

7 but to you who suf fer, he will grant rest with us when the Lord Jesus will be shown in his Glory, coming from heaven and surrounded by his court of angels.

8 Then with flaming fire will be punished those who do not recognize God and do not obey the Gospel of Jesus, our Lord.

9 They will be sent to eternal damnation far away from the face of the Lord and his mighty glory.

10 On that day the Lord will be glorified in the midst of his saints, and reveal his wonders through those who believe in him, that is through you who have received our testimony.

11 This is why we constantly pray for you; may our God make you worthy of his calling. May he, by his power, fulfill your good purposes and your work prompt ed by faith.

12 In that way, the name of Jesus our Lord will be glorified through you, and you through him, according to the loving plan of God and of Christ Jesus the Lord.

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Comments 2 Letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 1

• 1.1 We again encounter the same ideas we have explained in 1 Thessalonians. A persecuted community. The basis of Christian life: faith, hope (or endurance), love. The day of Christ.

• 6. When the apostles preached to the pagans, they insisted on the judgment of God (Rom 1:18; Acts 17:31). In fact, these pagans never thought they would be judged at the end of their lives. For almost a century there has been a tendency among us Christians not to mention judgment in reaction to several centuries when it was over emphasized and with it the fear of pun ishment. Actually, the evangelization of modern pagans, in whom conscience has not even been awakened in the family, demands that it be spoken of as in Paul’s time.

To know that good and evil exist, that life prepares for definitive salvation (or the loss of it) and that God will judge us is an essential basis for Christian life. It is precisely from this truth that many turn away, saying for example that God is all-love, or imagining successive existences where we can catch up for our mistakes.

Indeed it is just that God repays with affliction. Let us not forget that the letters to the Thessalonians are the earliest of Paul’s letters. Even if it was his duty to remind them of the judgment, as did the prophets, and Jesus himself – certainly he had not yet totally purified his thirst for justice of every trace of violence. This violence against the wicked has been (and still is in many religions) a support for faith, but Jesus has invited us to get rid of it (Mt 13:29).

Coming from heaven… he will do justice. In the early years of the apostles, it was believed that the Day of the Lord would soon come and judgment (the Last Judgment) would inaugurate the reign of God the Father (1 Cor 15:24). We now suppose – perhaps mistakenly – that it is not imminent, and we prefer to think of judgment as coming at the death of each one: individual judgment.

1 Brothers and sisters, let us speak about the coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord, and our gathering to meet him.

2 Do not be easily unsettled. Do not be alarmed by what a prophet says or by any re port, or by some letter said to be ours, saying the day of the Lord is at hand.

3 Do not let yourselves be de ceived in any way. Apostasy must come first, when the man of Sin will appear,

4 that instrument of evil who opposes and de files whatever is considered divine and holy, even to the point of sitting in the temple of God and claiming to be God.

5 Do you not remember I spoke of it when I was still with you?

6 But you also know what prevents him from appearing until his due time.

7 The mystery of sin is already at work, but the one who restrains it at present has to be taken away.

8 Then the wicked one will appear, whom the Lord is to sweep away with the breath of his mouth and destroy in the splendor of his coming.

9 This lawless one will appear with the power of Satan, performing miracles and wonderful signs at the ser vice of deception.

10 All the deceits of evil will then be used for the ruin of those who refused to love truth and be saved.

11 This is why God will send them the power of delusion, that they may believe what is false.

12 So all those who chose wickedness instead of believing the truth will be condemned.


Persevere in faith

13 But we have to give thanks for you at all times, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. For God chose you from the beginning to be saved through true faith and to be made holy by the Spirit.

14 To this end he called you through the gospel we preach, for he willed you to share the glory of Christ Jesus our Lord.

15 Because of that, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions that we taught you by word or by letter.

16 May Christ Jesus our Lord who has loved us, may God our Father, who in his mercy gives us everlasting comfort and true hope, strengthen you.

17 May he en courage your hearts and make you steadfast in every good work and word.

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Comments 2 Letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 2

• 2.1 Do not be alarmed. What happens in Thessalonica is what frequently occurs in a persecuted community: people tend to withdraw from real life. There are rumors that the Lord’s coming is imminent and hope verges on hysteria. This is why Paul reminds them of certain truths, some of which are not new, for the Old Testament had more than once spoken of crises that would precede the Judgment. We cannot take as literally true all that the prophets have said on this subject, for they spoke with images proper to their time. They did agree in announcing difficult times for believers and almost a triumph, to begin with, for God’s enemies. Jesus did not disagree.

The apostasy must come first. Before Christ’s return, there must be a “general apostasy,” or a worldwide religious crisis. An “antichrist” must come. It is true that there are antichrists in all times (see 1 Jn 2:18). Yet, at the end, there will be a more typical antichrist than all the previous ones. Christ will return in glory at the time the Church seems crushed.

You know what prevents him (v. 6). For us, this phrase is obscure. For Paul the apostasy is that of the nations already con verted to the Gospel and the force of evil was already at work within them (v. 7). It is probable that Paul follows the thinking of the “apocalyptic” authors (some of their works are part of the Bible, among others Ezekiel 38–39 and Daniel 2–10). Everything happens at the time fixed by God and every person in history lasts the time needed to carry out the good and the evil that he has within himself.


Therefore, there cannot be apostasy or antichrist as long as two preceding events have not taken place: the Gospel has to be proclaimed to all the nations (Mk 13:10), and judgment passed on the Jewish nation. The fact that these events have not been realized, especially the second (1 Thes 2:16), is perhaps for Paul the reason why the coming of the antichrist is not imminent.

Paul had no idea that the time of the nations mentioned in Luke (21:24) would last for so many centuries; for him, it was a matter of years. Let us keep in mind his way of foreseeing the end of the world. All that is in human history must mature; history will end with a last adventure inspired by diabolical pride; faith or the rejection of the Gospel will be at the heart of the worldwide confrontation.

God will send them the po wer of delusion. Once again we have the Hebrew turn of phrase that should be translated: God will allow the forces of deceit to act. The same people who do not take into account decisive arguments in favor of the faith, later follow doctrines and opinions without foundation.

Paul invites the Church, as he did in 1 Thessalonians, to follow his instructions and rules. He is more severe in insisting that they have an obligation to work: if everybody works, their faith will be more peaceful.

• 13. Note the word traditions used by Paul. The traditions are the customs, rites and teachings that people pass down from one generation to another. They are also the usages and lifestyles which are adopted upon joining a community. Jesus condemned the exaggerated importance the Pharisees gave to their own traditions, to the point that they prevailed over God’s commandments (see Mk 7:5). Yet Jesus himself, while he was with his apos tles, taught them a certain way of praying, of doing, and of living in fellowship. It is in this sense that Paul here speaks of traditions: see Traditions and Tradition in the commentary on Mark 7:1.

1 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the Word of God may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere as it was with you.

2 May God guard us from wicked and evil people, since not everyone has faith.

3 The Lord is faithful; he will strength en you and keep you safe from the Evil One.

4 Besides, we have in the Lord this confidence that you are doing and will continue to do what we order you.

5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.


Let everyone work

6 We command you, beloved, to stay away from believers who are living in idleness contrary to the traditions we passed on to you.

7 You know how you ought to follow our example: we worked while we were with you.

8 Day and night we labored and toiled so as not to be a burden to any of you.

9 We had the right to act otherwise, but we wanted to give you an example.

10 Besides, while we were with you, we said clearly: If anyone is not willing to work, neither should that one eat.

11 However we heard that some among you live in idleness – busybodies, doing no work.

12 In the name of Christ Jesus our Lord we command these people to work and earn their own living.

13 And you, brothers and sisters, do not weary in doing what is right.

14 If someone does not obey our in struction in this letter, take note and do not have anything to do with him, so that he may be ashamed.

15 However, do not treat him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

16 May the Lord of peace give you his peace at all times and in every way. May the Lord be with you all.

17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is my signature in all my letters. This is how I write.

18 May the grace of Christ Jesus our Lord be with you.