Read with Me
2 Thessalonians 3:11-15 (HCSB)
For we hear that there are some among you who walk irresponsibly, not working at all, but interfering with the work of others. Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ that quietly working, they may eat their own food. Brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.
And if anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take note of that person; don’t associate with him, so that he may be ashamed. Yet don’t treat him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
Listen with Me
For Paul, the concept of idleness was vital to address, because it easily led to outright sin. In this case, not having meaningful work to do in order to earn one’s own keep could easily lead to gossip and meddling. Rather than being gainfully employed in a business of their own, these people ended up putting their noses into other people’s business.
Paul’s solution is simple, and so important that he doesn’t phrase it as a suggestion, but as an outright command. These people must settle down, get a job, and earn their own bread. And he saw this issue as being so important that those who refused to obey, for whatever reason, were to be avoided by the rest of the brothers and sisters.
Paul is careful to note that this “shunning” of the unrepentant person was not done with the object of simply excluding them. It was to be done with the object of shaming them to the point that they were finally willing to repent and comply.
This is completely in line with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18:15-17, where He directs that those who refused to repent at the urging of a single concerned brother or sister be confronted by one or two others. Then, if they still refuse to repent, they are to be brought before the whole Church. This escalation is necessary because it is recognized that a refusal to repent is a salvation issue and could ultimately cost the unrepentant sinner his or her soul.
In Jesus’ teaching, the final step, if the sinner refuses to repent even when confronted by the whole Church, is to treat him or her like a pagan or a tax collector. Some have interpreted this as a complete shunning, completely avoiding all contact. But to correctly interpret this teaching of Jesus as well as Paul’s instructions is to see how Jesus Himself treated tax collectors and pagans.
In fact, Jesus did not shun these people entirely. However, He also did not treat them like believers, part of God’s family. Instead, He approached them as lost sinners who needed salvation more than they needed anything else, and he continually helped them to see their plight and that He was the solution.
This understanding helps make sense of Paul’s instruction that the unrepentant brother or sister, though excluded from the life of the congregation, was not to be treated like an enemy, but warned as a brother. Their actions and attitudes were betraying a lack of real relationship with God that needed urgent remedying, not through “love and acceptance”, but by a strong dose of reality that will bring home to them their true need of repentance and genuine salvation.
Pray with Me
Father, this is a lot different than how we tend to treat our brothers and sisters who are sinning and unrepentant. These days we frequently operate at one of two extremes: either casting them out entirely, or overlooking their attitude and actions, hoping that just continuing to show love and acceptance will eventually help them to repent. Both of these approaches take less courage and integrity than the course commanded by both Jesus and Paul. And both are far less effective. Lord, help me to hold the salvation of my brother and sister in Christ so highly that I am willing to lovingly confront them where necessary, so that they can have and hold onto eternal life, even when to do so feels uncomfortable for me. Amen.