SUNDAY SERMON: A polite complaint
By Rev. Stephen Baldwin
NT: 2 Thessalonians 3.6-13
Mike Ditka, one day after being fired as the coach of the Chicago Bears, stepped to the microphone and said to a group of reporters, “Scripture tells you that all things shall pass. This, too, shall pass.” That’s a nice idea, and I’m sure it helped Coach Ditka get through a rough public firing, but it’s not in the Bible. People do that sort of thing frequently (attribute a quotation to the Bible that actually comes from another source).
“God helps those who help themselves.” Not in the Bible.
“Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” John Wesley, the famous Methodist coined that phrase. Not the Bible.
“God works in mysterious ways.” That’s from a 19th century poem. Not the Bible.
One passage which you may think would fall in the same category–“The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat”–actually IS in the Bible. Verse 10 of the third chapter of 2 Thessalonians, which we’ve just read. Does that mean our food pantries should only feed those who have jobs?
Not exactly. After all, Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” And that’s the command he gave more than any other, to feed the hungry.
Let’s talk about what is going on in 2 Thessalonians 3 to understand what it means. First things first, it’s a letter written by church leaders to the local church in Thessalonica, a large city in the land we now call Greece. And it reads like a particular kind of letter. It reads like a complaint.
You’ve seen complaint letters before. You may have written a few. You may even have received a few. But you know one when you see it. 2 Thessalonians is a complaint letter. It may be a sugar-coated and polite and civilized complaint letter, but make no mistake–it’s a complaint. The leaders of the Christian church write to the local church at Thessalonica to complain about the way they’re doing things.
Let’s read it again: “3:6 Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother or sister living irresponsibly and not according to the tradition that they received from us. 3:7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not irresponsible when we were with you, 3:8 and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day so that we might not burden any of you. 3:9 This was not because we do not have that right but in order to give you an example to imitate. 3:10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: anyone unwilling to work should not eat. 3:11 For we hear that some of you are living irresponsibly, mere busybodies, not doing any work. 3:12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 3:13 Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.”
So what’s the complaint? Instead of being busy doing God’s work, the local church leaders in Thessalonica were being busybodies. Paul calls them “irresponsible” three different times in a row. Why? Because they were eating the food they were supposed to be using to feed the hungry. And Paul was incensed about it. Irresponsible, he said.
These were church leaders who had a responsibility to be good stewards. They had gifts and resources from God that they were supposed to share with the hungry. Instead, they were keeping it for themselves. Paul reminded them that when he and his disciples came through town, they didn’t take food that wasn’t theirs and then refuse to share their gifts and resources with people in need. They paid for theirs. They worked in ministry. They fed others. And he expected them to do the same.
“The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” That’s a complaint against people of faith who weren’t being as faithful as Paul needed them to be.
In Sunday School for the past few weeks, we’ve been discussing what Jesus would think of certain things in the modern world. What would he think of dressing casually for church? What would he think of blessing boxes? What would he think of denominations?
The most interesting part for me has been the contrast between what we think Jesus would say about these things and what he actually said about them in the Gospels. They’re often not the same. For example, we think Jesus would probably want us to dress up as a sign of respect for God in worship. But if you look at his words, he just says go to church. Go as you are. And beware scribes who walk around in fancy robes, pray long prayers, and take the best seats to be seen by others.
My point is that what Jesus said and what we think he said aren’t always the same thing. One area where he was exceedingly clear is stewardship. He took a few fish and a few loaves and found a way to have enough for everyone. He said don’t hide your light; shine it for all the world to see. He said a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. He said, above all else, take care of children. He said church buildings are temporary but the kingdom of God is forever.
All these sayings are messages of stewardship. Jesus expects us to use what we have to build the kingdom. To take care of what we’ve been given. It’s not supposed to be fancy or flashy. It’s supposed to be faithful.
Our church is going through the budgeting process for the year ahead, and our budget is not fancy or flashy. It’s quite small and simple. But we pray it’s faithful. That’s what matters to God. Not just for our church budgets but for our home budgets also. It’s not the amount we give or the amount we spend that matters. It’s that we give back to God and invest of ourselves in God’s work.
And I have been absolutely delighted to see you and churches across the nation show that kind of stewardship the last few weeks. I cannot tell you how many people have stopped me, called, or offered their help to feeding the hungry right now.
People attribute a lot of things to Scripture that just aren’t there. But what is there, over and over again is “feed the hungry,” and you are doing that boldly right now. Thank you.
Being a good steward means feeding others once you’ve been fed. God expects us all to be willing to work for the kingdom. If we do that, we will be fed, even as we feed others. Amen.
