THE FLIP SIDE OF LEADERSHIP
1 THESSALONIANS 2:13-20
NASB
13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. 14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and [a]drove us out. [b]They are not pleasing to God, [b]but hostile to all men, 16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them [a]to the utmost.
17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a [a]short while —in [b]person, not in [c]spirit —were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. 18[a]For we wanted to come to you —I, Paul, [b]more than once —and yet Satan hindered us. 19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His [a]coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.
2:15 [a]Or persecuted us [b]Lit and 2:16 [a]Or forever or altogether; lit to the end 2:17 [a]Lit occasion of an hour [b]Lit face [c]Lit heart 2:18 [a]Or Because [b]Lit both once and twice 2:19 [a]Or presence
NLT
13 Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God —which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.
14 And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God’s churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews. 15 For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity 16 as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.
17 Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again. 18 We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us. 19 After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! 20 Yes, you are our pride and joy.
A coach without a team is just a glorified sports fan. A teacher lacking students is a master of soliloquies. A conductor without an orchestra is just a madman waving his hands in the air. A favorite leadership adage states, “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.”[7] In other words, a tongue-in-cheek test of one’s leadership skills can be taken by a quick backward glance over the shoulder. Is anybody following? No? Then you’re not leading.
What good are leaders if nobody follows them? And what good is leadership skill if the people they’re called to inspire to action exhibit indifference or resistance? Clearly, successful leadership depends on responsive “followership.” We could call it the flip side of leadership. In the previous section we examined the obvious side —the side of the leader. In this section we look at the other side of leadership: the response of the followers.
As strong as Paul’s leadership qualities were, they would have all been empty gestures in the air if the Thessalonians had chosen not to follow his leadership. So it’s vital to discuss the qualities of a good follower, beginning with an essential but sometimes unexpected characteristic: gratitude.
— 2:13 —
At the beginning of this chapter, Paul recalled that his coming to Thessalonica all those months ago —though cut short by violence and expulsion —“was not in vain” (2:1). It wasn’t a waste of time. I know of a lot of pastors who look back at decades of ministry and can’t say the same thing. Why? Because all the sweat they poured out for a particular congregation or the tears they invested in a mission field didn’t bear lasting fruit. But that wasn’t Paul’s experience with the Thessalonian church.
Paul and his companions not only gave the Thessalonians the gospel message, but they also threw their whole lives into the ministry (2:8). The principles of authentic spiritual leadership that Paul put into practice, though, were only half the equation. He could have done everything right and ended up concluding that it had been a waste of time and energy. Great leadership doesn’t work without great followership. In Paul’s ministry with the Thessalonians, he had both. And for that he was extremely grateful.
Already in 1:2-3, Paul stated his gratitude: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.” Whenever they came to mind, Paul responded with thanksgiving. Now, in 2:13, Paul reiterates his incessant thankfulness to God because:
1) They welcomed their preaching not merely as men’s words, but as God’s word.
2) The word of God was performing its transforming work in their lives.
Of course, you can’t have the second without the first, and the authenticity of the first is demonstrated through the second. Receiving of the word, believing it, embracing it, living it out, and enduring in it are all related. And because he thanked God for both the Thessalonians’ reception of the word and its transforming effects, Paul viewed this as a miraculous work of God.
If we look closely at 2:13, we note that Paul uses two terms to describe the quality of the Thessalonians’ reception of the word of God. The first is the Greek term paralambanō [3880]. This word is often used to describe a person receiving a tradition handed down from a teacher, as Paul himself had received the gospel message of Christ’s person and work years earlier:
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received (paralambanō), that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (1 Cor. 15:3-5)
By the work of the Spirit, the Thessalonians identified this message of the atoning cross and the empty crypt as a message from God. As such, they not only patiently heard and understood the gospel, but they “welcomed” it or “accepted” it. That second Greek word is dechomai [1209]. It is used in Luke 2:28 when Simeon lifted the baby Jesus into his arms and embraced the Word of God made flesh. Similarly, the Thessalonians embraced the gospel with all their hearts. No wonder it performed its work of faith, love, and hope in their lives!
This is why the Thessalonians proved to be such great followers. They understood that Paul, Silas, and Timothy weren’t just peddlers of cheap wares. They were authentic shepherds of God, ministering His divine word. This is an essential aspect of faithful discipleship, and it resulted in the Thessalonians imitating their leaders.
— 2:14 —
By 2:14, the perspective shifts radically from Paul and his apostolic associates to the Thessalonians. Paul begins an explanation of how God was performing His work in them through the word they had received.
First and foremost, they followed the example of other churches by enduring suffering for Christ. This doesn’t mean that the Thessalonians consciously and intentionally got together and said, “How can we copy the lifestyle of those original Christians in Judea? Somebody travel there, find out what they’re doing, and let us know how we can do the same.” Rather, Paul observed parallels between the circumstances and responses of both the original Judean Christians and the recent Macedonian believers. What were some of these parallels?
First, both were suffering persecution from their own “countrymen.” Just as the Jewish believers in Judea had been harassed and hunted by fellow Jews, these Gentile believers in Thessalonica had been picked on and persecuted by their friends and neighbors.
Second, both were suffering for the same thing. They were “churches of God in Christ Jesus” —totally committed to the one true God who had revealed Himself through the person and work of Jesus Christ. By receiving that message of the Cross and the Resurrection, the Thessalonians had aligned themselves with other like-minded believers around the world, drawing the ire of the enemies of Christ and the gospel.
Finally, both were suffering with endurance. They didn’t collapse under the persecution, even when it became violent. Instead, they endured hardship, exhibiting works of faith, love, and hope in the midst of suffering. How easy it would have been simply to surrender under the pressure and pain. Instead, like their Jewish counterparts in Judea, the believers in Macedonia held their ground.
— 2:15-16 —
Ironically and tragically, the Jewish religious and political leaders who should have become eager followers of Jesus Christ instead became enemies of the gospel. They became persecutors of the truth when their unbelieving leaders carried on the ancient Old Testament tradition of rejecting God’s prophets. Paul goes out of his way in these verses to highlight the opposite of faithful followership —outright rebellion.
Paul then points out that the sufferings endured by both the Thessalonians and their extended spiritual family in Judea were part of being followers of a long line of God’s servant-leaders who had suffered for the gospel. The prophets of the Old Testament, the apostles of the New Testament, and even the Lord Jesus Himself were victims of persecution by their own countrymen, the unbelieving Jews (2:15). As faithful followers of Christ, the Thessalonians were called to be faithful, especially in suffering.
In contrast to the Thessalonians, the Jewish persecutors were not pleasing to God (2:15). They were “hostile to all men” —meaning that in their rejection of Jesus and their persecution of His people, they were trying to hinder the gospel message by which all people of every nation could be saved. Holding back the progress of the gospel is clearly a serious spiritual crime against humankind. We shouldn’t be surprised if the consequences are severe.
The Jewish opponents had become enemies not only of the Gentiles and the gospel, but also enemies of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit working through the apostles and prophets. This was the result: “that they always fill up the measure of their sins” (2:16). F. F. Bruce explains, “Their cup of guilt was already well on the way to being filled, and their present conduct was filling it up to the brim. . . . They have reached the point of no return in their opposition to the gospel and final, irremediable retribution is inevitable; indeed it has come.”[8]
Furthermore, by continuing in their sinful rebellion, the opponents of Christ were actually living up to God’s divine decree. In His plan, God allowed the hardening of a great number of Israelites (Rom. 11:7-10). Jesus Himself had castigated the unbelieving Jews during His own ministry by applying to them a prophecy from Isaiah 6:9-10. Jesus said,
“In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM’” (Matt. 13:14-15).
Among the final words of the book of Acts, Paul also applies the same passage of Isaiah to his Jewish countrymen who argued about the truth of the gospel, saying, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers” (Acts 28:25).
So, the hard-heartedness of the Jews had been part of God’s permissive will. But this didn’t mean it would go on forever or that it would go unpunished. Even in the original passage of Isaiah 6, when the prophet asks the Lord how long he would have to keep preaching to a nation that refused to hear, God answered: “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, houses are without people and the land is utterly desolate, the LORD has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land” (Isa. 6:11-12).
Although God allowed it, He also placed limits on the wicked rebellion. When the limits of the measure of their sins had been filled up, then divine discipline would occur. At no point does God lose control of the wicked, and never will they get away with it. Paul alludes to such an imminent tragic judgment upon Israel for their rejection and attack of the gospel. “But wrath has come upon them to the utmost” (1 Thes. 2:16).
This final line has puzzled biblical scholars for generations. Though Paul wrote his letter to the Thessalonians around AD 50, he used a past tense, seeming to refer to wrath that had already come upon them —and this wrath was “to the utmost.” But to what wrath is Paul referring? When did that occur? The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem didn’t happen for another twenty years, in AD 70. Some scholars have suggested that the “wrath” experienced by the Jews was their recent expulsion from Rome or some other local oppression of Jewish people by the Roman government as an indication of God’s disfavor.[9] But Paul’s language here seems far more decisive. He had to have had something bigger and more severe in mind. Elsewhere in this letter the word “wrath” (orgē [3709]) refers to the coming judgment of the end times associated with Christ’s return (1:10; 5:9). However, it doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing in this context.
But what does “to the utmost” mean? The Greek phrase is eis telos [1519, 5056] —“unto the end” or “to the end.” Jesus used the same phrase when He said that those who endure “to the end” of the coming Tribulation would be saved (Matt. 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13). It may be, then, that Paul was saying that the Jews who reject the Messiah and fight against the gospel are under a sentence of wrath, which they will experience in various ways until the end.[10]
This would fit Christ’s statement in John 3:36, “He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” As long as the Jews were rejecting Jesus as the Son of God, they remained under the wrath of God (see Rom. 1:18). This interpretation that the wrath of God abides on the unbelieving Jews until the end also sees a set limit to their rebellion and anticipates a future when the Jews would embrace their Messiah, as the Thessalonians had. Paul indicated such a future when he wrote in his letter to the Romans, “A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25-26); and, “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:28-29).
Some see Paul’s language as indicating a condition from which the people of Israel could never return.[11] However, Paul held out hope that in the end the wrath of God looming over Israel’s head because of their rejection of the Messiah would one day be lifted when they embrace Him as their Savior.
— 2:17-20 —
The Thessalonians beautifully displayed the flip side of leadership as disciples (2:1, 8, 13) for which Paul was inexpressibly thankful. In 2:17-20, Paul turns the coin over again and returns to his own role in the teacher-disciple, leader-follower coupling. I see three insights that help us get a good picture of Paul himself.
First, Paul exhibited eager expectation in spite of separation (2:17). Paul hadn’t moved on from Thessalonica only to forget about them. He didn’t treat them like one-time customers who bought his product and were now on their own to make it work. Rather, the missionaries had been involuntarily “taken away” from them. The Greek word is aporphanizō [642] and literally means “to orphanize.” Isn’t that interesting? In Paul’s image, he and his fellow workers, Silas and Timothy, were the ones who had been made “orphans” by the forced separation. Even though they were the Thessalonians’ spiritual parents, Paul and his companions mourned like children who had been violently abducted.
You don’t have to imagine a horrendous act like kidnapping to picture the powerful image Paul had in mind. Just recall a child brought kicking and screaming into a church nursery, or a preschool playroom, or a kindergarten class, and then Mom and Dad slinking away. Some children with extreme separation anxiety would spend the whole time trying to escape the confines of their perfectly safe and kid-friendly environment to find their way back to the secure embrace of their parents’ arms.
Paul and his fellow missionaries were the same as those children —not just eager to return to the Thessalonians, but nearly obsessed with it. But until they could get back, they were determined to maintain their relationship with the church even when separated. This is what Paul meant by saying that they had been taken away from them “in person, not in spirit,” literally, “in face, not in heart.”
Second, Paul maintained constant pursuit amidst satanic opposition (2:18). Paul and Silas wanted to return to Thessalonica following their expulsion. Apparently, Paul even attempted to do so on more than one occasion. But Satan opposed them. We don’t know the exact nature of the obstruction. Perhaps Satan had activated more political opposition, stirring both Jewish synagogue leaders and local magistrates against them. Maybe Paul’s own “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7) was preventing him from traveling far. We don’t know for sure. Yet even though he had been hindered from showing his face in Thessalonica, this didn’t stop Paul from turning to other means of maintaining contact. He had sent Timothy in person to represent him (1 Thes. 3:2). Then he sent a letter.
Third, Paul displayed joyful hope undiminished by problems (2:19-20). Even though Paul was prematurely ripped from their presence and repeatedly prevented from returning to see them face-to-face, he knew that one day all believers would enjoy a glorious reunion at the coming of Christ. Because he was absolutely certain the Thessalonians would one day bring him glory and joy in the future, Paul could have hope, joy, and even exultation in the present just at the thought of it!
APPLICATION: 1 THESSALONIANS 2:13-20
Put It into Action
The Thessalonians proved to be devoted followers of Jesus Christ by receiving the Word of God and living it. We’ve missed the purpose of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians if we only understand its content better. We need to hear what it says —that is, receive it —but we also need to embrace it and put it into action. In these verses I see at least three things we need not only to hear but also to do.
First, an attitude of gratitude can be developed by welcoming God’s truth. When we follow the Thessalonians’ example of godly followership, we’ll welcome God’s Word into our lives, even if it tells us things we don’t want to hear, commands us to obey things we don’t want to do, or warns us against things we don’t want to surrender. When we do that, though, it will ultimately result in thanksgiving. Sometimes we tell people, “If you do this, you’ll thank me later.” This is the promise involved in welcoming God’s Word. You’ll never regret it.
Second, a commitment to contentment will be strengthened by accepting God’s will. In spite of suffering, pain, opposition, and other difficulties, the Thessalonians accepted their lot, realized they were not alone, and followed Christ and the apostles anyway. They committed themselves to contentment not because of their comfortable circumstances, but in spite of their often agonizing challenges. To respond to this, we need to accept the path we walk by God’s strength.
Third, a happiness amidst heaviness must be cultivated by affirming God’s people. Paul called the Thessalonians his hope, glory, and joy. That’s affirmation! Do you frequently affirm the people you love? Do you strive to spend time with them, seek them out, send them your greetings, even drop them a note? As we strive to maintain the mentor-mentee, leader-follower relationships in our lives, we need to express appreciation, love, and joy.