1 Thessalonians 2:11-Paul, Silvanus and Timothy Trained the Thessalonians Like a Father Trains His Own Children Lesson # 28

1 Thessalonians 2:11 As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his own children. (NET)

1 Thessalonians 2:11 contains two comparative clauses.

The first emphatically presents a comparison between what the Thessalonian Christian community was well aware of as a fact regarding Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s treatment of them and Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s behavior toward them.

It asserts that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community was well aware of the fact that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy trained each one of them.

The second presents a comparison between Paul, Silvanus and Timothy training the Thessalonians and that of a father training his own children.

It asserts that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy trained each of the Thessalonians like a father trains his own children.

1 Thessalonians 2:11 is advancing upon and intensifying the previous assertion which appears in 1 Thessalonians 2:10.

The latter states that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community as well as God the Father are witnesses to the fact that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy conducted themselves in a holy, righteous and blameless manner in the presence of and for the benefit of the Thessalonians.

So therefore, the advancement and intensification is that verse 11 describes how these three men conducted themselves in a holy, righteous and blameless manner in the presence of and for the benefit of the Thessalonians.

They did so by training them like a father would his own children.

1 Thessalonians 2:11 is not the only place in Paul’s writings in which he employs the father and child metaphor to describe his relationship and responsibility to the Christian community since he uses it in 1 Corinthians 4:14, 2 Corinthians 12:14, and Galatians 4:19.

He also uses it to describe his relationship to Timothy (cf. 1 Cor 4:7; Phil 2:22; 1 Tim 1:2, 18; 2 Tim 1:2; 2:1).

Notice in 1 Thessalonians 2:11, the phrase hena hekaston hymōn (ἕνα ἕκαστον ὑμῶν), “each one of you” which emphasizes that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy not only trained the Thessalonians as a corporate unit but also on an individual basis as needed.

There existed between Paul, Silvanus and Timothy and the Thessalonian Christian community a teacher/disciple or teacher/student relationship.

In the first century A.D., those who sat under the teaching of a didaskalos were called mathetes, “disciples” which was used of students who lived in close fellowship with their teacher, they traveled with him, ate with him, and attended festive occasions with him.

The students of a teacher were characterized by complete submission to the authority of the teacher, as well as by a devotion to him which was to surpass devotion to father or mother and which displayed itself in service to the teacher.

The teaching or learning method was to sit at the feet of the teacher listening to him.

It also involved engaging in a question and answer encounter with the teacher as well as observing the actions of the teacher, especially how he conducted himself in regard to the Law or solved problems of conduct through his knowledge of Law and tradition.

After the strenuous studies the student was ordained through the laying on of hands and received the right to be called Rabbi.

He then had the responsibility to pass on that which he had learned from his teacher and to make disciples himself.

John the Baptist had his disciples (Matt. 9:14), the Pharisees had theirs (Matt. 22:16), even Paul had his (Acts 9:25), and of course, the Lord had many disciples (Luke 6:17).

The Lord expected discipleship to involve total commitment if one was going to be able to fully follow through as a disciple but being a disciple and being a believer are not one and the same.

Now, 1 Thessalonians 2:12 describes how Paul, Silvanus and Timothy trained the Thessalonians like a father would train his own children.

1 Thessalonians 2:12 exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory. (NET)

So therefore, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy trained the Thessalonians by exhorting and encouraging them and imploring them to live their lives in a manner worthy of God who calls them into His own kingdom and His glory.

As was the case in 1 Thessalonians 2:2, 5, 1 Thessalonians 2:11 is asserting that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community can testify to the fact that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy conducted themselves in a godly manner.

In fact, in relation to the assertion in 1 Thessalonians 2:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:11 is asserting that each member of the Thessalonian Christian community can testify to the fact that these conducted themselves in a holy, righteous and blameless manner in the presence of and for the benefit of the Thessalonians Christian community.

The purpose of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy defending their conduct before the Thessalonians is that these men were concerned that the Thessalonians would be deceived by the accusations made against them by their enemies in the city of Thessalonica.

The contents of 1 Thessalonians 1:5 and 2:1-16 suggest that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy were defending themselves against their critics and persecutors.

These individuals were composed of non-Christian Jews in the city of Thessalonica according to Acts 17:1-9 as well as non-Christian Gentiles according to 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16.

If you recall, 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8, Paul uses the figure of a nursing mother tenderly caring for her children to describe the conduct of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy when interacting with the Thessalonians.

Now, in 1 Thessalonians 2:12, the conduct of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy when interacting with the Thessalonians is compared to a father training his children, which speaks of these men training the Thessalonians for spiritual maturity just as a father trains his children to for maturity in the natural realm.

Both the maternal and paternal figures are used in Scripture to describe God’s care for His children (cf. Ps. 103:13; Isa. 66:13).

Paul, Silvanus and Timothy trained the Thessalonians by exhorting and encouraging them and imploring them to live their lives in a manner worthy of God who calls them into His own kingdom and His glory by communicating the Old Testament and the gospel.

In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul reminded Timothy that the Old Testament Scriptures are profitable for training which is related to the child of God practicing the righteousness of God.

1 Thessalonians 2:8-9 mentions these men communicating the gospel to the Thessalonians.

In these verses, the gospel pertains to Paul, Silvanus and Timothy communicating the good news to the Thessalonians when they were non-believers that Christ died and rose from the dead for them and that through faith in Him they could receive the gift of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins.

Secondly, it also refers to the communication of the good news to the Thessalonians after their justification or conversion that they are identified with Christ in His death and resurrection and by appropriating this identification with Christ they can experience victory over sin and Satan.

Lastly, it also refers to the good news that the Thessalonians after their justification that they will receive rewards from the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat for faithful service (cf. Col. 1:5, 23).

1 Thessalonians 2:11 is the third familial metaphor that has been employed in First Thessalonians.

The first and second appear in 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8.

The first metaphor of little children emphasizes the innocence of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy when interacting with the Thessalonian Christian community.

Little children are incapable of using deceptive speech and having ulterior motives and being concerned with receiving approbation from people.

Thus, this describes these men as not using deceptive speech and not having ulterior motives and not concerned with receiving honor from people.

1 Thessalonians 2:5-7a indicates that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy conducted themselves like innocent children by never using flattering speech when speaking to the Thessalonians.

They acted like innocent children by never conducting themselves motivated by greed when interacting with them.

Lastly, they acted like innocent children with the Thessalonians by never imposing their authority from the Lord Jesus Christ when interacting with them.

Little children don’t flatter people and are not motivated by greed and they don’t possess any authority over anyone.

Paul, Silvanus and Timothy demonstrated all three of these characteristics when interacting with the Thessalonians.

The second metaphor of a nursing mother emphasizes that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy possessed great affection for the Thessalonians just like a nursing mother tenderly cares for her children.