2 Thessalonians 3:9-Paul, Silvanus and Timothy Provided the Thessalonians an Example to Imitate

2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now, we command each and every one of you brothers and sisters by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to disassociate yourselves from any brother or sister who is living an undisciplined lifestyle. Consequently, they are not living according to the traditions, which they received from each one of us. 7 For you yourselves are well aware of the manner in which each and every one of you for your own benefit are under obligation to make it your habit of imitating each one of us. For each one of us absolutely never conducted ourselves in an undisciplined manner among each one of you. 8 Absolutely never did anyone of us eat bread from anyone without paying. In fact, on the contrary, because each one of us worked to support ourselves night and day by means of difficult, yes exhausting hard work in order to not impose a financial burden on anyone of you. 9 By no means because each one of us absolutely does not possess authority. In fact, on the contrary, in order that each one of us would give ourselves as an example for the benefit of each and every one of you. The purpose of which is that each and every one of you would for your own benefit make it your habit of imitating each one of us. (Lecturer’s translation)

As we noted in our study of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-8, 2 Thessalonians 3:6 begins the final major section to the body of Second Thessalonians and which section ends in 2 Thessalonians 3:15.

In this section, the apostle Paul then addresses another major problem, namely that some in the Thessalonian Christian community were reverting back to their pre-justification days when they did not work.

He exhorts them to practice church discipline with these individuals (3:6).

Paul then reminds them that he, Silvanus and Timothy taught them that they must work for a living and that they gave them an example to follow in doing so (3:7-10).

He then informs them that he and Silvanus heard from Timothy more than likely that some of them were idle and disruptive and were not busy working but rather being busy bodies (3:11).

He then commands them to work for a living and never tire of practicing divine good, which is accomplished by obeying Paul’s apostolic teaching (3:12-13).

Paul closes this section with an injunction to again practice church discipline with those who are unwilling to work in obedience to his teaching (3:14).

When Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to keep away from every one of their number who disobeys his apostolic teaching to work, this separation would be the result of going through the process of church discipline mapped out by the Lord Jesus Christ for His disciples in Matthew 18:15-17.

As we noted in our study of 2 Thessalonians 3:6, the contents of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 echo 1 Thessalonians 4:11 and 5:14.

Now, we come to our passage, namely 2 Thessalonians 3:9, which continues this final major section of the body of Second Thessalonians, and which section we noted ends in 2 Thessalonians 3:15.

This verse is composed of two emphatic statements.

The first is ouch hoti ouk echomen exousian (οὐχ ὅτι οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν), “By no means because each one of us absolutely does not possess authority.”

The second is allʼ hina heautous typon dōmen hymin eis to mimeisthai hēmas (ἀλλʼ ἵνα ἑαυτοὺς τύπον δῶμεν ὑμῖν), “In fact, on the contrary, in order that each one of us would give ourselves as an example for the benefit of each and every one of you.”

The first statement in verse 9 is an emphatically negated hoti causal clause, which solemnly asserts that it was by no means because Paul, Silvanus and Timothy absolutely did not possess authority to exact remuneration from the Thessalonians that they worked hard to support themselves financially in order to not impose a financial burden on the Thessalonians.

Therefore, the hoti causal clause hoti ouk echomen exousian (ὅτι οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν) is expressing the idea that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy absolutely did not possess the authority to require remuneration from each member of the Thessalonian Christian community for their services in communicating the gospel to them.

In other words, it emphatically negates the idea that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy absolutely did not possess the authority to require remuneration from each member of the Thessalonian Christian community for their services in communicating the gospel to them.

In this emphatically negated hoti casual clause, Paul employs the noun exousia, “authority” which pertains to authority delegated by a sovereign to a particular individual or group of individuals to control a particular community of individuals.

Specifically, it speaks of the authority that the Lord Jesus Christ delegated to Paul, Silvanus and Timothy to exact or require remuneration from each member of the Thessalonian Christian community for their services in communicating the gospel to them.

The second emphatic statement in 2 Thessalonians 3:9 is a hina purpose clause, which presents the purpose for which Paul, Silvanus and Timothy absolutely did not exercise the authority they possessed to require remuneration from the Thessalonians.

Therefore, by way of implication, it presents the purpose for which they worked hard to support themselves financially night and day by means of difficult, yes exhausting hard work in order to not impose a financial burden on them.

This hina purpose clause asserts that the purpose for which these three men did not exercise the authority they possessed to require remuneration from the Thessalonians was in order that they would give themselves as an example for the benefit of the Thessalonians.

In this hina purpose clause, Paul employs the noun tupos, “an example,” which describes Paul, Silvanus and Timothy as being an “example” in the sense that they were a model of behavior as an example to be imitated by each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

Again, they became an example for the Thessalonians by working hard night and day to support themselves financially instead of exercising their authority over them to require remuneration from them.

This hina purpose clause is modified by the prepositional phrase eis to mimeisthai hēmas (εἰς τὸ μιμεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς), “the purpose of which is that each one of you would for your own benefit make it your habit of imitating each one of us.”

It identifies for the reader the purpose for which Paul, Silvanus and Timothy each gave themselves as an example for the benefit of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community.

They did so in order the Thessalonians would for their own benefit make it their habit of imitating them.

As was the case in 2 Thessalonians 3:7, the apostle Paul employs the verb mimeomai here in this hina purpose clause in 2 Thessalonians 3:9, which pertains to behaving in a manner as someone else.

In both passages, it speaks of the Thessalonians imitating the conduct of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy in the sense of working for a living to support themselves financially as these three men did while living with them.

Fee writes “The teaching in this case is not a matter of ‘do as I say,’ but ‘do as I did,’”26

Interestingly, in this prepositional phrase, the middle voice of this verb mimeomai(μιμέομαι) is an indirect or benefactive middle voice.

This is expressing the idea that it was “for the benefit” of each member of the Thessalonian Christian community that they make it their habit of imitating the example of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy who worked to support themselves financially.

It was for their benefit because it would result in their continued spiritual growth and ultimately would result in rewards at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church.

2 Thessalonians 3:7 and 9 are not the only places in which Paul has mentioned the Thessalonians imitating the exemplary conduct of himself, Silvanus and Timothy since he speaks of it 1 Thessalonians 1:6.

Paul affirms that the Thessalonians were imitating these three men through their post-justification faith in the gospel in the midst of persecution.

In fact, the cognate noun of this verb, which is mimētēs (μιμητής), appears in 1 Thessalonians 1:6 and 1 Thessalonians 2:14.

In the latter, this noun speaks of the Thessalonians imitating the Christians in Judea who suffered persecution at the hands of their own countrymen.

2 Thessalonians 3:9 like 2 Thessalonians 3:7 presents one of the four major responsibilities of the pastor-teacher in relation to his congregation, namely, exemplifying godly behavior.

The Scriptures teach that the pastor-teacher, i.e., the overseer has four responsibilities that are the means by which he tends and shepherds the flock of God: (1) Study (2 Tim. 2:15) (2) Teach (1 Tim. 4:13) (3) Pray (Acts 6:1-4). (4) Exemplify the Christian way of life.

The hina purpose clause in 2 Thessalonians 3:9 echoes 2 Thessalonians 3:7 since both verses mention the Thessalonian Christian community imitating the example of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy who worked hard to support themselves financially in order to not impose a financial burden on anyone in this community.

Like 1 Thessalonians 2 and 2 Thessalonians 3:7, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy assert in 2 Thessalonians 3:9 that they worked for a living to support themselves financially while living with the Thessalonians even though they had the right to receive remuneration from them for serving them by communicating the gospel to them and modeling the gospel for them.

26 Fee, G. D. (2009). The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians (p. 330). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.