2 Thessalonians 3:11-The Explanation for the Two Reasons Why the Thessalonians Must Discipline Those Among Them Living an Undisciplined Life

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. 10 For in fact, when each one of us was living among all of you, each of us was issuing this command to each and every one of you: “If and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that anyone is at this particular time absolutely refusing to make it their habit of working to support themselves and we agree that there are some who do, then this person must not eat.” 11 For each one of us at this particular time hear some are living an undisciplined lifestyle, absolutely refusing to work to support themselves. In fact, on the contrary, acting in their own selfish interests as busybodies. (Lecturer’s translation)

As we noted in our study of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 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 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, here in 2 Thessalonians 3:11, Paul asserts that he, Silvanus and Timothy heard some in their community were living an undisciplined lifestyle.

Paul then identifies how these unidentified members of the Thessalonian Christian community were living an undisciplined lifestyle by describing them as absolutely refusing to work to support themselves financially.

Then, he presents an emphatic contrast to the idea of working to support oneself financially by describing these individuals as acting in their own self-interests as busybodies.

More than likely, this report came from Timothy after he returned from Thessalonica to deliver First Thessalonians.

In 2 Thessalonians 3:11, the apostle Paul is employing a word play that everyone in the Thessalonian Christian community would have caught at once when they heard Second Thessalonians read to them by Timothy and it involves the verbs ergazomai (ἐργάζομαι) and periergazomai (περιεργάζομαι).

The former is expressing the idea of working hard while the latter expresses the idea of working “intrusively.”

TNIV does a great job of capturing the wordplay by translating these words as “not busy but busybodies.”

With these two words, Paul is using the figure of “paronomasia.”

Bullinger writes “The figure is so-called because one word is placed alongside of another, which sounds and seems like a repetition of it. But it is not the same; it is only similar. The meaning may be similar or not, the point is that two (or more) words are different in origin and meaning but are similar in sound or appearance…Sometimes a great lesson is taught us by this figure; an interpretation is put upon the one word by the use of the other; or a reason is given in the one for what is referred to by the other. Sometimes a contrast is made; sometimes a thought is added.”[1]

Here in 2 Thessalonians 3:11, the apostle Paul is employing this figure of “paronomasia” with the use of these two verbs because he is solemnly emphasizing the contrast between those working for a living in the Thessalonian Christian community and those who were not.

The latter was disobeying his Spirit inspired apostolic teaching while the former was.

The purpose of this figure is to emphasize the seriousness of the situation with these disobedient members of the community since their sin requires the obedient members of this community administer church discipline with those who are disobedient.

Paul’s statement here in 2 Thessalonians 3:11 echoes his statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:11.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 Now, concerning the topic of Christian love, each one and everyone you possesses absolutely no need whatsoever for any one of us to write to any one of you at this particular time because each one of one, each of yourselves are taught by God for the purpose of making it your habit of divinely loving one another. 10 For indeed, each and every one of you are making it your habit of practicing it for the benefit of your spiritual brothers and sisters located throughout Macedonia. However, each one of us are authoritatively exhorting and encouraging each one of you brothers and sisters to make it your habit of excelling even more. 11 Also, for your own benefit to make it your habit of making it your ambition to live a quiet life, of attending to your own business, of working to support yourselves with your own hands as each one of us has commanded each and every one of you. (Lecturer’s translation)

The problem of people meddling in each other’s affairs was not a wide spread problem in the Thessalonian Christian community which is indicated by the accusative masculine plural form of the indefinite pronoun tis (τις), “some” and a comparison of 2 Thessalonians 3:4 and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15.

These two reveal that the praise for the Thessalonians which appears in the former is not addressed to each and every member of the Thessalonian Christian community since the latter reveals that some were disobedient to the apostolic teaching.

Therefore, 2 Thessalonians 3:4 contains the figure of hyperbole, which “can be defined as conscious exaggeration for the sake of effect. Often (but not always) the effect aimed at is the expression of strong feeling.”[2]

Thus, when Paul asserts in 2 Thessalonians 3:4 that all or each member of the Thessalonian Christian community was obeying his apostolic teaching recorded in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, he does not literally mean each and every person in this community.

This is indicated by the fact that 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 asserts that some of them were not working.

Thus, the majority of the Thessalonian Christian community was obeying Paul’s Spirit inspired apostolic teaching recorded in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15.

2 Thessalonians 3:11 does not present the third reason for the prohibition in 2 Thessalonians 3:6 but rather it presents the explanation for the previous two reasons presented in 2 Thessalonians 3:7-10 for obeying this prohibition.

As we noted in our study of 2 Thessalonians 3:10, 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 presents Paul, Silvanus and Timothy’s example as the first reason as to why the Thessalonians must obey the command in 2 Thessalonians 3:6.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 presents the prohibition each of these three men issued the Thessalonian Christian community on a regular basis while living with them as the second reason why they should obey the command in 2 Thessalonians 3:6.

Now, here in 2 Thessalonians 3:11, Paul asserts that he, Silvanus and Timothy heard that some in the Thessalonian Christian community were living an undisciplined lifestyle.

They manifested this by refusing to work for a living to support themselves and instead were acting in their own selfish interests as busybodies.

This statement explains why Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:7-10 presented two reasons as to why the Thessalonians must obey the prohibition in 2 Thessalonians 3:6.

Therefore, this indicates that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy presented their example and teaching as two reasons why the Thessalonians must obey their prohibition in 2 Thessalonians 3:6 because there were some in fact who were living an undisciplined lifestyle.

Consequently, this indicates that they presented their example and teaching as two reasons why the Thessalonians must administer church discipline because there were some in fact who were living an undisciplined lifestyle.

In 1 Peter 4:15, the apostle Peter forbid the Christian community from suffering as a busybody.

In 1 Timothy 5:13, the apostle Paul instructs Timothy to have younger widows in the Christian community in Ephesus get married rather than remain single in order to protect these women from the temptation of being a busybody.

[1] Bullinger, E. W. (1898). Figures of speech used in the Bible(p. 307). London; New York: Eyre & Spottiswoode; E. & J. B. Young & Co. [2] Ryken, L. (2015). Sweeter than Honey, Richer than Gold: A Guided Study of Biblical Poetry (p. 50). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.