Paul's Gentle Presence

Introduction

Paul reminds the Thessalonians of his true motives.

He provides what will come to be universal expectations of the men given the responsibility for handling the word of God.

Paul saw his apostleship as a responsibility to God.

He was not deceitful.

He did not try to please people (2 Tim. 4)

He did not come to be “in a word of flattery.” (1 Thess. 2:5).

Neither did he use his message as a facade of greed.

He did not seek glory from men.

Jesus’ critique of the Pharisees (John 5:41-47).

Mt. 23:1-7.

Dio Chrysostom Or. 32.11: But to find a man who in plain terms and without guile speaks his mind with frankness, and neither for the sake of reputation nor for gain makes false pretensions, but out of good will and concern for his fellow-men stands ready, if need be, to submit to ridicule and to the disorder and the uproar of the mob — to find such a man as that is not easy, but rather the good fortune of a very lucky city, so great is the dearth of noble, independent souls and such the abundance of toadies, mountebanks, and sophists.

Tonight we will see that he was not abusive.

A Model of Humility

Paul knew the position of apostle brought with it an importance that should be recognized in the world.

In 1 Thess. 2:6-7, he presents the apostolic role as “being able to be in weight.”

Paul often thought in such terms: see 1 Cor. 8-9; 2 Cor. 11:7-11.

We know that Paul worked as an awning maker, and now we know in Thessalonica he did so to support himself.

He was worried about being seen as someone out for money. (see also 1 Cor. 4).

Paul will return to this thought with the same “weight” language of 1 Thess. 2:9.

Right now, however, he also seems to have in mind an abusive demeanor.

See 2 Cor. 11:16-21.

Notice the strong contrast is with the language of infants and nursing.

Not only is the picture here of gentleness, but, Paul follows that in 1 Thess. 2:8 with genuine affection.

A Model of Affection

The nursing and infant language of 1 Thess. 2:7 now establishes the point of comparison for Paul.

“In this way,” he says, “we approved to transfer to you the message of God but also our own lives.”

Paul may have in mind here the full disclosure of his life and lifestyle. Everything that he has been saying thus far. There were immediate bonds and immediate community. Note that after three weeks, some “associated with him.”

For an alternative, see below.

Think about the trust Paul placed in them to protect him from the mobs.

These are not just empty words. Paul really had to have a basis for trusting them with his own life.

They had become loved ones to him to such a degree that he was happy to let them take care of him in this way.

A Model of Self-Sufficiency

Paul has not left the thought of the weight of his position and the rights it gave him.

He wants to drive home the point that all of what the Thessalonians had known about Paul was not in the service of himself.

He calls them to remember his own labor and toil as he did physical labor in support of himself and preached to them too.

2 Thess. 3:8-9.