Lazy Sunday…and Every Other Day
- Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for him and his friends so that God's word can spread all over the world. And also so people will stop being jerks to him. That is pretty much Paul's two major life goals right there.
- He's pretty sure that God will help the Thessalonians. He'll keep them safe from evil naysayers and help them stay on the path to awesomeness.
- Oh, one last thing. Paul wants to let the congregation know that they do not need to tolerate moochers and loafers. You know who you are, lazy bones.
- Apparently, there were some people who didn't see the need to work and contribute to the community…you know, since the world is ending soon.
- But come on. The impending destruction of the planet Earth is no excuse to get lazy.
- Paul tells them that he never took hand outs from anyone. He worked for everything he got. And while he totally could have demanded that the church he founded support him, he just doesn't roll that way.
- Paul's got some news for you: you don't work, you don't eat. Is that simple enough for you?
- He tells the Thessalonians it's okay to take a hard line with these moochers. Don't hang out with them if they're just gonna take take take. No, it doesn't mean that you should hate them. They may be fellow believers, but their actions still have consequences.
A Major Faux Paul
- Paul closes with his usual greetings and then he mentions that he's actually writing this last part himself. (Sometimes, another person would write down Paul's letters as he dictated them.)
- The author is actually pretty keen for us to know that Paul is the one writing this. He says, "This is the mark in every letter of mine"—which…isn't actually true.
- Hmmm. This "Paul" doth protest too much, Shmoopthinks.