My book Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible is all about building biblical fluency through the practice of curiosity. In the final chapters, I provide examples of what it looks like to ask all ten questions of different texts. In this blog, I will provide another example from a lectionary text and will walk this text through the ten questions.
I find this to be a helpful process for sermon preparation as well as a simple devotional method to spark my curiosity. Before you see what I’ve come up with, feel free to ask the following questions while reading the text on your own.
The text we’ll be working on in this post is 2 Thessalonians 3:(1–5) 6–13, which is the Epistle for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 28) in the three-year lectionary.
1. Who Is the Enemy?
In this question, we are looking for the problem in the text. It often is related to the three main enemies that face God’s people: sin, death, and the devil.
In 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 2 mentions “wicked and evil men.” Verse 3 mentions “the evil one.” That is Satan. In verses 6–12, we see idleness as a problem in the Thessalonian church. And in verse 13, we hear the call to “not grow weary in doing good.” Each of these could be used to address Law in a sermon.
2. How Is This Enemy Defeated?
In this question, we seek to see how God defeats the enemies in the text. Sometimes this victory is obvious in the text; sometimes it is not. When it is not, bringing in other biblical material is often necessary to proclaim the Gospel.
In verse 2, God delivers us from wicked and evil men. In verse 3, “the evil one” is defeated because God establishes us and guards us against the evil one.
In verses 6–12, the enemy that is idleness does not receive much Gospel. Paul pushes forward more Law, saying, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (v. 10). To get at idleness in a sermon, we need to trace the cause of idleness for the Thessalonians. I would label the cause as lies and despair. A lie had circulated that Jesus had already returned and the Thessalonians had somehow missed it. Defeating this enemy means speaking truth to the lie and placing hope in the proper place. Jesus has not yet returned, but His promise to return still stands. We are still waiting for Him and the resurrection.
In verse 13, Paul does not speak to how the problem of weariness is solved. I would argue it is through rest, but we will look at this more in Question 10.
3. Whose Point of View Am I Taking?
I find there are three main points of view in this text. First, people may identify with those who are idle. Second, people may resonate with those who are growing weary of doing good. Third, people may find affinity with Paul as someone who is frustrated with lies and idleness. Understanding which point(s) of view you are taking will allow you to better align Law and Gospel proclamation.
4. Who Are You, Lord?
This question seeks to boil down the text to one word or phrase that describes God in this text. If we focus on verses 2 and 3, God is a deliverer and a guardian. If we focus on verses 6–12, God is the giver of vocations, work, and community. And if we focus on verse 13 and weariness, God is rest.
5. Where Are We?
This letter is written to the church in Thessalonica (now Thessaloniki), which is a coastal city in the north of modern-day Greece. Paul is likely writing from Corinth, which is also in modern-day Greece, but about three hundred miles to the south. In Acts, Thessalonica is one of the Macedonian churches along with Berea and Philippi.
6. How Did We Get Here?
Paul visited Thessalonica in Acts 17 during his second missionary journey. He wrote the book of 1 Thessalonians after that visit, and followed it up with 2 Thessalonians to provide some clarity on the teachings of Jesus that were being confused (the return of Jesus being a main theme). In 2 Thessalonians 2:2, Paul mentions a fake letter, claiming to be from Paul himself, that told the Thessalonians that the day of the Lord and Jesus’ return had already happened.
7. What Happens Next?
The book of 2 Thessalonians is the final letter Paul wrote to this church that we know of. Chapter 3 is the final chapter in the book. Verses 14–18, after our reading, are words of warning, blessing, and farewell. Paul visited Thessalonica again in Acts 20 on his third missionary journey, but we are not told much about that visit.
8. What Have I Experienced That Connects to This?
I have been idle more often than is appropriate. It’s not uncommon that I just want to be a couch potato, binge-watching TV shows I’ve already seen, while doom scrolling at the same time. I have been lied to. I am sure you have too. I have grown weary of doing good. Thanks be to God that Jesus is not idle. Jesus does not lie to us. Jesus does not grow weary of doing good.
9. What Am I Feeling?
For me, as I read through this text, I feel both weary and frustrated. I do grow weary of doing good. I grow weary of working hard and being drained only to see minimal results. Perhaps you can relate.
I also feel frustrated. I’m frustrated that people would just outright lie to the Thessalonians about the return of Jesus. I’m frustrated the people would pretend to be the apostle Paul. I’m frustrated when I hear lies today, whether that’s from politicians or my own parishioners.
But I am also frustrated about people who are idle busybodies, especially within the church. And I am most frustrated when I am the one being idle.
Frustration, idleness, and weariness are all connected.
When I ask this question, I always conclude by bringing my feelings before the Lord in a prayer.
Lord Jesus, as we await Your promised return, sometimes we grow weary. Sometimes we grow frustrated with others who aren’t pulling their weight. Sometimes in our weariness, we become idle and begin to wonder what the point of anything is. Fill us with hope, dear Jesus. Give us the rest we need from our weariness and burdens. Point us back to Your promises of forgiveness, resurrection, and eternal life. Amen.
10. Where Have I Heard This Before?
This question seeks to build biblical fluency by noticing connections with other Bible passages.
Paul’s words on idleness connect to a line in Proverbs 19:15: “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.”
I’m also reminded of the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, and the workers who stood idle in the marketplaces until the final hour of daylight. But even they are invited into the vineyard to work for the Lord of the harvest. And they receive a generous wage.
The verse 2 Thessalonians 3:13 reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The antidote to weariness is rest. Perfect rest comes from Jesus. When we do grow weary of doing good, Jesus invites us to Himself, to learn His rhythms, to be teamed with Him and to follow His lead and example.
What Questions Remain?
When I’ve finished the ten questions, I like to write down any unanswered questions I still have. Here are a few of mine:
- Who told the Thessalonian church that Jesus had returned? Why did that source pretend to be Paul?
- Paul signs this and other letters with his own signature. What did his signature look like?
- Did Paul ever write a third letter to this church?
- Did Paul ever write to the Berean church? Or was it close enough to Thessalonica that they shared the letters?
Learn more questions you should ask while reading Scripture in Andrew Jones’s book Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible.
