I rarely appreciate the last three Sundays of the church year. I understand why their texts are full of the eschatological end of the world. The non-festival half of the church year is laid out from beginning to culmination, from Pentecost to Judgement. So, spending 3 out of 25 Sundays on last things doesn’t seem terribly out of proportion. The problem is honestly two-fold which I think the Apostle Paul gets around to addressing as he closes our Epistle lesson this week (2 Thessalonians 3:1-13). First, the “last things” – death, judgement, heaven and hell – are just too interesting. We know little about them, only what has been revealed by the prophets and Jesus. And even then most of that is in apocalyptic language which is always tough to decipher. But people repeatedly lose sight of what is before them while pondering those last things. And that is the two-fold problem: losing sight of what is before us because of things outside of our control or even understanding.
In both letters to the Thessalonians – letters which are assumed to be the first written parts of the New Testament – Paul has to address concerns about death, judgement, heaven and hell. People who accepted the faith have died. Did they miss something? Why did Christ not come back and take us? Where are they? Will we see them or did they miss out? Lots of tough important questions that had not been answered. And honestly the inherited Jewish tradition just didn’t have elaborate answers. Jesus himself gives an “eschatological sermon.” Our gospel lesson is the start of that from Luke. But unlike our popular fiction – say the Late Great Planet Earth or Left Behind or even Pope Francis’ favorite 19th century Lord of the World – what Jesus says just doesn’t slake our desire to know. So we tend to collect the equivalent of the National Enquirer. What Paul says at the start of today’s epistle is the foundation of all Biblical apocalypse. “The LORD is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3).” The promises of God are good. Whatever comes, your life, your eternal life, is safe with Christ. The various tyrants will rage at that, but they can do nothing but speed you on your way to God.
That truth should allow us to turn our attention away from those fascinating and foreboding end things. We know how it ends. Christ wins. We win with Christ. Knowing the end, should allow us to pay attention to what is before us. But we so often don’t. Paul addresses a problem among the Thessalonians. The Christians were the first to create a “community chest”, a food bank to support those down on their luck. But as in all these things people figure out ways to abuse it. In this case some of the Thessalonians, so fascinated by the last things, had given up work to prepare for them. They were relying on the food bank to support their fascination. “For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, nor bust at work, but busybodies (2 Thessalonians 3:11).” And the people of God are remarkably generous. It feels wrong to deny charity to someone in need regardless of the reason. We get this all the time in our political fights. “If you were a real Christian, you’d support this.”
The Apostle doesn’t have much time for such arguments. “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat…now such persons we command and encourage in the LORD Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living (2 Thessalonians 3:10,12).” Don’t lose sight of what is in front of you because of things outside of our control. You can’t control the end, although you know who does – Jesus. And he’s got you. The Christian has no religious debt to support those who won’t work.
At the same time though things are placed before us. “As for you, brothers, do no grow weary in doing good (2 Thessalonian 3:13).” Not everything can be dismissed as idleness. And even if you are supporting the idle, their fault does not steal the intent, the goodness, of the charity. We all have enough to do in one day without worrying about the next. Have faith in Jesus for the next. Do the good placed before you today.