“Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. Do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as believers. Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:14-18
I’ve been sitting here trying to find a different way to begin reflecting on this closing passage to 2 Thessalonians but I keep coming back to the first words I typed – this is a weird, contradictory, way to end a letter.
On the one hand, the writer encourages the readers to be at peace with one another; on the other hand, he invites the practice of shunning – “Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed.”
Shunning is punishing someone by ignoring them and pretending they don’t exist. It includes cutting off all meaningful human contact, walking by them as if they are invisible, stopping all conversation as you approach them and returning to a more hushed level of conversation as you walk by. Shunning virtually guarantees that, whatever the initial charge that invoked the shunning, the rumor mill will crank that charge into something several degrees more damaging.
The most famous practitioners of shunning are probably the Amish but, in fact, it is a universal human practice. It reaches every cafeteria in every school, most visciously practiced in junior high. It knows no boundaries of age, class or race. And it all too often happens in church.
“Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. Do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as believers.” – The saving grace in these sentences is the hope and possibility that real conversation might happen in the midst of “warn them as believers” so that repentance and reconciliation might have a fighting chance of survival before the silence settles in.
(I don’t believe shunning in helpful in any circumstance whatsoever. I believe in the value of simple, direct, honest conversation and communication.)
We should also note the words – “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.” Given that other passages in the letter don’t sound like Paul writes in other places, there is already big questions about whether or not Paul was actually the writer of 2 Thessalonians. Does this final “SEE, I’M REALLY THE WRITER!” help or hurt the case? Does it matter?
Yes, it matters, but not why we think. We modern types object against plagiarism (copying other people’s writings but claiming them as your own) because of intellectual property rights and basic honesty. We’re OK with pen names but not with pretending or lying. Pseudonymous writing (writing in someone else’s name) was actually a way of honoring someone in Paul’s day. That isn’t the problem – the problem is when that later writer puts words and thoughts in the mouths of someone who would never say or believe such a thing. And that’s why it matters if Paul was the actual writer or someone else writing in Paul’s name; in questions of doctrine or theology, the weightier arguments are Paul’s own.
So it is that the second oldest letter in the New Testament ends with words that, when read quickly, seem to wrap things up nicely. But when considered more closely, are as troublesome as helpful. All the more reason, as least in my opinion, to use our reason as we listen and learn the lessons of scripture.
Let us pray: Dear Jesus, life in community with others isn’t always easy. We don’t always do our part, we don’t always get along, we don’t always agree. We pray that you use such moments to help us grow as we work through all that divides us, toward that place to peace to which you call us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
January 16, 2009 at 8:46 pm |
So much of what we read in scripture seems filled with contradiction. Passages contradict one another, contradict social norms, contradict personal desires. It can be really challenging to move words from the abstract and into being. But Paul helps us with that too.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Philipians 4:8
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22
These two passages help me apply reason as I “listen and learn [and practice] the lessons of scripture”. They sum up the earthly ministry of Christ, and provide a template for my life. If in the things that I say and think and do I can somehow produce these results, then I guess I’m on the right track. But if my results come down outside of these descriptions, I’d better rethink my behavior.
Thanks Reverand Kerry for this quick study on 2 Thessalonians. I’ve not spent much time in this book before now.
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