Pentecost 22 -2023
1 Thessalonians 2:1-13
Marian Free
In the name of God, creator of the universe, child in a manger. Amen.
Paul did not come to believe in Jesus from intellectual conviction or through the influence of the early missionaries. By his own report. he had some sort of direct experience (revelation) of Jesus, to which he refers obliquely in Galatians 1:15,16 (and possibly 1 Corinthians 12). This means he is a convert with all the enthusiasm of the convert. He is utterly passionate about the gospel which he has imparted to his congregations – hence his keenness, his willingness to put up with persecution and imprisonment, his frustration with those who do not understand and with those who misinterpret his teaching, his anger at the Galatians who are turning away, his denunciation of those who preach a “different gospel” and his absolute conviction that his gospel is the only gospel.
Paul’s enthusiasm leads to a certain sort of dogmatism which can be off-putting for those who see only his insistence on certain behaviours and beliefs. A closer examination of Paul’s letters reveals that his apparent assertiveness is based on his very deep love for those whom he has brought to faith and his desire to ensure that they do not squander God’s gifts of salvation, freedom, and life.
Paul’s affection for those whom he has brought to faith is particularly evident in the letter to the Thessalonians. In the verses that we read this morning, Paul reveals his deep love for the members of that community – a love that is tender and self-giving, a love that can be compared to that of a nurse caring for her own children or of or a father with his children[1]. He speaks with a familiarity, an intimacy that desires only the very best for those to whom he is writing. The expression of nurse is unique to Thessalonians, but elsewhere Paul claims he will “gladly spend and be spent for those whom he has brought to faith.” (1 Corinthians 14:15), he also tells the Corinthians that he became their father the gospel (1 Corinthians). 4:15 and when writing to the Philippians he consistently refers to them as his “beloved”[2].
That Paul might refer to himself as a nursing mother is surprising, but it is not the most surprising expression of relationship in this letter. Unfortunately, our English translations fail to do justice to Paul’s language here, which means that we miss the depth of intimacy and the absolute vulnerability that Paul is trying to express. In the NRSV verse 7 reads in part “we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children”. It seems that the translators did not know what to do with the Greek word “nāpios” which means infant, child, or even newborn. (The contrast between Paul the apostle and an infant was/is presumably too great for them to accept that that was what Paul really meant.) Yet modern translators agree that a more accurate translation be something like, “We were an infant among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you.”
In order to express the strength and depth of the relationship between the Thessalonians and himself, Paul needs to reveal both his vulnerability and his self-giving love. His is both infant and mother, a contradiction which the translators of the NRSV are careful to avoid. Yet avoiding the conundrum prevents us from developing a fuller understanding of the person that Paul is and of the relationship Paul builds with those whom he is called to serve.
Paul is authoritative when he needs to be. He can be stern and insistent, frustrated and disappointed. He can also be completely vulnerable, open to being hurt, confused, and let down by the behaviour and attitudes of his communities. By identifying as a new-born child, Paul is making it clear to the Thessalonians that his life, his ministry is in their hands. He is as dependent on them as they might be on him, that they have as much influence over his behaviour as he has over theirs. The relationships that he forges with those whom he brings to faith is not of leader and follower, but a relationship of mutuality and trust.
This is particularly important, when as is clear from the letter, coming to faith in the time of Paul often involved suffering – whether through direct attacks from those who were anxious to prevent the spread of Christianity, or as a result of social exclusion – a consequence of turning away from the religious activities of their families and friends. In writing to the Thessalonians Paul is conscious that their experience of coming to faith has already involved suffering: “in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit” (1:6). Now that he is away from them, Paul is anxious to assure the Thessalonians of his self-giving, sacrificial love and at same time to reassure them that he, no less than they, is susceptible to the suffering that they are experiencing. He does not stand over or apart from them but is one with them in his vulnerability, dependent on them for his very existence. The community is given the opportunity to care for him as he for them, empowered by Paul’s parental care they can continue to be strong in the face of any opposition.
This surely is the model of ministry that Christ modelled – utter vulnerability and self-giving love, newborn yet teacher and guide, allowing himself to be served, yet always serving others.
It is important to allow the contradiction to become part of our own ministry – to be strong when others need us to be strong, but not so afraid to be weak that we never allow others to care for us, to give selflessly and sacrificially, but not in such a way that we appear to be invulnerable and to foster a sense of mutuality in which each person’s ministry is valued.
[1] Later Paul describes his separation from the community as “being orphaned”. (2:17)
[2] The list could go on.
Tags: ministry, mutuality, newborn child, nursing mother, Thessalonians, vulnnerability
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