1 Thessalonians 2:17-20
In many ways the circumstances we are in can determine our outlook in life. If our circumstances
are less than desirable, we can tend to complain and even angrily insist that those circumstances
change. I can understand these sentiments because, as a sinful human being, I have felt them. But
I have failed to recognize is that the circumstances I am in should not determine my attitude.
Rather, my attitude should rejoice in that God has allowed these circumstances for my good.
It is so much harder to remember that alone, though. And we as human beings were created to
have fellowship, a fact that is rooted in the very nature of God being a trinity. God is a relational
being, and thus you and I are relational beings. So when we experience the challenge of being
apart, it is hard to remember truth because part of why the church exists is to convey truth to one
another and encourage one another (Heb. 3:13; 10:25). And we long for that fellowship. I know
that I have longed for the fellowship of the local body. And it is no wonder that any of us have
longed for it, because in the end, this world is not our home; we are, indeed, just passing through,
as the song goes. We will ultimately experience the joy of perfect, unified fellowship in our true
homeland, for we are, after all, citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20–21).
Paul felt these very emotions that I am describing. He longed to see the church in Thessalonica, a
place he had only been for a few weeks. And though he had only known them for a short while,
Paul felt such an intense love and longing for them that his words flowed out in 1 Thessalonians
2:17–20 with superlatives. He desired to see these people, but he could not. And the lessons that
he learned through his desire he now shares in holy Scripture for us today. I believe that he is
teaching us that though circumstances might prohibit it at times, true believers long for spiritual
fellowship which foreshadows the ultimate joy we will experience in the presence of our Lord.
2 Thessalonians 2:17–20 17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time
in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. 18 Therefore
we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is
our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus
Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.
Paul begins in v. 17 by exemplifying for us that—
I. True believers long for joyous Christian fellowship (v. 17–18a)
Paul’s longing for these believers is clearly evident in v. 17. He longs to see these believers
intensely!
“But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in
heart” — The word “but” indicates that Paul’s desire expressed in the rest of the verse is in
contrast to the previous verses. Paul has just finished speaking about why he thanked the
Lord for them in his prayers.
1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when
you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men,
but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. 14 For you,
brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you
also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans,
15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not
please God and are contrary to all men, 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be
saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the
uttermost.
The people who were “forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles” contrasts with the apostle’s
desire to “see your face.” Though the one was forbidding interaction, the other intensely
desired it.
The phrase “having been taken away” comes from one Greek word which literally means “to
be orphaned.” Paul had not simply left the people; he had been “torn away from” and 2
“orphaned” from them. This conveys an anguish in his heart over the separation he had
experienced from them. But he offers a glimmer of hope when he says that the separation
was “for a short time.” This tearing away seems to be reminiscent of his experience as
recorded in the book of Acts. There, Dr. Luke describes why Paul was so heartbroken over
his absence from this assembly:
Acts 17:1–4 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to
Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in
to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
These people who joined Paul did so because they were persuaded of the veracity of God’s
Word, for Paul was speaking (“reasoning”) to them “from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2). Paul
had invested his ministry of the gospel into these people’s lives. But that time of rejoicing
was to be short lived because the unbelievers of the city did not appreciate the gospel, a fact
that should not surprise us today.
Acts 17:5–10 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil
men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the
house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 But when they did not find them,
they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have
turned the world upside down have come here too. 7 Jason has harbored them, and these are all
acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” 8 And they troubled
the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. 9 So when they had taken
security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and
Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
It should never come as a surprise that the world hates the message of the gospel. Jesus
promised that those who hated Him would also hate us (Matt. 24:9). Paul had only seen these
people for a few weeks and yet he felt such an intense love for them. He acknowledges that
he was only taken away from them “in presence, not in heart.” Though he was physically not
with them, he was constantly thinking about them. He expressed this similar concept in
several others of his letters (e.g. 1 Cor. 5:3; Col 2:5).
“endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire; Therefore we wanted to come
to you—even I, Paul, time and again” — Because he desired to see them, Paul made every
effort to see them. The words he chooses indicate that “they took great pains, and this in the
extreme, in their effort to return to the church.” Paul even intensifies his desire after he 3
expresses the desires of him, Silvanus, and Timothy, by adding “even I, Paul!” This is
exclamatory! But as Paul would soon relate, their plans would ultimately not come to
fruition.
Application: Do you not feel the same tugging in your own heart? Do you not long to see and
fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ? For some, this might not seem like a big
deal. But for true believers, time spent away from the body causes an aching in the depths of
who they are. If you have not longed for the time to be together with other believers, consider
whether or not you might truly be a part of the body. If you cannot be with your brothers and
sisters in Christ physically, you can at least bring them before the Lord in your constant
prayers (1 Thess. 5:17).
Though Paul desired to be with the church in Thessalonica, he ultimately knew learned that
Satan would do everything he could to thwart their ministry. In the same way, true believers not
only long for Christian fellowship—
II. True believers recognize the enemy (v. 18)
The next verse that Paul writes might seem shocking to some yet it is one that perhaps the
church in America should recognize more: Satan will do everything he can to thwart God’s
plan and purposes.
“but Satan hindered us” — These are interesting words. The word for hindered means to
“stop” or “thwart.” One commentator notes that it is a military term, adding “in order to stop
the advance of enemy armies, soldiers would tear up and destroy the road to hinder their
passage.” In essence, Paul is suggesting that Satan was tactically waging war against the 4
efforts of Paul and his companions to come to the church in Thessalonica. Clearly, Paul knew
that Satan would come to tempt them to abandon the truth of the gospel for Paul wrote a few
verses later:
1 Thessalonians 3:5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith,
lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.
If you are thinking carefully through what the Bible teaches (in other words, if you are
considering the the rest of theology) you might be questioning “how can Satan hinder or
thwart God’s servants?” This is an excellent question that should cause us to stop and
consider what God says about Satan’s attacks on his servants.
(1) Satan has been granted power to perform evil. God created Satan with the powerful
abilities (e.g. the ability to speak through a snake—Gen. 3:1ff). Satan (whose name
means “adversary”) has delusions of setting his throne above the throne of God
(Is. 14:12–15); he tried to tempt our Lord to sin in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1–11); he
is the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2; see also 6:12).
(2) Satan seeks to destroy everything that God does. Satan desired to “sift Peter like
wheat” (Luke 22:31); he is walking about looking for believers to devour (1 Pet. 5:8).
He uses lies to thwart God’s work (John 8:44), and to blind people from hearing the
truth of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4).
(3) Satan can only do what God permits him. Though Satan does have great power, he
can only do what God allows him to do. This is best exemplified in the book of Job,
where the Lord gives Satan permission to hurt Job and take away his possession, but
to leave his life alone (Job 1:12; 2:6). Anything that Satan does is ultimately under
the sovereign hand of God.
(4) Satan may hinder the work that man intends for God only if it accomplishes God’s
purposes. Though some might consider Satan as an equal antithesis to God, he is by
no means equal to God. He is powerless before God and if God so willed He could immediately destroy the Deceiver. But for sufficiently wise reasons (and for His ownpleasure and glory) God permits Satan to exist and even at times deter what might begood works. For example:
Daniel 9:12–13 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that
you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words
were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of
Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes,
came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
Daniel desired for God to explain a vision to him and the Lord sent a messenger to
explain it to him, but he was hindered by “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” (I
believe an allusion to Satan). Paul described how he had been hindered on several
occasions from doing certain things (e.g. Rom. 1:13; 15:22; 2 Cor. 12:7). These
hindrances that happen in life may very well be the work of Satan and his demons.
But ultimately, God has permitted it for His own sovereign purposes.
Application: You and I do not have the luxury of acute spiritual insight into every situation
we face. We do not always know whether or not it is actually Satan or one of his demons that
is hindering us or the work we are attempting to do. But we do know that whether it is Satan
or not, God will always accomplish His purposes and nothing that He decrees He will do will
ever fail. If we are hindered in doing what we think if good and right, it is always because
God has providentially allowed it to be so. We should always examine ourselves to make
sure that we are maintaining a right relationship with God, so that when we are hindered in
our plans, we view it as part of the Lord’s will (James 4:15).
Not only do true believers long for Christian fellowship and recognize the enemy, Paul finally
notes that—
III.True believers rejoice in the hope of Christ’s coming (vv. 19–20)
Paul concludes this section with an exclamation of joy. His ultimate joy was knowing that
His crown of rejoicing was the people with whom he had shared the good news of Jesus
Christ.
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our
Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.” — Paul, the apostle of
Jesus Christ, acknowledged that his crown of exultation was the very people he had
evangelized. One day, he would stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and exclaim “these are the
people that I preached the gospel to and whom you graciously saved!” He longed to see the
coming of Christ alongside those whom he had diligently labored on. Ought that not be the
cry and desire of every believer who leads another person to Christ? Ought we not also long
to stand one day with that person and see the coming Lord beside the people who we had the
privilege of bringing to the Lord? We know that it is God who saves, but with Paul we long
to see those “spiritual children” grow into Christlikeness even as a parent longs to see his or
her child grow up into a mature adult. Paul echoed this sentiment to the church in Corinth:
2 Corinthians 1:12–14 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we
conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but
by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. 13 For we are not writing any other things
to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end 14 (as
also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the
Lord Jesus.
This ought to be our desire: to hope in the coming of Jesus Christ and to see our “spiritual
children” there with us.
Conclusion
Though circumstances might prohibit it at times, you ought to long for spiritual fellowship now
in this life, which foreshadows the ultimate joy you will experience in the presence of our Lord.
This ought to be our longing while we are away from one another. And when we can at last be
together, let us thank the Lord for the body of believers with whom we have this intimate and
loving relationship.
Footnotes:
2 Liddell, Henry George, Robert Scott, Henry Stuart Jones, and Roderick McKenzie, A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: 2
Clarendon Press, 1996), 216.