An insight into the way that the very earliest Christian communities lived and developed.
Our readings over the next six weeks weave together themes from 1 Thessalonians and Matthew 22–25 as we approach the celebration of Christ the King. ROOTS Children & Young People focuses solely on the readings from Matthew, with their strong narrative content, but Adult & All Age holds together ideas from both sets of readings. 1 Thessalonians may be the oldest part of the New Testament and is interesting for this reason. It is quite short but the background to it, offered below, gives us a useful insight into the way that the very earliest Christian communities lived and developed.
Alexander, a Thessalonian
To help us understand the Thessalonian community to whom Paul addresses his letter, we offer the story of a fictional character, Alexander, a craftsman and a member of the little Christian community founded by Paul. His tale gives us an insight into the hopes and fears of the Thessalonians, their insecure situation and their relationship with the absent Paul.
Thessalonica and its letter
Paul wrote this letter to address the pastoral crisis facing part of the church he founded in the important Roman city of Thessalonica, in the province of Macedonia (in modern-day Greece). Acts 17.1-15 provides a background sketch of his ministry there. As usual he began his preaching in the synagogue. Some Jews were attracted by his message, together with Gentiles who were drawn to the synagogue by its beliefs and morality (often referred to as ‘God-fearers’), and a number of wealthy women. However, Paul seems to have addressed his letter to another group not mentioned in Acts 17: artisans alongside whom he worked in order to support himself during his time in Thessalonica (see 1 Thessalonians 2.9ff; 4.11). Paul’s long hours at the workbench would have given ample time for evangelisation, and the formation of a Christian community based in the workplace.
Acts 17 tells of the opposition Paul faced from members of Thessalonica’s synagogue, who stirred up trouble that spilled over into violence. This was so serious that Paul fled for safety to Beroea, fifty miles away. He used this as an opportunity to preach to the synagogue there, but when news of his success got back to the synagogue in Thessalonica, they stirred up trouble for him in Beroea too, and he left for Athens. It has been suggested that during Paul’s absence from Thessalonica, tragedy struck the workplace church. Some of its members were killed in the violence, and this led to a loss of confidence among those who expected the imminent end of the world. They had never imagined that believers would die before the coming of Jesus from heaven. The continued absence of Paul only added to their grief.
Paul’s response to the crisis in Thessalonica reveals a tenderness that is sometimes missing from his other letters (see 1 Thessalonians 2.7-8,11; 3.6-10). He reassures them by reminding them of what they know of his teaching and example. He interprets their disappointment and grief in the light of their hope in the coming of Jesus from heaven. And he encourages them to resist everything that undermines their faith, by holding onto their loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 22–25
There is tension, too, in the readings from Matthew 22–25. Jesus, in Jerusalem for his last Passover, is drawn into debate with the Jewish leaders there, as his teaching is questioned and tested. This gives him the chance to spell out in public what he has been saying to his disciples on the journey. With mixed success, he has been helping his followers to understand how God’s power is re-shaping the world through his teaching and ministry, and calling them to let that same power fashion their own attitudes and behaviour. Now he brings this message to the heart of Jewish life in the Temple. He challenges the Jerusalem leaders to live up to the responsibilities of their office, and calls his followers to live wisely and attentively by emulating his lowliness. Matthew writes with an eye on the tensions in the communities for whom he writes. They too are under pressure from the local synagogue. As they hear the story he tells, he hopes that they will stand firm around the teaching of Jesus, so that their common life may be a force for God’s blessing and healing in an increasingly unstable and uncertain world.
See also Living every day as first and last (Children & Young People)
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