The author of Second Thessalonians surely takes the church to task for its laziness. He tells the faithful to “keep away from believers who are living in idleness.” Ostracism: that seems a pretty harsh admonition for laziness.
As always, there is more to the story. While First Thessalonians is in response to the church’s looking for signs of the Lord’s return, Second Thessalonians is written in response to the church’s living as if he had already come again. The epistle writer cautions the church against an untrue story that some seem to be living out of, a story that implies that because Jesus will come again soon, they don’t need to plan for the future. They take advantage of others’ generosity, living undisciplined lives and knowing that someone else will meet their needs.
How tempting it is to tell the version of the story that benefits us the most! Christ has commanded us to deal generously with others. But at what point does our self-talk become deception? When does our deception—even of ourselves—begin to separate us from God and from others?
In Second Thessalonians, the people have crossed that line. Their undisciplined lives have become a stumbling block for the community, and they are in danger of being given the cold shoulder. The writer advises that those who can take care of themselves, do so. Discipline teaches us what it means to be a disciple. May we be honest in our work as we face the true story about ourselves.