context
for writing – 1st Thessalonians is written to encourage a beleaguered
church to persist in its new way of life, in accordance with the apocalyptic gospel it has
received, despite the fact that it might have been difficult for the members to see the
power of God—and the prestige pertaining to that power—at work in their lives.
[1]
power of the parousia – In this lesson Paul gives us a schematic
of how the end will happen—a chronological order of worship for the second coming of
Jesus Christ. Apparently some among these early converts thought that the second coming
was so close that the parousia would arrive even during their lifetime, even before they
could grow old and die. But as some among them began to die, Paul consoles them in two
ways: 1) he recites a creedal statement quite common to the Pauline corpus—"we
believe that Jesus died and rose again;" 2) he reiterates the parousia in a vision
that provides hope and assurance.
philoxenus of hierapolis [ ca 480] – Brothers, I want you to
know about those who sleep: you must not grieve like the rest of humanity, who have lost
all hope. Our resurrection too will take place by the power of the Holy Spirit who is
within us . . . when they die, their death cannot be called death, but only sleep. [2]
Recall if you’ve read any of
the widely popular Tim LaHaye end time novels—they roughly follow a particular
trajectory of biblical/apocalyptic thought. You might simply go on the internet to get
thumbnail sketches of the books. - Recall a funeral or memorial service at which you said goodbye to someone very close to
you. Note the difficulty you may have had offering that final goodbye and then think about
how these words from Paul offer us more than just a end time chronology, but hope.
NIB makes some interesting comments
concerning apocalyptic material that would make for a unique way to enter this text. The
commentator contrasts and compares 1 Thessalonians 4 with the African-American experience
as contained in their spirituals. Their music, according to this writer, is loaded, coded
apocalyptic. It points to ultimate redemption ("swing low, sweet chariot, a
comin’ for to take me home") but also points to the redemption that is here and
now ("sweet chariot" = underground railroad; "comin’ for . . .
home" = northern states or Canada). Such is the function of Paul’s words about
the end; they provide hope for the future, but also resolve and encouragement to carry on
in the here and now. [3]
