1 Tessalonicenses 4
Theophylact of Ohrid
1 Tessalonicenses 4:1
After I have told you, he says, about what is fitting to hear, next listen about what is always necessary to hear. "Furthermore" is what this means, that is, always and unceasingly. See what humility: he does not consider himself worthy of belief, even in matters of exhortation, but offers the word from Christ, saying: Christ exhorts you through me. The word "having received" refers not to words only, but also to deeds, for he taught by deeds as well. About what then do we beseech? "That you would abound more and more," that is, that you would strive to do more than what the commandments require, and that you would rise above the ordinances. Just as the earth produces not only what has been cast into it, so too the soul must not stop at the ordinances, but rise above them. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:2
A commandment concerns such things which must be avoided, the commission of which entails punishment, while not committing them deserves no praise whatsoever. Meanwhile, there are certain matters that ought not to be commanded; that is, not imposed with a threat, but left to the will of the hearers, such as, for example, the distribution of possessions and virginity. "He who is able to receive it," says the Lord, "let him receive it" (Matt. 19:12). Probably Paul gave them a commandment concerning certain matters with a greater threat. Therefore he does not set this forth here, but only reminds them. And again in the name of Christ. They are not my commandments, he says, but Christ's; so that you will either obey Him or reject Him. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:3
That is, chastity. Everywhere he gives commandment concerning this virtue, both in the Epistle to Timothy (1 Tim. 5:22), and to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 6:6), and to the Hebrews (Heb. 12:14). For this passion is especially strong and therefore requires many and constant remedies. There are many different kinds of this passion, which are even unbearable to speak of, and therefore he simply said: "from all fornication." — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:4
He calls the body a vessel. When we are temperate, the body is also pure, and we have mastery over it; but when it is impure, sin has mastery over it. For whatever sin commands, the body does, like a slave. Properly speaking, it is in honor when it is chaste. Thus sin is dishonor. Pay attention to the word "to keep." It shows that chastity requires training and struggle. Where then are the Manichaeans and Marcionites who complain against nature? — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:5
That is, not in desire that contains passion. For there is also dispassionate desire, such as the desire for divine things. Or, that everything which arouses lust he calls a passion of lust, such as luxury, wealth, idleness, and negligence — each of these can be called a passion of lust. Thus, if we wish to be chaste, we must not permit ourselves any passion that arouses lust. Those who do not know God have no hope of recompense either. Therefore they do everything for their own pleasure. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:6
Above the apostle speaks of fornication in general, but now he speaks of adultery, which he rightly calls covetousness and transgression. For God gave each man a wife and set limits to nature, meaning cohabitation with this one wife. Therefore covetousness applies to this matter, that is, to unlawful cohabitation; and specifically against a brother. Do not think, he says, that I say this only with regard to brothers; no, one must not have the wives of other people either, whether unmarried women or the wives of others. For the Lord punishes for all of this: we do not do this without punishment; we will bear a far greater punishment compared to the pleasure we now receive from it. Look: first the apostle entreated, then he shamed them by saying "even as the Gentiles," then through arguments he showed the vileness of this vice, calling it covetousness; finally, he frightens them and reminds them that they have often heard about this from him. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:7-8
After having said that you wrong your brother, and having pointed out that God will avenge, he now expands his thought, showing that even if an unbeliever suffered this, the guilty one will still bear punishment. For God will punish you not in avenging him, but for His own sake — He called you so that you would be pure, and you have insulted by your impurity the One who gave you the Holy Spirit. Therefore, whether you defile your married slave or a queen, the guilt is the same, for you insult the one God. Even if you were fornicating (and not committing adultery), God will still avenge, because you have defiled His Spirit. Or yet another way: God, seeing that in such matters we show more contempt toward Him than toward people, will avenge for Himself. Before people we take care that they do not see us with their own eyes, but we show contempt toward God, despite the fact that He sees. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:9
The Apostle no longer speaks of love toward all, but of love toward the brethren. By the very omission he already exhorts, achieving two purposes: first, this matter is so necessary that there is no need even to learn it, for everyone knows that it holds particular importance for all. Second, by this he admonishes them all the more, urging them not to fall below the opinion he had of them, considering them already corrected. See how he praises them, saying that God Himself teaches them this virtue. The prophet also said the same thing: "they shall all be taught by God" (Isa. 54:13; Jer. 31:34). — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:10
You are taught by God not simply in word, but: I know this from your deeds. He mentioned Macedonia because Thessalonica is the chief city of Macedonia. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:11
That you are brotherly in love, I know; and we pray about this, that you would advance more in brotherly love and be more generous. Here there can be a stop (a pause in reading the text), and then read from a new beginning: "to live quietly." Or: "and to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own business." By these words he shows that they are lazy, occupy themselves with what they should not, and are restless. And having said, "and to work with your own hands," the apostle shames those who abandon bodily labors and seek spiritual ones. Tell me, you senseless ones: does anyone perform fasting with the hands? Or lying on the bare ground? No. Yet he speaks of bodily labor, which is rather spiritual—namely, to give to others from one's own labors, specifically to the poor. And since their poverty arose from the plundering of their possessions, he teaches them to work so that they might be able to give alms. And if he commands this to those whose possessions were plundered for Christ's sake, how much more so to others. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:12
That is, so that you would not behave indecently by begging alms from unbelievers. The apostle did well to do this, so as not to grieve them. For, he says, if the faithful are scandalized when they see a healthy person begging for alms (which is why such people are even called Christ-sellers), then all the more are unbelievers scandalized. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:13
Here the apostle speaks about the resurrection. Even though he had spoken to them about this before, he now thought to reveal a certain mystery. Or, they knew everything concerning the resurrection, but were weeping, which is what he now seeks to heal. But since ignorance of many things grieves us, while knowledge, on the contrary, alleviates grief, he says: "I do not want to leave you in ignorance." He did not say: αποθανόντων — of those who have died, but: κεκοιμημένων — of those who have fallen asleep, showing by the very expression itself that there will be a resurrection. What hope? The hope of the resurrection. For those who have no hope of the resurrection ought to grieve. Let us listen and be terrified. At what? For you do not want to leave them in ignorance so that they would not grieve? For you do not say: lest you be punished, but "lest you grieve." He says this because this grief brings punishment. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:14
As, he says, He raised the Lord, who suffered bodily and died, so He will raise us also. Notice that since the resurrection of the Lord has already taken place, he boldly says of Him: "died" — απέθανε; whereas concerning us, since our resurrection is yet to come, he says "fallen asleep" — τους κοιμηθέντας, indicating by this the possibility of awakening. For, he says, does not one who goes to sleep hope that he will rise? The words "those who have fallen asleep" (κοιμηθέντας — the departed) "through" (δια) "Jesus God will bring" can be understood in two ways: either He will bring them through Jesus, that is, the Son will be the mediator of their resurrection and will present them before the face of the Father; or: "those who have fallen asleep in Jesus," that is, the faithful. For those who have Christ in themselves also fall asleep (κοιμώνται) in Jesus. Thus, the apostle speaks here of the particular resurrection, that is, the glorious one, which belongs to the faithful and which will be with the Lord. "Will bring with Him," that is, with the Lord He will catch them up from everywhere on the clouds. Although the Thessalonians knew about the general resurrection, the apostle now wishes to comfort them by pointing out that the resurrection of the faithful will be in glory and honor, so that they would not grieve. All will rise, but not all in glory — only the faithful, that is, those who unite works with teaching. Pay attention to all that follows. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:15
Intending to say something extraordinary, he confirms it with the word of God: for I do not speak of myself, but what I learned from Christ. This, as well as what follows: "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35), he clearly heard from his Teacher. The rest he spoke by the inspiration of the Spirit. What he said in the Epistle to the Corinthians: "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor. 15:52), he says now as well. Since it seemed difficult that those who had decayed should rise, he says that "the living" shall not precede them; but for God it is easy to bring both those who remained whole and those who had decayed. In saying "we who are alive," he does not point to himself, for he was not going to remain alive until the general resurrection, but to the faithful; therefore he also added "who remain until the coming of the Lord." For in saying "we," he points to all those who will live until that time. But Saint Methodius understands "the living" to mean souls, teaching thus: that souls will not appear before bodies, because bodies will be awakened first so that souls may be united with them, about which the apostle also said that they will remain alive, for souls are immortal. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:16
You, he says, do not doubt what I am saying: the Lord Himself will command this. How will He command? With the voice of the Archangel, who rules over the other angels and cries out: prepare all, for the Judge is at hand. There will be many trumpets, but the Judge will descend at the sound of the last one. Just as the Father on Mount Sinai had both trumpets and angels ministering to Him, so too the Son will have these, as King. Or: the command of God will cause the earth to return the bodies, changed into incorruption; and the voice of the Archangel, with the co-ministry of angels, will bring it about that those scattered everywhere will be gathered into one. The "dead in Christ," that is, the faithful. Since they must be caught up on the clouds, they will also rise first. The rest will rise last, since they have neither to be caught up nor to meet Him. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:17
Although the dead shall rise first, we also who are living, that is, the worthy ones, shall likewise be caught up on clouds, just as a cloud took up the Lord. If the Lord is to descend, then why will the faithful be caught up? For the sake of honor. For just as when a king enters a city, the distinguished citizens go out to meet him, while the criminals inside await the judge, so also will it be then. Sinners, even if they be Christians, wait below, while the righteous are caught up, and in this way receive blessings in all their fullness, always abiding with Christ. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
1 Tessalonicenses 4:18
So as not to grieve like the rest, who have no hope of the resurrection. — Commentary on 1 Thessalonians