One game that is often played at church picnics or school sports days is a tug-of-war. Two teams of people engage in a competition of strength and persistence as they dig their feet into the ground beneath them, hold on tight to the rope in front of them, and pull with all their strength against the other team who are trying to pull them in the opposite direction.
There are two key things that teams can do in a tug of war to help them win: place their feet firmly on the ground and hold the rope tightly in their hands. If their feet should slip or their hands let go of the rope, then the other team will win.
When we listen to the Apostle Paul’s words to the early Christian community in Thessalonica in this week’s New Testament reading, it almost sounds like he could be coaching them in a tug-of-war. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15 he writes:
With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter. (NLT)
We can almost hear Paul on the sideline of a tug-of-war encouraging the Thessalonian Christians to ‘Stand fast! Hold tight!’ Paul was concerned that they were letting go of the teaching he had passed on to them, and the truth of the good news of Jesus was slipping from their grasp. If the Thessalonian Christians slipped up or let go of what Paul had taught them, the results would be a lot more serious than just losing a game at a church picnic or school sports day. To let go of the teaching Paul had passed on to them could mean that they could let go of God’s grace for them in Jesus, fall from his redeeming love, and be lost from Christ’s Kingdom. It was crucial for the Thessalonian Christian community that they stood fast on the teaching that Paul had passed on to them and that they kept a tight grip on the gospel he had taught them so they could remain in God’s loving kindness, grow in their faith in Jesus and their love for each other, and finally reach their eternal home with God.
As we read Paul’s first and second letters to the Thessalonians, we can see that the teaching they were struggling with and were at risk of letting go was the return of Jesus. As we read in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, Paul wanted to ‘clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him’ (NLT). It seems like there were some people that were connected with the Thessalonian congregation who were saying Jesus had already come and the Thessalonian Christians were in danger of being left out of God’s Kingdom. Paul encourages them by pointing to someone called ‘the man of lawlessness’ (NLT) in verse 3 who would come first. Paul’s description of this person and his activity is vague and cryptic. A lot of people have shared their theories of who this ‘man of lawlessness’ might be and what he would do, but many Bible scholars agree that he represents the worldly powers which try to put themselves in God’s place and deceive God’s people by making them trust and follow them instead of Jesus.
Paul tells the Thessalonian Christians that Jesus will return at the end of time and destroy the power of evil in this world, including this ‘man of lawlessness’. Paul writes in verse 12, ‘Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing in the truth’ (NLT). Paul wants the Thessalonian Christians to stand firm in the faith that at the end of time Jesus will return as king and lord of all to destroy evil and gather his faithful people to himself. He had already written to the Thessalonians about this in chapter 4 verses 13 to 17 of his first letter. Paul described how Jesus will return at the end of time, descending from heaven ‘with a commanding shout’ to raise the dead from their graves (v16) and gather those who are still alive to him to be with him forever (v17). Paul wanted the Thessalonians to encourage each other with this hope in the face of death (v18). He wrote that ‘the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night’ (1 Thess 5:2 NLT). This is what he refers to in this week’s reading when he talks about the teaching he had passed on to them by letter in 2 Thessalonians 2:15. Now, he was again urging them to hold on tight to the hope of Jesus’ return in glory so their feet could remain firm on God’s promises as they trusted that God will always do what he says he will.
There are plenty of ideas about the end of the world in our time and place. They can range from the fear of a global nuclear war or an asteroid colliding with the earth, to Artificial Intelligence enslaving humanity or even a zombie apocalypse. Some of these theories can cause people a lot of distress and worry. In the face of these worries, we can hear Paul encouraging us, too, to stand fast and hold tight to the teaching he has passed on to us about the return of Jesus. Yes, there will be struggles and persecutions for people who follow Jesus in faith, hope and love. We can read that in various places through the New Testament such as Matthew 5:11,12, Mark 13:5-37, Luke 6:22,23, and Revelation 7:9-14. However, persecutions, international conflicts or natural disasters do not mean that Jesus has forgotten or abandoned us. Instead, they remind us that Jesus is coming back to make the wrong things of this world right again and to gather his faithful people into his eternal kingdom of grace, peace and joy. Just as Paul urged the early Thessalonian Christians to encourage each other with his words in 1 Thessalonians 4:18, so he wants us to encourage each other to stand fast on God’s good and grace-filled promises to us in his Word, and to hold on tight to the hope of Jesus’ return at the end of time. As we stand fast and hold tight to the gospel of Jesus, we can continue to find everything we need for our lives in him and, in the end, we will be among his faithful people who share in his Kingdom for ever.
When we are in a tug-of-war and the opposition is strong and pulling hard on the rope, it’s important to keep our feet firmly planted on the ground and our hands wrapped tightly around the rope. When anyone or anything tries to pull us away from the truth of God’s limitless and powerful love and grace for us in Jesus, we can hear Paul encouraging us from eternity to stand fast and hold tight to the teachings he has passed on to us in the gospel of Jesus. As we wait for Jesus to return, in the middle of the turmoils and uncertainties that we face in the world today, we can pull together by encouraging each other to stand fast and hold tight to God’s life-giving goodness and mercy to us in the good news of Jesus.
More to think about or discuss:
- Have you ever been in a tug-of-war? What did you find difficult about it? What helped you in it?
- What are your thoughts about the end of the world? How might what Paul writes help you to stand fast in the good news of Jesus and hang on to the promise of his return in glory?
- What is one thing you can do this week to encourage another sister or brother in Christ to stand fast in God’s grace & love for them, or to hang on to his promises to them in Jesus?
Pastor Eugene Online 
Leave a comment