1 Thessalonians 1:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For this reason, although they received the preaching after others, they became teachers of those who had received it before them. Therefore let no one despair, even if he has spent much time and accomplished nothing.

Even in a short time, he is able to accomplish as much as he would not have accomplished in all his former life. If one who formerly did not believe shone so brightly at the beginning, then those who already believe can attain this all the more.

Yet, while keeping in mind that everything can be made up in a short time, let no one remain careless. The future is unknown, and the day of the Lord, like a thief, will suddenly overtake us while we sleep.

But if we do not sleep, it will not overtake us like a thief, nor present us unprepared for judgment. If we watch and are sober, it will come to us not like a thief, but like a royal messenger calling us to the blessings prepared for us.

But if we sleep, it will appear as a thief. Therefore let no one sleep. Let no one be lazy in virtue, for this is sleep.

Do you not know how unsafe our property is when we sleep, and how easy it is then to make attempts against it? When we are awake, we have no need of special precautions. But when we sleep, even with every precaution, we often perish.

There are doors, bars, guards, and watchmen, and yet the thief succeeds in entering. But why do I say this? Because if we watch, we shall not need the help of others.

But if we sleep, the help of others will bring us no profit, and even with it we may perish. It is good to hope in the prayer of the saints, but only when we ourselves also labor.

Someone will say, "Why do I need the prayer of others, if I myself am active and so do not bring myself into need of it?" I do not wish that for you. But if one judges soundly, we always experience this need.

Paul did not say, "What need have I of the prayer of others?" Those who prayed for him were not worthier than he, and were not even equal to him. Yet you say, "What need have I of the prayer of others?"

Peter did not say, "What need have I of prayer?" It is written, "the Church prayed earnestly to God for him" (Acts 12:5). Yet you say, "Why do I need the prayer of others?"

You need it precisely because you consider it unnecessary for yourself. Even if you were equal to Paul, you would need prayer. Do not exalt yourself, lest you be humbled.

But, as I have already said, prayers offered for us help us only when we ourselves also labor. Hear what Paul says: "For I know that this will turn out for my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:19).

And again: "you also helping together in prayer for us, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many" (2 Cor 1:11). Yet you say, "What need have I of prayer?"

Of course, if we ourselves are careless, no one will be able to help us by his prayers. What profit did Jeremiah bring the Jews? Did he not approach God three times, and did he not hear three times, "Do not lift up prayer and supplication for them, and do not intercede before Me, for I will not hear you" (Jer 7:16)?

What benefit did Samuel bring Saul? Did he not weep for him to his last day, and not merely pray? What benefit did he bring the Israelites?

Did he not say, "Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you" (1 Sam 12:23)? And did they not all perish? Then, they will say, prayers bring no benefit.

They do bring benefit, and great benefit, but only when we also do something. The prayers of others cooperate and help. Yet one can cooperate and help only one who is already acting.

If you yourself remain inactive, you will not receive much benefit. Indeed, if the prayers of others, while we are inactive, had power to bring us into the Kingdom, why are not all Greeks Christians?

Do we not pray for the whole world? Did not Paul do the same? Do we not pray that all may turn to salvation? Why, then, tell me, do the impious not become pious?

Is it not clearly because they do not wish to contribute anything on their own part? Thus the prayers of others bring great benefit when we ourselves also contribute what is required of us.

Do you wish to know how prayers have been beneficial? Remember Cornelius (Acts 10:4) and Tabitha (Acts 9:36). Hear also what Jacob said to Laban: "If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would now have sent me away empty-handed" (Gen 31:42).

Hear also what God Himself says: "I will defend this city, to save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David" (2 Kgs 19:34). But when was this? In the time of Hezekiah, who was righteous.

Yet if prayers had power even for the greatly impious, why did God not say the same during the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar, but delivered the city? Because impiety had then grown stronger.

Again, the same Samuel prayed for the Israelites and had success. But when? When they themselves were pleasing before God. Then God drove away their enemies.

Someone will say, "What need have I of another's prayer when I live in a manner pleasing to God?" Never say this, man. There is need, and need of many prayers. Hear what God says about Job's friends.

"He shall pray," He says, "for you," and your sin will be forgiven (Job 42:8), because although they had sinned, their sin was not great. Yet this same righteous man, who then saved his friends by prayer, could not save the Jews from destruction during the Jewish kingdom.

To make this clear to you, hear what God says through the prophet: "Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were found in it, they would save neither sons nor daughters" (Ezek 14:14-18), because impiety had prevailed.

And again: "Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me" (Jer 15:1). Notice how this is said to two prophets, because both interceded for the Jews, yet had no success.

Since Ezekiel said, "Ah, Lord God! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel?" (Ezek 9:8), God, showing that He does this justly and does not reject his intercession out of disregard for him, points him to their sins.

It is as though He says: these sins are already enough to assure you that I do not reject your intercession out of disregard for you, but because of the multitude of their sins. Yet He adds these words as well: "Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were found in it."

It was especially necessary to say these words to him, because he himself had suffered much for the Israelites. He says, as it were: You told me, Lord, to eat in uncleanness, and I ate.

You told me, and I shaved myself. You told me, and I lay on one side. You told me to pass through an opening in the wall with a burden, and I passed through.

You took my wife from me and forbade me to weep, and I did not weep, but endured with a good heart. I made thousands of other self-sacrifices for their sake, and now I implore You for them, yet You do not heed.

Therefore God, showing that He does this not out of disregard for him, says: even if Noah, Job, or Daniel were there and began to entreat for sons and daughters, I would not listen.

And again, what does God say to Jeremiah, who suffered less from God's commands, but much more from the impiety of the Jews? "Do you not see what they are doing?" (Jer 7:17).

The prophet says, as it were: true, they are doing this, but act for my sake. To this God says to him: "Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me."

Moses was the first lawgiver, who delivered them many times from dangers, and said, "Forgive them their sin, but if not, blot me also out of Your book which You have written" (Ex 32:32).

Even if he were now present and said this, he would not succeed. Nor would Samuel, who also delivered them and from his earliest years earned great honor among them.

Concerning the first I said that I spoke with him as a friend with a friend, and not in riddles. Concerning the latter, I said that I appeared to him in his childhood.

Bending to his request, I opened the gift of prophecy that had been closed. It is written, "The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not frequent" (1 Sam 3:1).

Therefore, if both of them stood before Me, they would have no success. Likewise it is said of Noah: "Noah was a righteous man and blameless in his generation" (Gen 6:9).

And of Job, that "this man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil" (Job 1:1). Yet if even they stood before Me, and Daniel, whom the Chaldeans even honored as a god, they could not, God says, deliver their sons and daughters.

Knowing this, let us neither neglect the prayers of the saints nor rely on them entirely. Let us observe the latter, so that we do not grow lazy and pass life in idleness. Let us observe the former, so that we are not deprived of great benefit.

Rather, let us ask them also to pray for us and help us, while we ourselves remain in virtue. Then we shall be able to attain the blessings promised to those who love God, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ.

With Him, to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The circumstances of the Thessalonians’ conversion may be called extraordinary, with clear signs of their divine election. “Our Gospel among you,” despite its short duration, “was not in word only,” the Apostle writes to them, “but also in power, ... and in much assurance.” And “you ... became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia, so that we have no need to say anything. ... They themselves report ... how, in so remarkable a way, you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God” (1 Thess 1:5-9).

“See what praise this is,” says St. John Chrysostom. “The disciples suddenly became equal to the teachers. ... It was not enough to say: You were afflicted and amid calamities did not cease believing. Rather: You believed with great joy. The Apostles also acted thus, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 5:41). By what did they become like the Lord? By the fact that He Himself, while enduring great sufferings, did not give Himself over to grief, but rejoiced. ... Lest someone should say, ‘How is affliction spoken of together with joy? How can both be present?’ the Apostle added: with joy of the Holy Spirit. Affliction was in them as bodily men, but joy was in them as spiritual men. The circumstances are grievous, but what they produce is not so, for the Spirit does not permit it. As the refreshing of the three children was not the work of the nature of fire, but of the cooling Spirit, so here joy is not produced by the nature of affliction, but by the Spirit. He refreshes and, through the furnace of temptations, brings one to coolness and rest.”

Explaining how the Thessalonians became examples of receiving the Christian faith and abiding in it, Bishop Theophan says: “The perfection of their faith was evident to all. Perfection that is recognized calls forth imitation.” To this our more recent interpreter adds: “In the moral world it is always so, that true followers of lofty examples later become examples for imitation themselves. This happened first of all with the Apostle of the Gentiles himself. Imitating Christ, he himself became an ideal for his followers. ‘Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ,’ he writes to the Corinthians (1 Cor 11:1). The same happened with the Thessalonian Christians.”

No one deliberately spread the report. The light of divine glory was seen in their faith because it was there and could not fail to be seen by those capable of seeing. How and in what way they showed that they had become an example, the Apostle explains further in verse 8.

“So that you became an example to the believers.” St. Chrysostom says: “He did not say, ‘so that you became an example to those who are going to believe,’ but to those already believing. That is, from the very beginning you entered the struggle and thereby taught how one must believe in God. Do you see how much zeal means? With zeal there is no need for much time, delay, or postponement. One need only set to work, and everything will be brought to accomplishment. Therefore they, having received the preaching after others, became teachers of those who had received it before them.”