1 Thessalonians 2:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus the Apostle Paul says: "We became little among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children." But when there is danger that the infant will be cut apart, and when usurpation appropriates false honor and is ready to break unity, the mother despises her honor.

She wants only to see her son whole and unharmed. She watches only so as not to allow usurpation to cut the weak little body with the sword of schism, by insisting too firmly that the honor of motherhood belongs to her.

Therefore let the mother's love say: "Give her the child" (3 Kingdoms 3:27).

For a mother also loves to feed her child, but she does not want him always to remain such. She holds him at her breast, warms him in her embrace, gently comforts him, feeds him with milk, and does everything for her child.

Yet she wants her child to grow, not always to remain such. Look then at the Apostle. We understand him better because he does not even deem himself worthy of the name mother when he writes: "I became little among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children."

There are nurses who tenderly care for children who are not their own. And there are mothers who give their children to nurses, and who do not themselves cherish their children.

And so the persecutions and torments increased so greatly that life became burdensome to Paul. Then fear and trembling came upon him, and horror overwhelmed him (Ps 54:6), as you know it is said in the Psalm.

This is the voice of the Body of Christ, the voice of His members. Do you wish to recognize your own voice in it? Become one of Christ's members.

David says, "Fear and trembling came upon me, and horror overwhelmed me. And I said, 'Who would give me wings like a dove? I would fly away and be at rest'" (Ps 54:6-7).

Paul, in a certain sense, felt aversion because of the burden of the flesh. He wanted to fly away to Christ, but the abundance of sufferings blocked his path, though it did not close it completely.

Life became distasteful to him, but not that eternal life of which he says: "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil 1:21).

But since love for his neighbors held him here, where does he turn? "If I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor. Yet what I shall choose I do not know.

"I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ" (Phil 1:22-23), while "to remain in the flesh is more needful for you" (Phil 1:24).

He yielded to his crying chicks. Spreading his wings, he covered them and cherished them, as he himself says: "I became little among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children."

Look at Paul ascending: "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago, whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows, was caught up to the third heaven.

"And he heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" (2 Cor 12:2-4). You have heard what he says about ascent. Now listen to what he says about descent.

"I could not speak to you as to spiritual people, but as to carnal, as to infants in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food" (1 Cor 3:1-2).

Behold, the one who ascended descends. Ask where he ascended: to the third heaven. Ask where he descended: to feeding infants with milk.

Listen to how he descended: "I became little among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children." We see how nurses and mothers also descend to infants.

Although they know how to speak Latin, they shorten their words and in some way distort their speech, so that they may caress a child's hearing with language understandable to them.

For if they do not speak this way, the infant does not hear, and it brings him no benefit. So also an eloquent father, even if he is such a great orator that his speeches thunder in the forum and shake the walls of the court, acts differently if he has a little son.

When he returns home, he leaves behind the public eloquence by which he was elevated, and descends to the infant.

Do we not observe among dumb and irrational animals, where there is not spiritual but only bodily natural love, with what feeling milk is sought by the young from their mothers' teats?

However strong the thrust of the suckling may be, this is more pleasing to the mother than if the young one did not suck milk and did not demand what love has provided.

Often we see calves already considerably grown strike their heads under the mother's udder so hard that the force of the blow almost lifts her up. Yet she never kicks them or drives them away.

On the contrary, if the little son who sucks her is not nearby, she calls him to her teats with lowing. Therefore, if there is in us that spiritual love of which the Apostle says, "I became little among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children," then we love you when you seek.

The idle, however, are not pleasing to us, because we fear for those who remain inactive.

Chrysostom supports this thought and says that the Apostles would have done nothing strange if they had appeared with weight among their disciples. For it is fitting for the envoys of kings to appear with weight.

But one must not forget that the King Himself, whose representatives these envoys, the Apostles, are, appeared not in glory and sent His disciples not for glory. Therefore the thought of the Slavonic translation is closer to the Apostle's expression.

"We were gentle among you, as a nursing mother warms her own children." The force of the contrast in this part of the verse lies not in the word "gentle," but in the expression "warms her own children."

A nursing mother, at risk to her own life and forgetting herself, caresses, feeds, and protects her children. She shows them not a shadow of severity and requires nothing from the children for the satisfaction of her needs.

The Apostle compares himself with such a nursing mother. He did everything for the Thessalonians. He gave them the Gospel of God, was ready to give even his soul for them, and never burdened them with anything.

"The first feature of the character of the Apostles in Thessalonica is gentleness. The second is motherly love. Here the nursing woman is not merely a nurse, as is clear from the fact that she is presented as feeding her own children."

"She is a mother during the nursing of a child, a nursing mother. Saint Paul also compares himself with a mother in the epistle to the Galatians (4:19)."

"He often calls himself a father in relation to those who believed through him (1 Cor 4:15). The comparison with a mother is more appropriate here because the Apostle wished to express his extremely tender love, or love on the side of feeling."

"Love on the side of deeds of love he expresses below, in verse 9, by comparing himself with a father" (Bishop Theophan).

At first glance, "to be in weight" might be understood in connection with what the Apostle says in verse 9, "that we might not burden you." It might also be linked with the Apostle's use of this word elsewhere (2 Thess 3:8; 2 Cor 12:16; 11:9).

It would then mean burdening them with their maintenance. By the Lord's command that those who preach the Gospel should live from the Gospel (1 Cor 9:14), the Apostles could blamelessly receive support from those who accepted the Gospel.

Since this required new expenses not present before, it could seem a burden. Is this the burden Saint Paul means here, as if saying: we could have burdened you with our maintenance, but did not?

No, not this. For then he would have needed to add "you," and instead of "to be in weight," εν βαρει, he would have had to say "to be a burden," εις βαρος.

That is, he would have said, "though we could have been a burden to you." The chief reason this meaning cannot be accepted is that it corresponds neither to the preceding discourse about not seeking glory, nor to what follows, where the Apostle speaks of his gentleness.

It is better to interpret "though we could have been in weight" as in the Russian translation: though we could have appeared with authority, as Apostles.

Chrysostom says on this passage: "If ambassadors of kings enjoy honor, much more could we. Those sent by God to men should, in all justice, enjoy greater honor, as messengers who have appeared to us from heaven.

"Yet despite such abundance of right, we do nothing of the kind, in order to stop the mouths of opponents."

It may be allowed that the holy Apostle has in mind here the removal of a new special accusation, similar to what was later woven in Corinth (2 Cor 10:10): that Saint Paul acted too weakly.

A messenger of God ought to show more authority. The Apostle says: we could have appeared as such, but we were gentle. Our love for you compelled us to act this way.

"But we were gentle among you." "But" directly answers what was said above, "though we could have been in weight." Together they form a complete thought: we could have appeared with authority, but we were gentle.

That is, we did not maintain a lofty tone. We were not domineering (1 Pet 5:3), but like servants, according to the Lord's command, ready to do everything for you ourselves (Mt 20:26).

"Gentle" is ηπιοι. `Ηπιος means meek, quiet, tenderly loving, benevolent. It is used precisely in relations of superiors to inferiors: a king to subjects, a superior to subordinates, parents to children, physicians to those being treated.

"Among you" means that in our dealings with you we were the same as you. It was as though we possessed nothing special, and as though we had received no special appointment or significance, as Chrysostom says.

We appeared among you, surrounded by you, as teachers by disciples, as mothers by children, as a hen by chicks. Perhaps this condescension served some as a reason to reproach the Apostles for flattery, and others to reproach them for weakness of character.

The Apostle answers: all this is the fruit of love for you, not flattery or weakness. "As a nursing mother cherishes her own children." The first feature of the Apostles' disposition in Thessalonica is gentleness. The second is motherly love.

Here the nursing woman is not a hired nurse, as is clear from the fact that she is presented as nourishing her own children. She is a mother during the period of nursing the child, a mother who suckles.

Saint Paul compares himself with a mother also in the Epistle to the Galatians (Gal 4:19). He often calls himself a father in relation to those who believed through him; see here verse 11 and 1 Cor 4:15.

The comparison with a mother proved more suitable here because the Apostle wanted to express his extremely tender love for them, or love on the side of feeling.

Love on the side of deeds of love he expresses below, in verse 9, by comparing himself with a father. With this comparison, the Apostle also wanted to cast a final light on his preceding thoughts of defense against accusations.

Thus Saint Chrysostom says: "Does a nurse flatter a child in order to gain glory from it? Does she seek money from infants? Is she arrogant and harsh with them? Here the Apostle reveals tender love in himself."

"Cherishes her own children," θαλπη. This is said of birds that warm their young by covering them with their wings. So also a mother wraps her little child at her breast, thereby protecting it and giving it vitality.

The comparison indicates the movement of love, ready to do everything for the beloved.