And we sent Timothy, our brother and the minister of God in the gospel of Christ, to confirm you and exhort you concerning your faith:
και επεμψαμεν τιμοθεον τον αδελφον ημων και διακονον του θεου και συνεργον ημων εν τω ευαγγελιω του χριστου εις το στηριξαι υμας και παρακαλεσαι υμας περι της πιστεως υμων
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse
He says this not to exalt Timothy, but to honor them by sending to them a fellow laborer and minister of the Gospel. It is as though he were saying: having drawn him away from his tasks, we sent to you a servant of God and our fellow worker in the Gospel of Christ.
“And we sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God and our fellow worker in the Gospel of Christ.” Such was the holy Apostle Paul’s care for his disciples. When he himself was restrained by some distressing circumstances, he sent others to visit his disciples.
He did this then also, sending Timothy. He speaks of him with such praise not so much to exalt him, as to honor them. For their sake, at such a necessary time, he drew away from the work of ministry a fellow worker in the Gospel.
“To establish you and comfort you in your faith.” Since the Thessalonians were troubled because their teacher was undergoing temptations, they needed establishment and consolation, lest they fall away from the faith.
For the temptations of a teacher are no small disturbance to disciples, just as the wounds of a commander are to soldiers.
And to you, although I needed many helpers here, I sent Timothy, my fellow worker in the Gospel of God, so that Timothy, coming to you, might establish you, that is, strengthen you, and encourage your faith.
Since we encountered an obstacle to coming to you, we sent Timothy, who is our brother and to whom the divine Gospel has been entrusted. We sent him not to propose another teaching to you, but to establish you in the former teaching and to comfort you.
He was to help you bear courageously the snares of the adversaries, not to waver, and not to retreat from your former resolve. Here it should be noted that the Apostle called the one entrusted with the Gospel of Christ “a minister of God.” By this he teaches that he acknowledges the Son as no less than the Father.
When something happens to the helmsman, either the chief of the rowers or the first of the sailors takes his place. He becomes helmsman not by self-will, but for the salvation of the ship.
So also in war: when the general falls, the first of the captains takes command. He does not usurp the general’s authority, but cares for his own. In the same way, thrice-blessed Timothy stood in for the divine Paul when Paul sent him on a journey.
Therefore it befits your piety to take upon yourself with joy the labors of helmsman, general, and shepherd. You should go into every danger for the sake of Christ’s flock, and not leave His children alone and undefended.
One must not be astonished at what happens in life, because temptations from one’s own and from strangers are everywhere inseparable even from sober-minded people.
Therefore the Apostle, seeing the storms of danger arising and fearing that some of the disciples might be troubled by this, said in his epistle: “I sent Timothy to you, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this” (1 Thess 3:2-3).
What he said means this: such is our life, such is the order of the apostolic calling, to endure thousands of evils. “We are appointed to this,” says the Apostle.
As goods are displayed so that they may be sold and bought, so the apostolic life is appointed to be slandered, to suffer evil, and to have no rest. Those who are watchful not only suffer no harm from this, but acquire even greater profit.
Recalling the sending of Timothy to the Thessalonians, the Apostle speaks of the chief reason for this mission. Namely, separation from them was unbearably painful to him.
Therefore he resolved rather to remain alone in Athens, provided only that he might have proper news of the Thessalonians and not leave them without strengthening and consolation. He hoped to attain this through the Apostle Timothy.
At the same time the Apostle speaks of Timothy, calling him his brother, God’s servant, and his fellow worker. By this he shows, on the one hand, Timothy’s dignity, and on the other, whom he was depriving himself of by sending him to Thessalonica.
According to St. John Chrysostom’s explanation, “St. Paul praises Timothy in this way not to exalt him, but to honor them, because he sent to them a fellow worker and minister of the Gospel. It is as though he said: having drawn him away from labors, we sent to you a minister of God and our helper in the Gospel of Christ.”
“A minister of God.” This indicates St. Timothy’s special appointment from God Himself. A minister of God is one who fulfills God’s special purposes in carrying out the plans of Providence. Such also were Tychicus (Eph 6:21; Col 4:7), Apollos, and even Paul himself.
“The work of St. Paul was to establish still more those standing in the faith, to encourage the weak and those ready to waver in steadfastness, and to comfort those sorrowing because of persecution, so that none should fall or fall away” (Bishop Theophan).
Thus the Apostle could not personally comfort the Thessalonians. Therefore, unable to remain any longer in uncertainty about them, he and Silvanus resolved to stay alone in Athens. They sent Timothy, his faithful fellow laborer, to Thessalonica, so that he might persuade the Thessalonian Christians not to be troubled in afflictions. For Christians, the Apostle observes, are appointed by God Himself to endure afflictions in this life.
Unable to visit the Thessalonians himself, Saint Paul sends Timothy to them. "Such is the manner of action of this holy Apostle," Oecumenius observes, "that when, because of temptations and the constraint arising from them, he cannot himself go to some of his disciples, he sends others to them. Through them he is present with them and converses with them.
He acted this way with respect to the Philippians, and so also with respect to the Corinthians, sending this same Timothy to them and conversing with them through him." Since Saint Timothy was probably not personally known to the Thessalonians. And yet had to strengthen and comfort them, acting with an authoritative word, the holy Apostle tells them who the one being sent is.
By this he suggests that Timothy is able to take the place of the Apostle Paul himself, and that they can trust him and, in conscience, ought to listen to him as to the Apostle Paul himself. At the same time he showed that, by sending such an envoy, he has a very serious concern for them, one touching the most important aspects of their life, and thereby obliges them to full attention.
Saint Chrysostom says that Saint Paul praises Timothy in this way "not by exalting Timothy, but by honoring them through having sent them a coworker and minister of the Gospel. As though saying: drawing him away from affairs, we sent to you a minister of God and our fellow worker in the Gospel of Christ." The same is found in Oecumenius and Theophylact.
And we sent Timothy, our brother. Christians mutually called themselves brothers, as those born again from one Spirit in one font, united with the one Lord, and forming one Church. But in calling Timothy this, the Apostle wants to say that he is the person closest to him. They are bound by sincere love, and for them Timothy is the same as the Apostle himself.
He is a brother to whom the Apostle entrusts everything, and to whom they too may entrust themselves. For his brother is their brother.
A minister of God. This indicates Saint Timothy's special appointment by God Himself. A minister of God is the executor of God's special intentions, one entrusted by God to accomplish something for God's glory, in fulfillment of the plans of Providence. Such also was Tychicus, a faithful minister in the Lord (Eph 6:21; Col 4:7).
Apollos, and even Paul himself, are nothing but ministers, as the Lord gave to each (1 Cor 3:5).
And our fellow worker. This defines precisely Timothy's service to God. He has been appointed to be Saint Paul's fellow worker in the preaching of the Gospel. So he is also named in the Epistle to the Romans (Rom 16:21), where the Apostle calls himself one who serves God in his spirit in the Gospel of His Son (Rom 1:9). He gives the same name to Epaphroditus the Philippian (Phil 2:25).
To strengthen and comfort is the aim of the sending. Both words together embrace all the aspects on which Saint Timothy could and had to act. So also Silas and Judas, sent from Jerusalem to Antioch, comforted and strengthened the brethren with many words after the disturbances produced among them by zealots for the Jewish law (Acts 15:32).
The work of Saint Timothy was to strengthen still more those standing in the faith, to inspire the weak and those ready to waver toward steadfastness, and to comfort those grieving because of persecution, so that no one would fall and fall away. "The Thessalonians needed strengthening and consolation, so as not to fall away from the faith" (Theophylact).
If each word is considered separately, to strengthen means to confirm the spirit in its way of thinking and rules of life, and to give force to convictions received in faith and to resolve to live according to the demands of faith. "To strengthen, as those who are wavering" (Oecumenius). "Not to offer you a new teaching, but to strengthen you in the former teaching" (Theodoret).
To comfort means to calm the heart that is agitated, suffering, and sorrowing because of the troubles in which the Thessalonians had been placed on account of receiving the Gospel. Another time the Apostle wrote to them: "May the Lord comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word," that is, in thoughts and convictions, "and work," that is, in rules of life according to faith (2 Thess 2:17).
Concerning your faith may be referred only to comfort. The heart was in sorrow and distress because of the circumstances brought on by their believing. Because of this, the heart's sorrow cast a shadow upon the faith itself. By interpreting the encountered constraints in a manner worthy of God, Saint Timothy could comfort their hearts and thereby again restore the brightness of faith's countenance in the consciousness of the believers.
Concerning your faith means: with respect to your faith in these circumstances, which were caused by your believing.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 25 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS