Homily 3 — Second Thessalonians 1, verse 9, to 2, verse 5

“They will suffer punishment, even eternal destruction, from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at in all who have believed.” [a]

There are many people who build up good hopes, not by keeping away from their sins, but by thinking that hell is not as terrible as it is said to be. They think it milder than what is threatened, and temporary, not eternal, and they reason about this at great length. I could show for many reasons, and prove from the very words used about hell, that it is not milder than what is threatened at all, but far more terrible. But I do not mean to speak about these things now. The fear that comes from the bare words is enough, even if we do not fully unfold their meaning. But that it is not temporary, listen to Paul now, when he says of those who do not know God and do not believe the good news that “they will suffer punishment, even eternal destruction.” How, then, can something be temporary that is everlasting?

“From the face of the Lord,” he says. What does this mean? He wants to say here how easily it could happen. Since they were very puffed up at that time, he says there is no need of much trouble: it is enough for God to come and be seen, and all are caught up in punishment. To some, indeed, his coming will mean light, but to others vengeance. [b]

“And from the glory of his might,” he says, “when he comes to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed.” Is God glorified? Yes, he says, in all the saints. How? For when those who are so puffed up see the people they flogged, the people they despised and mocked, now standing near to him, that is his glory — or rather it is their glory, both theirs and his. It is his, because he did not abandon them; theirs, because they were counted worthy of such great honor. Just as it is his wealth that there are faithful people, so it is also his glory that there are people who are going to enjoy his blessings. It is the glory of one who is good to have people to whom he can give his kindness.

“And to be marveled at,” he says, “in all who have believed” — that is, “through all who have believed.” See, here again “in” is used for “through.” For through them he is shown to be wonderful, when he brings to such splendor people who were pitiable and wretched, who had suffered countless evils, and who had believed. Then his power is shown. For though they seem to be abandoned here, they nevertheless enjoy great glory there; and then, above all, the whole glory and power of God is shown. How?

“Because our testimony to you was believed in that day.” [d]

Verse 11: “To this end we also always pray for you.”

That is: when those who have suffered countless evils meant to make them abandon the faith, and yet have not given in but have believed, are brought out into public view, God is glorified. Then the glory of these people is shown as well. “Call no one blessed,” it says, “before his death” (Sirach 11, verse 28). That is why he says that in that day those who believed will be shown. “To this end,” he says, “we also always pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and every work of faith, with power.”

“That he may count you,” he says, “worthy of the calling” — for they had already been called. That is why he has added, “and fulfill every desire for goodness.” For the man who was dressed in filthy clothes was called too, but he did not remain in his calling, and for that very reason he was rejected all the more. “Of the calling” means the calling to the bridal chamber. For the five virgins were called as well.

“Get up,” it says, “the bridegroom is coming!” (from Matthew 25, verse 6). And they got themselves ready, but they did not go in. But Paul is speaking of that other calling. So, to show which calling he means, he has added, “and fulfill every desire for goodness and every work of faith, with power.” This is the calling, he says, that we are asking for. See how gently he brings them down. So that they will not become conceited from so much praise, as if they had done great deeds, and will not grow lazy, he shows that something is still lacking in them as long as they are in this life. He said the same thing in his letter to the Hebrews: “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your struggle against sin” (Hebrews 12, verse 4). [f]

“So as to please him in every way,” he says: that is, his pleasure, his being persuaded, his full assurance. That is, that what God is persuaded of may be fulfilled, that nothing may be lacking in you, that you may be just as he wants you to be. “And every work of faith,” he says, “with power.” What does this mean? Patient endurance of persecutions, he says, so that we do not lose heart.

Verse 12: “So that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” [g]

He spoke of glory there, and he speaks of it here too. He said that they are glorified, so that they might even boast. He said something much greater: that they also glorify God. He said that they will receive that glory. And here too this is what he means. For when the Master is glorified, the servants are glorified as well. Those who glorify their Master are glorified far more themselves, both by that very act and apart from it. For distress suffered for Christ’s sake is glory, and he everywhere calls it glory. And the more disgrace we suffer, the more illustrious we become.

Then, to show that this too comes from God, he says, “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ”: that is, he himself has given us this grace, so that he may be glorified in us and may glorify us in him. How is he glorified in us? Because we put nothing ahead of him. How are we glorified in him? Because we have received power from him, so that we do not give in at all to the evils brought on us. For when trial comes, God is glorified, and we are too, at the same time. They glorify him, because he has made us so strong; they admire us, because we have made ourselves worthy. And all these things are done by the grace of God.

Chapter 2, verses 1 and 2: “Now we beg you, brothers and sisters, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, not to be quickly shaken from your mind.”

He has not said when the resurrection will be, but he has said that it will not be now. “And our gathering together to him.” This too is no small matter. See how the appeal is again joined with praise and encouragement, in that he and all the saints will certainly appear with us. Here he is speaking of the resurrection and of our gathering together, for these things will happen at the same time. He lifts up their minds. “Not to be quickly shaken,” he says, “or troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as if from us, as though the day of the Lord were already here.”

Here he seems to me to hint that certain people were going around with a forged letter, as if from Paul, and were showing it and saying that the day of the Lord was at hand, so that in this way they might lead many astray. So, that they may not be deceived, Paul makes them safe by what he writes, and says, “do not be troubled, either by spirit or by word.” And this is the meaning of what he says: even if someone who has the spirit of prophecy should say this, do not believe it. For when I was with you, I told you these things, so you ought not to change your conviction from what you were taught. Or take “by spirit” this way: he means the false prophets, who spoke what they spoke by an unclean spirit. For these men, wanting all the more to be believed, not only tried to deceive with persuasive words — he shows this by saying “or by word” — but also produced a forged letter, as if from Paul, saying the same thing. That is why, pointing this out too, he has added, “or by letter as if from us.” So, having made them safe on every side, he then sets out his own teaching, and says:

Verses 3 and 4: “Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against everything that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.” [h]

Here he speaks about the Antichrist, and reveals great mysteries. What is “the falling away”? He calls the Antichrist himself “the apostasy,” since he is going to destroy many and make them fall away — so that, if it were possible, he says, even the elect would stumble (from Matthew 24, verse 24). And he calls him “the man of sin,” because he will do countless harmful things and will make others do them. He calls him “the son of destruction” because he too is going to be destroyed. But who is he? Is it Satan, then? Far from it! It is a man, one who lets Satan work in him to the full. For he is a man. “And exalts himself against everything that is called God or is worshiped.” For he will not bring in the worship of idols, but will be a kind of rival to God. He will abolish all the gods and order people to worship him instead of God, and he will be seated in the temple of God — not only the one in Jerusalem, but in every church as well. “Setting himself forth,” he says. He does not say “saying so,” but “trying to show it.” For he will do great works and show wonderful signs.

Verse 5: “Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things?” [i]

Do you see that it is necessary to say the same things over and over, and to dwell on them in the same words? Look: they heard him say these things when he was with them, and again they needed to be reminded. When they had heard about afflictions — “For indeed,” he says, “when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were going to suffer affliction” (First Thessalonians 3, verse 4) — they forgot it all the same, and he strengthens them again by letter. In the same way, having heard about the coming of Christ, they needed letters again to settle them. So he reminds them, showing that he is saying nothing new, but only what he had always said.

It is like farming. The seeds are thrown into the ground once and for all, yet they do not simply stay there; they need a great deal of work besides. If the farmers do not break up the earth and cover over the seed that has been sown, they are sowing for the birds that gather grain. It is the same with us: unless we cover over what has been sown by constant remembering, we have thrown it all into the air. For the devil carries it off, and our laziness destroys it, and the sun dries it up, and the rain washes it away, and the thorns choke it. So it is not enough to sow once and go away. It needs constant diligence: driving off the birds, rooting up the thorns, filling up the stony ground with plenty of earth, keeping guard, fencing it in, and taking away everything that does harm.

But with the earth everything depends on the farmer, for the soil has no life and can only be acted upon. In the spiritual soil it is quite different. Not everything is the teachers’ part; half at least, if not more, belongs to the disciples. Our part is to throw the seed; yours is to do what is said so that you remember it, to show the fruit by your works, and to pull up the thorns by the roots.

For wealth truly is a thorn. It bears no fruit; it is ugly to look at and unpleasant to handle; it hurts those who touch it; and not only does it bear no fruit itself, it even hinders what was sprouting. That is what wealth is like. Not only does it bear no eternal fruit; it even hinders those who want to gain that fruit. Thorns are food for camels, creatures without reason; they are eaten, and they are burned up in the fire, being good for nothing. So too wealth is good for nothing, except to kindle the furnace, to light up “the day that burns like an oven,” and to feed passions without reason — revenge and anger. For the camel that feeds on thorns is like that too: those who know about such things say that no animal is as vengeful as the camel. That is what wealth is like. It feeds the unreasoning passions of the soul, but it pierces and wounds the reasoning part, just as thorns do. This plant is hard and rough, and it springs up by itself. [j]

Let us see how it grows, so that we may root it out. It grows in steep, stony, dry places, where there is no moisture. So when anyone is harsh and steep — that is, without mercy — the thorn grows in him. But when farmers’ sons want to root out thorns, they do not do it with iron. How, then? They set fire to them, and in that way they draw out all the bad in the soil. It is not enough to cut away the top while the root stays below, nor even to dig out the root, for something of its badness stays in the earth, just as traces are still left behind when some deadly disease has attacked the body. But the fire from above draws up all that moisture of the thorns, like a kind of poison, and pulls it out of the depths of the earth by its heat. As a cupping glass placed on the body draws all the sickness to itself, so the fire draws off all the bad that was in the thorns and makes the land clean.

Why, then, do I say these things? Because you must purge away all love of riches. We too have a fire that draws this bad out of the soul — I mean the fire of the Spirit. If we let it work on them, we will be able to dry up not only the thorns but also the sap in them; for if they stay deeply rooted, everything is in vain.

Look: has a rich man come in here, or a rich woman too? She does not think about how she will hear the words of God, but how she will make a show, how she will sit in state and with great glory, how she will outdo all the other women in the costliness of her clothes, and how she will make herself more impressive by her dress, her expression and her walk. All her care and concern is this: “Did so-and-so see me? Did she admire me? Is my beauty shown off well?” And that her clothes not get spoiled or torn — this is all her care.

In the same way the rich man comes in, meaning to parade himself before the poor man and to strike him with awe by the clothes he has on and by the number of his slaves, who stand around him driving off the crowd. For in his great pride he does not stoop even to do this himself. He thinks it a task so beneath a gentleman that, puffed up beyond measure as he is, he cannot bear to do it, and he leaves it to his slaves. For to do such a thing takes truly slavish and shameless manners. Then, when he is seated, the cares of his house at once come crowding in and pull him every way. The pride that fills his soul overflows. He thinks he is doing a favor both to us and to the people. Inflamed as he is, how will he ever be cured?

Tell me, then: if someone went to a physician’s clinic, and did not ask the physician for a favor but thought he was doing the physician one, and instead of asking for a medicine for his wound busied himself with his clothes, would he go away having received any benefit? … I will tell you the cause of all these things. When they come in here, they think they are coming into our presence; they think that what they hear, they are hearing from us. They do not take it to heart or consider that they are coming into the presence of God, and that it is he who speaks to them. [l]

When the reader stands up and says, “This is what the Lord says,” and the deacon stands and calls everyone to silence, he does not do this to honor the reader, but to honor him who speaks to all through the reader. If they knew that it was God who says these things through his prophet, they would throw away all their pride. For if they do not let their minds wander when rulers are speaking to them, much less would they do so when God is speaking. We are servants, beloved. We do not speak our own words, but the words of God. Letters that come from heaven are read every day.

Tell me, I beg you: if now, while we are all here, someone came in wearing a golden belt, drawing himself up, and said with an air of importance that he had been sent by the king on earth, and that he had brought letters to the whole city about matters of importance, would you not all turn toward him? Would you not keep a deep silence, without any command from a deacon? I truly think you would. For I have often heard letters from kings read here. So if someone comes from a king, you all pay attention; and when a prophet comes from God and speaks from heaven, does no one pay attention? Or do you not believe that these things are messages from God? These are letters sent from God. So let us come into the churches with fitting reverence, and let us listen with fear to what is said here. [m]

You say: “Why should I come in, if I do not hear someone preaching?” This is what ruins and destroys everything. What need is there of someone to preach? That need arises from our laziness. Why should a sermon be necessary at all? Everything in the divine Scriptures is clear and plain; all the necessary things are obvious. But because you are listeners who come for pleasure, that is why you look for these things. Tell me, with what pomp of words did Paul speak? And yet he converted the world. Or with what pomp did Peter speak, a man without learning? You say: “But I do not know what is in the Scriptures.” Why not? Are they spoken in Hebrew? Are they in Latin, or in foreign tongues? Are they not in Greek? You say: “But they are said obscurely.” What is obscure? Tell me. Are there not histories? Of course you know the plain parts, since you are asking about the obscure ones! There are countless histories in the Scriptures. Tell me one of them. But you cannot. These things are an excuse, mere words. You say: “Every day we hear the same things.”

Tell me, then: do you not hear the same things in the theaters? Do you not see the same things at the racetrack? Is not everything the same? Is it not always the same sun that rises? Is it not the same food that we eat? I would like to ask you, since you say you hear the same things every day: tell me, from what prophet was the passage that was read? From what apostle, or what letter? But you cannot tell me — it seems you are hearing strange things. So when you want to be lazy, you say they are the same things. But when you are questioned, you are like someone who has never heard them. If they are the same, you ought to know them. But you do not know them.

This state of things deserves lamenting — lamenting and complaint: for “the silversmith beats out the silver in vain.” For this very reason you ought to pay closer attention: because they are the same things, because we give you no labor, and say nothing strange … What, then? You say that those are the same things; but our sermons are not the same — we are always saying things that are new to you. Do you pay attention to these? Not at all. But if we say, “Why do you not retain even these?” you say: “We hear them only once, so how can we retain them?” If we say, “Why do you not pay attention to those other things?” you say: “The same things are always said.” [n]

Every way you turn, these are words of laziness and excuse. But they will not always serve. There will come a time when we will lament in vain and to no purpose. May God forbid it! May he grant that, having repented here, and listening with understanding and godly fear to what is said, we may be spurred on to the proper doing of good works and may amend our own lives with all diligence, so that we may be able to obtain the blessings promised to those who love him, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, and honor, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.