On the Road to Emmaus - Between the Now and the Not-Yet

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find His body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see.” And He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if He were going farther, but they urged Him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So He went in to stay with them. When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And He vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?” And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread. Luke 24: 13 - 35 (ESV)

On that Easter Sunday we read about in this passage, two forlorn disciples left Jerusalem for Emmaus, a small village about seven miles away. On Friday these two disciples along with many others had witnessed the painful, humiliating and violent death of their beloved leader, teacher and friend. That night and through the day on Saturday they sat with each other in utter despair. Walking wearily from where Jesus had been crucified, buried, and raised, they were discouraged and burdened. They had expected Jesus to be the political Messiah who would deliver Israel, like the angels proclaimed. They’d been looking for a King, but their king’s mission had been cut short - or so they thought. Now He had nails for a scepter, a cross for a throne, and for His kingdom - a narrow tomb. But they didn’t know that story was only half done. 

Who were these disciples? Cleopas was one of the many who followed Christ. The portions of scripture from both Mark and Luke however do not tell us who the second disciple is. But we can find it out from some clues in John 19:25 (ESV) - “but standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” Thus, we learn that the wife of Cleopas was also present in Jerusalem at the time of the Crucifixion. And we may, therefore, assume that she was the one returning to Emmaus with him on the morning of the Resurrection.

By this time, the talk of resurrection had reached Cleopas and his wife, but it was too soon to tell whether it was a miracle or just a hoax of some sort. They had hung around in waiting mode as long as they could, and now it was time to get back to real life.

These disciples had lost so much more than just a friend. Their dream of what the kingdom of God would look like as they had imagined it… the hopes and dreams around which they had oriented the past few years of their life… the vision that had caused them to give up their work and their daily lives in order to commit themselves to following Jesus… it was all gone. Not knowing what else to do, Cleopas and his wife were now wandering home, trying to make sense of it all. They were suspended somewhere between loss and possible gain, grief and possible joy, profound human suffering and perhaps some kind of redemption, dashed hopes and maybe daring to hope again. They were wrung out - emotionally, spiritually and physically. They had been powerless to prevent the events of the last days, and they were powerless now to do anything to change their situation. The road from Jerusalem to Emmaus was the road between the now and the not-yet.

The 2 disciples in this portion were on the precipice of discovering one of the greatest mysteries known to humankind and yet they had no clue what beheld them. Yet, as they despair in their faith, Jesus comes alongside them. He inquires what they are talking about and then goes on to teach them about the scriptures from the Old Testament that foretold what had to come to pass. And as they invite the master in and break bread together, He finally reveals Himself.

What are we to learn from this encounter on the road to Emmaus? When we celebrate Easter, we celebrate the fact that our Risen Saviour has brought Salvation to us all. Today we look at 2 disciples who are on the edge of discovering the same truth, but they haven’t yet. Their lives are hung between the now and not-yet. Human as we are, we hate this space. We dislike ambiguity, tension and in-between periods of life. Yet, we need to understand that most people who encountered God in the Bible happened to be going through such periods in life. 

It is Joseph in the pit. It is the Israelites wandering in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land. It is Jonah in the belly of the fish. It is Mary weeping at Jesus’ tomb. It is the disciples huddled in the upper room. It is the disciples on the Emmaus Road betwixt and between the life they had known and whatever was supposed to come next.

And I submit to you that the true message of Easter is exactly this. It teaches us how to live life in the now but not-yet by contrasting the responses of many different people to the news and sighting of the Risen Lord and Saviour; beyond what seemed to be happening from an earthly perspective. It reminds us how to live life through the eyes of faith even during the most despondent times in our lives.

In his book Surprised by Hope, Biblical scholar and author N. T. Wright wrote, “Easter was when Hope in person surprised the whole world by coming forward from the future into the present.”  A couple of weeks ago I was teaching a teens Sunday school class and I asked the question what does Salvation mean? The answer across the board was that we will go to heaven when we die. But I submit to you that the Resurrection event that assures us of our Salvation is so much more than that.  Resurrection doesn’t just mean going to heaven when you die… It is certainly not about keeping the commands of a distant deity. Rather, it is the new way of being human, the Jesus-shaped way of being human, the cross-and-resurrection way of life, the Spirit-led pathway. It is the way which anticipates, in the present, the full, rich, glad human existence, which will one day be ours when God makes all things new. Christian ethics is no longer a matter of discovering what’s going on in the world and getting in tune with it. It isn’t a matter of doing things to earn God’s favor. It is not about trying to obey dusty rulebooks from long ago or far away. It is about practicing, in the present, the tunes we shall sing in God’s new world.

But most of us fail to understand this simple truth. This is the same reason Cleopas and his wife were kept from recognizing Jesus for hours while having a conversation with Him (v. 16). We find the reason stated explicitly in vs. 25. Jesus called them “foolish” and “slow of heart to believe” the Scriptures. Their outward inability to recognize Jesus mirrored their inward unbelief of what the Scriptures revealed about Him.

Now, Jesus fully intended to help them see. But notice the priority of Jesus’ revelation: before He opened their physical eyes, He purposed to open their heart-eyes - i.e, their understanding and their minds. 

Why? Because it was of utmost importance that they “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). 

Jesus knew that between His resurrection and the full establishment of His kingdom would be the church age. His ascension was nearing. That meant these two disciples, all the other witnesses of the resurrection, and every generation of believers to come would not have His bodily presence for proof or guidance. They would have to rely on His living and active (Hebrews 4:12) Word to light their path (Psalm 119:105). Post-ascension, Jesus would be seen through the inerrant testimony recorded in the Scriptures and the imperfect testimony of followers whose heart-eyes were opened.

When God ordains things to happen contrary to our expectations (like Cleopas not expecting Jesus to die), those are times when we are tempted to doubt His word - lose faith - and as a result lose sight of Him. But not being able to see Him doesn’t mean that He isn’t there walking with us. We may not recognize Him. Those are not the times to neglect the Word. Rather, those are the times to spend hours looking. That is where you will begin to recover your sight. Sadly, many of us live our entire lives as Emmaus Christians. We have our  chronology right and our theology right, but we have no doxology!

All over the world I have met modern disciples of the Emmaus Road. Some admit their condition; they come forward in meetings with wet eyes or write letters full of doubt and despondency. Others are too proud or afraid to admit the truth that they are disappointed, not in the Lord, but in their experience of Him. They trusted, like the Emmaus disciples, but delight has become despair. They wouldn't have anyone in the world know that their experience is not real, so they keep going through the motions of religious activity in a form without force. They say the words and sing the songs, but they are like fountains in public squares where water gushes out of lips that never taste it. These disciples would be awfully embarrassed, after all these years, to confess that they are Emmaus Christians. Yet, when they are alone with their souls and absolutely honest, they know that they live in the bitterness of Romans 7, not in the blessedness of Romans 8. It is not that they don't believe the doctrines. Some are not burdened any more about it. They are resigned to live at a poor dying rate, their love so faint, so cold to Christ, and His love for them so great. At least the Emmaus disciples were troubled over the situation!

I am convinced that our greatest trouble we face as believers is not false doctrine or worldliness but an inadequate experience of Jesus Christ. A handful of men and women who loved Jesus and were filled with the Spirit shook the world one time. It could be done again, but never by Emmaus disciples like those who were living on the memory of a dead Christ instead of in communion with the living Lord. And yet, within an hour or two, the same disciples became radiant witnesses. Some of us live on a mosaic of other people's experiences, getting our spiritual thrills by proxy. Yet the Lord wants for each of us to have our own spiritual experience while on our own road to Emmaus.

The Lord does this in each of our lives in the same way He dealt with Cleopas and his wife by opening them to 3 things - He opened them to the Scriptures, He opened their eyes, and He opened their minds or their understanding. The first opening takes place in the middle of the episode Luke 24:25-27, but the phrase itself occurs a bit later, in verse 32, as they reflected on what Christ had said to them. “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?”

Where are we going to find out the truth about God? Many have a different idea about Him. Many write about Him. Where can you find out the truth? The answer is that you will find out about God as you find out about Jesus Christ. He said in John 14:9, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”. And you will find out about Jesus Christ only as you open the Scriptures.

The second opening is in Luke 24:31, and it is a consequence of the first. Jesus had taught them on the way. And then, as He sat with them and broke bread with them in their home, “And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him.” This is as true today as it was then. If you will open the Scriptures, God will open your eyes by means of His Holy Spirit so you will recognize Jesus.

The third opening is the one we find at the very end of the episode after Cleopas and Mary had returned to Jerusalem and had told the other disciples of Christ’s appearance to them. We are told that as they were speaking Jesus appeared again in their midst and then “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” - Luke 24:45. It was the opening of their minds so that they might begin to understand in some depth the things that were written in the Old Testament concerning Him.

Now each of these three openings had an important consequence in their lives as it should in the life of every believer. And these three results should also occur for us when our Bibles, eyes, and minds are opened. Firstly, when Jesus opened the Scriptures we are told that their hearts burned within them. They were saying, “Isn’t this exciting? Isn’t it thrilling?” And, of course, the opening of the Scriptures should be equally exciting for all who study them today. If this is not true in your life, you are not really opening the Scriptures as you ought.

The second consequence was when Jesus opened the eyes of Cleopas and Mary to recognize Him. No doubt they had arrived in Emmaus toward the end of the day. They were tired. It was dark. The way back to Jerusalem was difficult, long, and dangerous. Nevertheless, they experienced an immediate desire to tell others about the risen Lord. And thus, without any great deliberation, they set out for Jerusalem the same night and there told their story. Perception of the risen Christ always leads to such action. There is always testimony.

Thirdly and finally, as Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures they doubtless entered into a phase of their life in which they understood both the Scriptures and the Lord Himself differently. Before, much of the Word of God was a mystery. Hereafter, when they would return to the book of Genesis and read about the seed of the woman who would bruise the serpent’s head, they would know that the seed was Jesus. And thus, Genesis would be new for them. And they would understand the Lord Himself better. They would read a bit further and find that He is not only the seed of the woman, He is the seed of Abraham also, the one who was to bring blessings to the nations. They would recognize the fulfillment of this prophecy in the subsequent proclamation of the gospel to the Gentiles. 

Cleopas and Mary would see Jesus prefigured in the life of Joseph. In Exodus He would be perceived as the Passover lamb. In Numbers He is the rock in the wilderness from Whom we all receive the water of life freely. He is also the cloud Who guides His people and covers them with His protection. Deuteronomy pictures Jesus Christ as the righteous One, and it defines that righteousness. In Joshua He is the captain of the Lord’s hosts. In Psalms and in the prophets we are told of His suffering, death, and Resurrection. In some of them — Ezekiel, Daniel, and some others — we learn of His Second Coming in great power and glory. The last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, portrays Him as the Son of Righteousness risen with healing in His wings.

These three openings - the opening of the Scriptures, the opening of the eyes, and the opening of the minds - are their three great consequential blessings are we should all desire of the resurrected Lord. Because when the Bible is opened and we see the Lord Jesus Christ as He is interpreted to us by the divine operation of the Holy Spirit, we will never be the same again. The Word itself will be different. It will not be a mystery. It will have a theme. It will make sense. And what is more, it will be a great triune blessing. For it will be the place where we meet with Jesus Who died for us and Rose again that we might truly live our lives in abundance (John 10:10).

The question is are we willing, wanting and expecting our meeting with Him when we are on our road to Emmaus? 

Everyday Christianity

In a book entitled The Frog in the Kettle, published by Barna Research, whose research is solely focused on spiritual and church trends, noted in a chapter named Religious Beliefs and Involvement, “Although Americans generally possess orthodox beliefs about God, Christ and Satan, the momentum is against integrating spiritual belief with daily behavior. There is an interesting contradiction between what most of us say we believe and what we do or don't do in response to those beliefs. The vast majority of Americans have orthodox Christian beliefs. They acknowledge the virgin birth, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the power of prayer, the reality of miracles by God, the importance of the church, the reality of Satan and hell and the life of the Holy Spirit in the believer.  More than nine out of ten adults own a Bible and a majority of them even believe it is God's written Word, totally accurate in its teaching.  About three out of five claim they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. But the research data says our actions indicate that our beliefs are not held to be significant. Less than half of all adults attend church. Loyalty to the church is dropping. Attendance in Sunday school is diminishing. Membership in churches is waning. And willingness to assume a leadership role is declining… If we can help the world to recognize that our faith is not a one-dimensional experience but it is a multi-faceted way of life which permeates every thought, action and experience, then Christianity would not only assume greater importance in the minds of people but would challenge non-believers to explore this faith in a new way. This means we will have to demonstrate the relevance of Christianity in every dimension of our lives. More and more emphasis must be placed on how we live those beliefs. Christians must communicate the importance of the faith by exhibiting a lifestyle based upon a Christian philosophy of life.”  

Where the book focuses on America, we also live in a world where there are many who profess our faith, but far fewer who actually possess our faith. This is as true for us today as it was for the church in Thessalonica in 51 AD. This is not something we should take lightly or without consideration. As the children of God, we have an obligation to present ourselves pleasing unto the Lord every day and in every circumstance. Yet, somewhere along the way, we have lost sight of what we might call “Everyday Christianity.” 

Regarding the Christian faith, John MacArthur would say, “Christianity is a shoe-leather faith - a living, practical faith that hits the streets in normal, everyday life, affecting everything from believers' simplest attitudes and most mundane actions to their profoundest thoughts and noblest deeds.”

What MacArthur is simply trying to say is that our faith isn't one that is to be kept in the closet or worn only on special occasions, rather it is a faith that is to be worn every day before the world and publicly displayed. That is, it affects our daily life.  It's a walking faith.  It's a working faith.  It's a living faith. 

While it is true that any system of belief should affect a change in the way one lives their life, it is also true that mere religion cannot transform a person, no matter how high its ethical standards might be simply because they cannot really be attained. Only as Christians do we have access to the power of God to transform the believer’s life so that what we believe can literally become the way we live.  We have a shoe-leather faith.  What we believe touches the earth. It is hence that Matthew 5: 13 - 14 reminds us that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Now, we may fail to realize it, but the world around us is watching our lives. They have heard many who profess Christ, only to see their actions betray their words. The world is looking for those who are real. As such, we have the privilege and obligation to present our faith to the world.

Now, even though we live in a high-tech world, the needs of the heart have not changed. 1 Thessalonians 4: 9 - 12 teaches us how to love others and how to live intentionally so our lives win the respect of the world outside, while also continuing to glorify our Triune God. We need this message because the church today has lost its witness to the world. And this portion reminds us as to how to simply live and be the witness.

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. - 1 Thessalonians 4: 9 - 12 ESV

Thessalonica was a Roman colony and very important in the life of the Roman Empire. It was located 100 miles west of Philippi and about 200 miles north of Athens. It was the chief city of Macedonia. In 316 B.C. Cassander (who succeeded Alexander the Great) named it in memory of his wife, Thessalonike. Thessalonica is still in existence, and the present-day name is Salonika. The church in Thessalonica was a model church. Paul cited it to the Corinthians as an example (see 1 Thessalonians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5).

Further, we need to know that this was the earliest epistle written by Paul. It was written from Athens or, more likely, Corinth on his second missionary journey. Paul had to leave Thessalonica due to the great opposition to the gospel. The enemy pursued him to Berea, and again Paul was forced to leave. He left Silas and Timothy at Berea and went on to Athens. It was evidently there that Timothy brought him word from the church in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 3:6), together with some questions that they had raised. Paul wrote his first epistle in response to their overture.

Our passage today contains two exhortations we need to take seriously. We see the first one in verses 9-10 and the second in verse 11. Each one describes what the church owes the world as a witness and how we can fulfill it.

Verses 9 - 10

Paul begins with a simple reminder: The word for “brotherly love” here is philadelphia. It refers to the love of family members for one another. It comes from two Greek words that have been joined together:

philos, which means “tender affection, fondness, devotion,” is a word that implies an obligation to love.

adelphos, which means “brother,” literally means “one born of the same womb.”

So, the word philadelphia literally means “tender affection owed to those born from the same womb.” It’s easy to understand why Paul chose this word to describe brotherly love. All Christians have been “born of the same womb” through the new birth. Everyone who is saved is saved the same way. Jesus simply said, “You must be born again” - John 3:3. To be born again means to receive new life through personal faith in Jesus Christ. It means to be born from God’s womb.

Further, where verse 9 is speaking of being “taught by God,” it speaks not of a lesson learned in a classroom but of truth learned through relationship. The same is true regarding love. We learn to love by associating with loving people. Love isn’t taught; it’s caught. Because we come from the womb of God, we share his basic nature, which is love. Therefore, love ought to be the most natural thing for the believer to express.

If we are a Christian, we are “from the womb of God.” We love because God is love. It’s a family trait. That’s why Paul doesn’t have to teach it. To be a Christian is to enter a fellowship of brotherly love.

Paul recognizes this to be the case with the Thessalonians. It is therefore in vs. 10a he commends them on the same, ”for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia.” Note the phrase - “all the brothers.” That’s not easy to do. Most of us love some of the people, maybe even most of the people. But all of them? That’s a tough assignment.

Yet, let us be clear about this. We are to love all true believers everywhere all the time. That’s hard because most of us have some inner reservations. We don’t like this group or that denomination. We may distrust those who have a different worship style.

But we need to remember that there will always be points of difference among God’s people. Redemption in Christ does not homogenize the church. Believers have disagreed on important issues for the last 2000 years. I don’t believe we must abandon our doctrinal or cultural distinctives. But if we take Paul seriously, then we must seek to love other Christians who may see the world quite differently than we do.

Why? Because the love of God is not limited - not by nation or ocean or tribe or tongue or custom or clothing or race or politics or caste or any other human condition. When the love of God captures us, our hearts will be as big as his - reaching to the ends of the earth.

And it is therefore that Paul encourages the Thessalonian church to to do this more and more in vs. 10b. What does it mean that our love should increase? It means that we should increase in our Sympathy for those in need, Patience for those who are struggling, and Tolerance toward those with whom we disagree.

C.S. Lewis pointed out that “we may talk so much about loving people in general that we love no one in particular.” 

How does God help us grow in this area of loving all believers? By putting us in situations that force us to practice Christian love. Over the years I have observed God do this again and again. He allows two people to have difficulties with each other, sometimes to the point of anger and bitterness. He does it because the only way we learn to love is by dealing with unlovable people. I have seen it happen between husbands and wives, parents and children, between co-workers, neighbors, fellow students, and relatives. People who start out disliking each other sometimes end up as dearest friends.

Now, I acknowledge that some people are so miserably unlovable. That odorous person with the nasty cough who sat next to you coughing into your face. Those crude louts in the neighborhood with the barking dog. That smooth liar who lied to your face. By what magic are you supposed to feel toward these people anything but revulsion, distrust and resentment, and a justified desire to have nothing to do with them?

The most powerful recommendation for any church is that the members love one another! The world pines for this and flocks where it is found. When the unchurched are asked what they want in a church, the answer is always the same: They are looking for a caring church. Not just a friendly church or a relevant church or a church with plenty of programs for the kids. And not just a church where the Bible is clearly taught. As good as those things are, they don’t touch the heart cry of this generation for a place where they can be deeply loved. When the people of the world find such a place, they will stand in line to get in.

On the flip side, if we cannot learn to love, we will only continue to have people such as Gandhi come up and say, “I like you Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” 

In many cases, we will simply have to agree to disagree. In some cases, we’ll find it easier to love each other from a distance, at least for a while. We can’t love everyone the same way or to the same degree. But if we are Christians at all, we must find a way to love even when loving is hard to do. Also, we must remember that it is not magic but rather the power of the Holy Spirit who causes us to love the unlovable. The church is to be a community of love. We owe it to the Lord, to each other, and to the watching world. We owe the world that kind of example.

Now coming to the second exhortation Paul gives us in these verses, we see verse 11.

Verse 11

To understand verse 11, we need to know that in Thessalonica there had been a great excitement about the Lord’s return. When he was with them, Paul had taught them about the imminent return of Christ. It means that Jesus could return today or tomorrow or next week or next year. Problem is whenever people get excited about the Lord’s return, there are always those who take it to extremes. 

You may remember the worldwide commotion when a man named Harold Camping predicted the second coming on May 21, 2011. In answer to that kind of extremism, Paul issues a strong call for balanced living. He gives three commands, each of which answers a common problem.

1. Live Quietly: This is the answer to the problem of restlessness. The word “quiet” comes from a Greek word meaning “Sabbath rest.” It speaks of the cessation of work, of the end of conflict, of peace after warfare. Be ambitious, Paul says, to live quietly! We need this admonition because our ambition tends to be noisy, to stand out, to make a splash, to make a name for ourselves, to get ahead, to rise above the crowd.

Eugene Peterson translates this phrase with two words: “Stay calm.” It means to be less frantic and more settled in your life. With regards to the same, I came across the following quote: “You will never be happy until you learn to enjoy what you already have.” Those are good words for us to hear. We spend a lot of time, money and effort seeking happiness when the answer is learning to simply enjoy what God has already given us.

Further “Stay calm” is sound advice fit for our workaholic age. We live in hurried times, with little sense of stillness and rest. We work harder to achieve less. We are almost like a generation of hyperactive, overgrown kids who stay perpetually hyped up on caffeine, sugar, TV, social media and raucous music. 

Let us instead pray as Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the United States Senate in the years just after World War II prayed on May 8, 1947: “Help us to do our very best this day and be content with today’s troubles, so that we shall not borrow the troubles of tomorrow. Save us from the sin of worrying, lest stomach ulcers be the badge of our lack of faith.”

2. Mind Your Own Affairs: This is the answer to the problem of meddlesomeness. We all know people like this. They are busybodies who feel called to mind their own business - and yours too. They believe they have a right to invade your privacy. This is a perverted view of brotherly love. One writer speaks of “the busybody’s compulsive itch to set other people right.”

Years ago a ministry leader told me that he often reminded his staff to “feel free to have no opinion about that.” We need to remember that we don’t need to have an opinion about everything. Rather, if we take proper care of our own affairs, we won’t have the time or energy to worry too much about what others do or say.

3. Work with your own hands: This is the answer to the problem of idleness. Paul isn’t being metaphorical. He literally worked with his hands as a tentmaker so he could support himself while he preached the gospel. Even though he was highly educated, he didn’t mind hard work, and he didn’t find manual labor embarrassing.

The upper classes of Greece on the other hand despised manual labor. That’s why they owned so many slaves. But Christianity brought in a new ethic based on personal responsibility and hard work. Remember, Jesus was a Carpenter too!

With these directives being kept in mind, we also need to remind ourselves that those who get up in the morning with nothing to do but be religious are generally a great nuisance. 

Who makes a real impact for Christ in the world? The person who gets up in the morning, goes to his / her job whether in an office or at home and works all day, to pursue their daily tasks with cheerfulness and as an act of worship to God.

How we work is as crucial as how we pray. There is no greater testimony than the Christian scientist at his research, the Christian mechanic at his bench, the Christian teacher in the classroom, the Christian secretary at the desk, the Christian nurse at the hospital, or the Christian accountant keeping the books.

This is true Christianity. Going to church means little if we are going to be a lazy goldbrick on the job. Most of us don’t see our daily work as a way to worship God. But it is. What we do between Monday through Friday is just as sacred in the eyes of the Lord as what we do in church on Sunday. 

And it is only when we live as Paul teaches us in these verses that we see the difference we will make in verse 12 - namely, we will walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. Why? Because we might be the only Bible someone will ever read. We might be the only Christian someone will ever meet. What do people read, hear, and see when they look at our lives? 

If we want to make an impact on the world, these verses are where we need to begin.