1 Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith. 1 Thessalonians 3:1–2
For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain. 1 Thessalonians 3:5
Imagine caring so much for someone else that you’d send your beloved wife to minister to them rather than you. That’s what Paul did in a sense here. It’s unlikely that Silas remained with him at this juncture, so Timothy was the only one of consequence who remained to help Paul cope in the big city of Athens. But his concern for the believers in Thessalonica was so compelling that he gave his right arm.
Conversely, we tend to reach our breaking points over such trivial matters. Here, Paul could no longer “hold out” or “hold off” his concern for the church, and sought to remedy the situation at his own expense.
Taking matters into his own hands was not the issue here. It’s more like the widow tossing her last cent into the offering plate. (Mark 12:42) What Paul decided to do hurt him, but his love and concern for others by far outweighed his personal comfort and tranquility. I cannot fathom the full extent of this preoccupation other than to accept that there is a level of faith and service that I must acquire that I’ve yet to attain. The question is, will I ever get there?
We tend to ignore Timothy’s possible anguish in leaving his mentor behind to fend for himself. I can imagine some intense discussions about him going. In light of Paul’s later letters to him, there may have been some trepidation on his disciple’s part, to leave Paul and to leave period. One of Paul’s aims may have been to stretch him, to grow him, to kick him out of the nest, so to speak. So imagine how pleased he must have been when they were reunited, to not only hear about the Thessalonians, but to see his disciple after weathering the storm and being stronger for it.
The Greek word for endure in verses 1 and 5 of Chapter 3 is stego, the ability to hold up against something formidable. We were amazed to wake up to see that our house and trees stood up to the full brunt of a Category 2 hurricane. So did disciple Timothy in a way, let go by his father in the faith when he could no longer endure not knowing the fate of his followers miles away.
Commitment always involves personal sacrifice, or at least delayed gratification, for a good cause.
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