Busybodies 2 Thessalonians 3:11

Paul the apostle gave the Thessalonian church members final instructions as he concluded his second letter to them. Among them was the directive that “if any would not work, neither should he eat”, and in chapter three and verse eleven of his letter, Paul shared about “busybodies” where we read:

For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly,

working not at all, but are busybodies.

The verse begins, “For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly,...” Paul began with the word, “For” which means “as, because, even, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, therefore and verily” “we hear” which refers to Paul and his traveling companions “giving audience to, endowing with the faculty of hearing, not deaf, attending to, considering what is or has been said and understanding or perceiving the sense of what is said” “that there are some” or “certain one or persons” “which walk among you” which refers to “those who make their way, progress and make due use of opportunities” “disorderly” which means “out of ranks, irregular, inordinate, immoderate pleasures and deviating from the prescribed order or rule”. Paul and his companions received reports about people who “deviated” from the doctrine taught to them.

The verse goes on to say, “...working not at all, but are busybodies.” Paul continued with the phase “working not at all” or “with no, none and without any laboring, making gains by trading, exercising, performing, committing, causing to exist and producing” “but” which is a disassociation conjunction that means “moreover, nevertheless and an exception, ” “are busybodies” which means “those who bustle about uselessly and busy themselves about trifling, needless, useless matters and is used apparently of people who are officiously inquisitive about other's affairs”. Rather than “working” as they should, there were people among the church members who went about entangling themselves in other people's business. They should have been minding their own concerns, but were too busy involving themselves in trifling matters which were other people's.

As we think through Paul's words, we may have in mind those who always seem to be about other people's business rather than their own. Paul knew there was a tendency for people, even church members, to concern themselves with the affairs of others, and he knew rather than working, they used idle time to be “busybodies”. We too should heed Paul's idea about “working” verses involving ourselves in trifling inquisitions. May the Lord Jesus help us to know when we have tendencies toward being “disorderly” and “out of rank”, and may He keep us “working” in that which He has given us to do.

Next time Paul tells the Thessalonians to “work in quietness”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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