テサロニケの信徒への手紙二3:10-13　2 Thessalonians 3:10-13,

そのような者たちに、わたしたちは主イエス・キリストに結ばれた者として命じ、勧めます。自分で得たパンを食べるように、落ち着いて仕事をしなさい。

（二テサロニケ3:12）

ここでパウロが命じていることを言い換えますと、自分で働いて日ごとの糧を得るようにしなさい、ということでしょう。しかし、ただ経済的に自立しなさいということだけが命じられているのではありません。「自分で得たパンを食べなさい」だけではなく、「自分で得たパンを食べるように、落ち着いて仕事をしなさい」と命じられているのです。「落ち着いて」という言葉で思い出しますのは、テサロニケの信徒への第一の手紙の4章11節と12節にも、パウロがテサロニケ教会の信徒たちに働くことを命じた言葉が記されていたことです。そこには次のとおり記されていました。「そして、わたしたちが命じておいたように、落ち着いた生活をし、自分の仕事に励み、自分の手で働くように努めなさい。そうすれば、外部の人々に対して品位をもって歩み、だれにも迷惑をかけないで済むでしょう。」

この御言葉を読んで気づかされますのは、ただ「働きなさい」と命じられているのではなく「そうすれば〜」というように、信徒たちがこの世で働くことによって、どのような結果が生じるかということが説明されていることです。そして、この「そうすれば」と翻訳されているギリシャ語のヒナという言葉は、英語のso thatという言葉と同じように結果にも目的にも翻訳することができますので、「外部の人々に対して品位をもって歩み、だれにも迷惑をかけないために、落ち着いた生活をし、自分の仕事に励み、自分の手で働くように努めなさい」と翻訳することもできるのです。いずれにしましても、パウロの命じるところによれば、働くことの意味は、お金をかせいで生計を立てるということだけではなく、人に迷惑をかけず品位のある生活をするということでもあります。そして、品位のある生活とは、クリスチャンにふさわしいキリストを証しする生活ということなのです。働くということが日毎の糧をもたらすのみならず、品位のある生活という実を結んでキリストの証しとなるならば、クリスチャンにとってこれほど大きな喜びはありません。

（1月5日の説教より）

The kanji (Chinese Character) for the Japanese word “hataraku” (to work) is made up of the kanji “person” and “move.” The dictionary Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (Japanese Language Large Dictionary) published by Shogakukan gives an interesting explanation of why this is the case. According to the dictionary, the Japanese word “hataraku” originally meant “to move one’s body.” From this, the meaning “to do something with effort, to work hard” came about as the meaning of “hataraku.” Then, in the Middle Ages, the kanji for “person” and “move” were combined to create the kanji for “hataraku” to express this meaning. Certainly, “hataraku” means to be physically and mentally active, so it makes sense that the character for “person” and “move” would be combined to create the kanji for “hataraku.”

From ancient times, working has been considered important in various cultures. In many countries, people have been taught about the importance of working, and there has been a kind of work ethic that emphasises the importance of working. One well-known example is the fable of the ant and the grasshopper, from the ancient Greek writer Aesop. In this story, the ant is contrasted with the grasshopper, who plays music and enjoys himself without thinking about the future. When winter comes and the grasshopper has run out of food, the grasshopper visits the ant. But the ant says, “You were singing and playing when I was working,” and refuses to help the grasshopper. This story teaches us that we should work hard and save up when we are healthy. Also in Japan, for example, it is well known that Mr. NINOMIYA Sontoku (1787-1856), who worked to revive farming villages at the end of the Edo period, preached the virtues of hard work and thrift. In the past, people would have stood in front of a stone statue of Mr. NINOMIYA Sontoku, who is shown reading a book while carrying firewood on his back, and taught children that they should work hard and study like this.

However, in the modern world, it seems that the work ethic is wavering. On the one hand, people with wealth are making huge profits by buying and selling stocks and securities, but on the other hand, there are people who are working to the point of damaging their health but still cannot afford the necessities of life. On a New Year’s card I received from a friend once, it said that he worked 14 hours a day at their company and still had difficulty making ends meet, and it made my heart ache to read it. In today’s society, where the gap between the rich and the poor is widening, there are probably many people who think, “What’s the point of working hard and steadily?” or ‘If you work hard but still have a hard time making ends meet, isn’t it more sensible to think of ways to make money without working hard?” And, a money-worshiping way of thinking that “In the end, money is everything!” seems to be spreading throughout society. What exactly are we working for? Certainly, we work to earn money to live on. But does that mean that if our basic needs are met, we don’t need to work? How does the Bible teach us about the meaning of working to earn a living and living in this world? Today, let’s listen to the answers to these questions from the words of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians.

As I explained last week, there were people in the Thessalonian church who were thought to be living off the support of the church without working with their own hands. Perhaps these people thought that there was little point in working in this world because the end of this world was near. In the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul had already ordered the members of Thessalonian church to “admonish the idle” (5:14). In this Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, he clearly commands in 3:6, that “you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.” In other words, he is commanding the Thessalonian congregation to avoid fellowship with idle believers, so that they may repent. And Paul himself, when he was evangelising in Thessalonica, says in 3:8 that with toil and labor he worked night and day, that he might not be a burden to any of Thessalonian believers. The reason for this, as he says in 3:9, was not because he does not have the right of receiving rewards, but to give them an example to imitate. That is, for Paul, working was not just about supporting his own life, but also about setting an example of a life that better witnessed to Christ for the believers, and about raising them up as Christians.

In today’s passage, Paul gives a more explicit warning to those living idle lives, telling them to “do their work quietly.” First, in verse 10, Paul reminds them of the commandment he had given to the believers when he was preaching in Thessalonica. He writes, “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” The phrase “when we were with you” means when Paul was preaching in Thessalonica, so it seems that Paul was aware of a potential problem at the very beginning of the formation of the Thessalonian church, and he actually gave them this warning.

When we hear Paul’s admonition, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat,” we are reminded of the well-known Japanese saying, “Hatarakazaru Mono Kuu Bekarazu,” which means “the one who doesn’t work shouldn’t eat.” According to the Shogakukan Dictionary of Common Sayings, this Japanese saying is derived from today’s Bible passage. However, there is a subtle difference between the meaning we get from the Japanese saying “the one who doesn’t work shouldn’t eat.” and the original meaning of Paul’s words. The difference is that in Paul’s words, the subject is the one who “is not willing to work,” meaning not the one who simply doesn’t work, but one who has no intention of working. In other words, it doesn’t mean people who can’t work even if they try, but people who don’t want to work in the first place.

As I explained last week when I was preaching about the problems of the Thessalonian church, it is thought that the idle believers in the Thessalonian church were people who deliberately did not work, interpreting the teachings of the end of this world to suit themselves, thinking that since the end of this world was near, they did not need to work in this world. Therefore, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat,” is a warning to those who deliberately do not work. That is, we must not interpret the gospel of Christ in a way that suits our own convenience, and that we must not live a life that is out of line with the way Christians should be, by neglecting to work in this world. Paul had already given this warning before, and in this Second Epistle he is trying to remind them of it.

In verse 11, Paul says that he has received a report that there are people in the Thessalonian church who are not following this admonition that he has given them before. In verse 11, we read, “For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.” If you read this passage in the original Greek, you will see that Paul uses similar words in a way that makes them sound like a play on words. That is, the word “work” in “not busy at work” is the Greek verb ergazomai (ἐργάζομαι,) while the word “busybodies” is the Greek verb periergazomai (περιεργάζομαι). Some English translations try to express the nuance of the play on words between the two words by translating as “not busy at work, but busybodies.”

From this we can see the characteristics of the idle believers in the Thessalonian church. These people had no desire to work, but they did have a desire to do unnecessary things. In other words, they did not do the work they should have done, but instead caused trouble for other people by meddling in their affairs. Because these people had time and energy to spare because they didn’t work, they used their time and energy to interfere in the affairs of other people. In 1 Timothy 5:13, Paul writes about how young widows who are living off the support of the church have too much time and energy on their hands, and end up doing things they shouldn’t be doing. “Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.” There are some points in common between these widows and the idle believers in Thessalonica. They live off the support of the church and take it for granted, and they meddle in other people’s affairs and cause trouble for other people and the church. So, from this we can see that the idle believers in the Thessalonian church were not people who were physically or mentally ill and wanted to work but were unable to.

In verse 12, Paul solemnly tells the idle believers what they should do. “Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.” If we rephrase what Paul is commanding here, it would be something like “Work to earn your daily bread.” However, he is not only commanding them to become financially independent. He is not only commanding them “to earn their own living” but also “to do their work quietly.” The words “to do their work quietly” remind us of the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12, where he also commands the Thessalonian believers to work. I have quoted the passage several times before, but I would like to read it again.

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.

What strikes us when we read this passage is that it doesn’t just say “work,” but goes on to explain what the results will be of the believers working in this world, as in “so that….” The Greek word hina (ἵνα), which is translated as “so that” in this passage, can be translated as both a result and a purpose, just like the English word “so that,” so it can also be translated as “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, in order that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” In any case, according to Paul’s instructions, the meaning of work is not just about earning money to make a living, but also about walking properly before outsiders without being dependent on others. And a life of walking properly is a life that testifies to Christ, which is appropriate for Christians. If work not only provides daily bread, but also bears the fruit of a life of walking properly and becomes a testimony to Christ, there is no greater joy for Christians.

Returning to verse 12 of today’s passage, even as Paul commands the idle believers “to do their work quietly,” he does not forget to command them “in the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is because, in part, he is commanding them with the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. It means that our Lord Christ is commanding us with authority to live a life worthy of a Christian by telling us to do our work quietly. And another thing is that for us Christians, the command to do our work quietly is given to us in our fellowship with Christ. Unlike the headstrong command of this world to “work, work,” working is commanded as a response of gratitude to Christ, who has saved us. Therefore, for us Christians, working in this world should essentially be something that helps us to maintain our fellowship with Christ. If the more you work, the further away you feel you are from Christ, then you should pray to God and ask whether that work is really the vocation that God has given you. The work that helps you to maintain your fellowship with Christ is the vocation that God has given you.

There is a book called The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism written by Dr. Max Weber. This is a very difficult book that is considered a classic in the field of sociology of religion, but it is also an interesting book that makes us think deeply about how the capitalist society we live in came about and what the problems with capitalism are today. I won’t quote from the book itself, as the writing is difficult, but a Christian economist Prof. ŌTSUKA Hisao has explained what Dr. Max Weber is trying to say in an easy-to-understand way. Prof. ŌTSUKA explains how the ascetic and serious lives of Protestant believers led to the establishment of capitalism, using the example of John Bunyan, who wrote the Christian classic Pilgrim’s Progress in the 17th century, as follows.

He (i.e., John Bunyan) was a tinker living on the outskirts of Bedford – it is important to note that he was a tinker – (a tinker is someone who repairs pots and pans). Moreover, he was a poor tinker, but he also had a fine faith. Such craftsmen were spread out from the suburbs to the farming areas. These people did not think about making money, but devoted themselves to their secular work activities for the glory of God and love of their neighbours, that is, as a vocation given to them by God. Furthermore, because the purpose was not to acquire wealth, they did not waste money. As a result, money was left over. There was no choice but to have money left over. (omission) However, as a result, they did not just make money. On the other hand, as a result of their actions, they also unintentionally gradually created a completely new social structure of capitalism based on rational industrial management. (ŌTSUKA Hisao, “Translator’s Commentary” of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Translated by MIYOSHI Akira. The notes in brackets are by MIYOSHI.)

We don’t know whether it’s right to say that everything Dr. Weber says is correct, but we can see something important from this commentary by Prof. ŌTSUKA. That is, according to the way of thinking of Christianity, and especially Protestantism, the purpose of working in this world is not just to make money, but to glorify God and to love one’s neighbour, in other words, to bear witness to Christ. However, historically, as a result of making money, the original purpose of working gradually became forgotten, and the only purpose became to work for money. So, I think that more and more people have come to think that it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you make money, or that they don’t want to work because they don’t need the money.

As Christians today, we should return to the spirit of Paul, who tried to witness to Christ through his work. In our church, there are people who have already finished their working lives, and there are also people who are currently working, but I think that we should all strive to do the work that God has given us each day, with the spirit of witnessing to Christ. Let us begin the new year in this way.