Hi, welcome to Books of
the Book, I Jon Paulien and my
00:00:22.65\00:00:25.69
colleague today
is Jon Ciccarelli.
00:00:25.69\00:00:28.09
We are studying 1 and
2 Thessalonians with you.
00:00:28.09\00:00:31.53
Yes we have been following
Paul along on his journey
00:00:31.53\00:00:37.20
and he has written some letters.
00:00:37.20\00:00:39.67
It has been a bit of a rocky
start, he has run into some
00:00:39.67\00:00:43.04
trouble along the way, but
yet he is reaching out in his
00:00:43.04\00:00:46.07
letters and there is much
to be learned Jon, from outside
00:00:46.07\00:00:48.68
of the Bible and today we
are going to look at the context
00:00:48.68\00:00:51.21
of 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
00:00:51.21\00:00:53.28
So he was just journeying
through ancient Greece.
00:00:53.28\00:00:56.75
- Right. - He went on
this journey because he had
00:00:56.75\00:01:00.12
a dream, and the dream
said to come over into this part
00:01:00.12\00:01:03.59
of the world and
help us. - Right, right!
00:01:03.59\00:01:05.59
Sometimes God gives you a
dream and you follow it and you
00:01:05.59\00:01:08.56
get in trouble. Is that right?
00:01:08.56\00:01:09.76
Did that ever happen to you?
00:01:09.76\00:01:11.30
- It seems often the case.
00:01:11.30\00:01:12.73
God always leads us to the
places that are outside of our
00:01:12.73\00:01:15.64
comfort zones and places us
to bring down strongholds for
00:01:15.64\00:01:18.51
the kingdom of God.
00:01:18.51\00:01:19.84
Well I think in a future
program we are going to talk
00:01:19.84\00:01:23.38
more specifically about that,
the times when people who are
00:01:23.38\00:01:26.68
really serving the Lord,
really faithful to the Lord but
00:01:26.68\00:01:29.95
nevertheless go
through some dark times. - Yes!
00:01:29.95\00:01:32.35
If any of you are going
through dark times right now,
00:01:32.35\00:01:36.22
sometimes the way God leads
you, because He can burn away
00:01:36.22\00:01:40.50
some of those things that
otherwise we would cling to.
00:01:40.50\00:01:44.53
- Right! - So today, I'm
probably going to be doing
00:01:44.53\00:01:48.37
too much talking, but the
reason is today we are going
00:01:48.37\00:01:51.71
into some deep background
to the Thessalonian letters.
00:01:51.71\00:01:55.44
We are going into the
background beyond the Jewish
00:01:55.44\00:01:59.15
background, even to the
Gentile background because there
00:01:59.15\00:02:02.32
is a number of things about
the history of Thessalonica,
00:02:02.32\00:02:06.29
about the practices in the
ancient world that will really
00:02:06.29\00:02:09.72
help us to really understand
what is going on in this book
00:02:09.72\00:02:13.13
and even in some other
books of the New Testament.
00:02:13.13\00:02:15.63
People might ask the question,
isn't it a waste of time
00:02:15.63\00:02:19.67
to study about ancient
paganism, or ancient history?
00:02:19.67\00:02:23.67
I just want to
stick with the Bible.
00:02:23.67\00:02:25.37
I have every bit of respect
for people who feel that way,
00:02:25.37\00:02:28.91
but I think there's some
reasons why you will find this
00:02:28.91\00:02:32.45
to be an interesting program.
00:02:32.45\00:02:33.88
First of all, when Paul
spoke to the Gentiles, he spoke
00:02:33.88\00:02:39.25
with a knowledge
of their background.
00:02:39.25\00:02:41.69
He spoke to that background,
he shaped the Gospel in
00:02:41.69\00:02:45.99
a way that they
could understand.
00:02:45.99\00:02:47.56
But second of all, when
you know about the ancient
00:02:47.56\00:02:50.73
background, you also know
what Paul was fighting against
00:02:50.73\00:02:53.67
because these doctrines,
these religions, these
00:02:53.67\00:02:58.44
backgrounds were pushing
against the Gospel and making
00:02:58.44\00:03:02.48
it difficult for
people to come to the Gospel.
00:03:02.48\00:03:05.25
So as Paul is giving the
Gospel, he is giving it with
00:03:05.25\00:03:09.48
a twist that battles against
some of these false ideas.
00:03:09.48\00:03:14.79
So in studying these things
we can find, I think, fruitful
00:03:14.79\00:03:19.23
connections with what is
happening in the texts of 1 and
00:03:19.23\00:03:23.37
2 Thessalonians that will
help us as we go verse by verse
00:03:23.37\00:03:27.47
through these books later on.
00:03:27.47\00:03:28.90
Jon there is a text I think
that would be great for us to
00:03:28.90\00:03:31.84
look at, that really gives
us an understanding of Paul's
00:03:31.84\00:03:34.98
mindset, his strategy if
you will in this situation.
00:03:34.98\00:03:39.11
Oh, read it to me. -
it's 1 Corinthians 9:20-22.
00:03:39.11\00:03:43.18
So how do you understand
that to be relating to what
00:04:11.61\00:04:14.25
we have been talking about?
00:04:14.25\00:04:15.42
Well I think Paul is showing
that his number one focus is
00:04:15.42\00:04:19.02
to bring the Gospel to people,
and he is going to do all
00:04:19.02\00:04:22.39
he can to understand where
those people are at to make
00:04:22.39\00:04:25.76
the message relevant
to where they are at.
00:04:25.76\00:04:27.60
He's always seeking to under-
stand before he is understood,
00:04:27.60\00:04:31.30
and understanding the situation
so that Gospel message can
00:04:31.30\00:04:35.00
be make clear to them.
00:04:35.00\00:04:36.24
And I think one thing I
would add to that, is in doing
00:04:36.24\00:04:39.14
that he is
following the model of God.
00:04:39.14\00:04:41.41
God Himself seeks out to
understand us, and bring things
00:04:41.41\00:04:48.02
to us just the way we need it.
00:04:48.02\00:04:49.62
In order to meet someone
where they are, you have to know
00:04:49.62\00:04:52.35
where they are and
we see God doing that.
00:04:52.35\00:04:55.39
For example in the New Testa-
ment, scholars 150 years ago,
00:04:55.39\00:04:58.66
they thought the New Testament
was written in some kind of
00:04:58.66\00:05:02.20
heavenly Greek, it didn't
read like any other Greek in the
00:05:02.20\00:05:05.47
ancient world, not the
philosophers, not the government
00:05:05.47\00:05:08.67
not the scholars
of the ancient world.
00:05:08.67\00:05:11.24
This was unique, and then
an archaeologist in 1896 stuck
00:05:11.24\00:05:15.81
a shovel into a garbage dump
from ancient times and found
00:05:15.81\00:05:20.35
something they had
never found before.
00:05:20.35\00:05:22.08
Personal letters, bills,
receipts, marriage contracts,
00:05:22.08\00:05:27.46
the kind of stuff
people do every day.
00:05:27.46\00:05:30.59
That was never preserved
intentionally, that was garbage.
00:05:30.59\00:05:33.40
But when we discovered it,
do you know what they found?
00:05:33.40\00:05:36.03
- What? - it was the
language of the New Testament.
00:05:36.03\00:05:39.23
When God chose to speak to
people of the ancient Greek
00:05:39.23\00:05:42.37
times, He spoke the
language of the street.
00:05:42.37\00:05:44.94
He met them
right where they were.
00:05:44.94\00:05:47.08
We see this
happening in the four Gospels.
00:05:47.08\00:05:49.51
There is only one Gospel
really, the Gospel of Jesus
00:05:49.51\00:05:53.45
Christ and yet there are
four because God knows different
00:05:53.45\00:05:57.79
people, different mindsets
need to hear the message
00:05:57.79\00:06:01.12
in their own way.
00:06:01.12\00:06:02.29
Even more exciting
is the book of Daniel.
00:06:02.29\00:06:04.59
In Chapter 2, God speaks to
King Nebuchadnezzar and gives
00:06:04.59\00:06:10.00
him a dream. What is
the form of the dream?
00:06:10.00\00:06:12.23
It's an idol, it is something
he would recognize, it is
00:06:12.23\00:06:16.30
something he would understand.
00:06:16.30\00:06:17.64
But He gives essentially
the same message to Daniel in
00:06:17.64\00:06:20.98
Chapter 7, but to the
Hebrew prophet it's the story of
00:06:20.98\00:06:24.88
creation, a stormy sea,
animals, the Son of Man who has
00:06:24.88\00:06:28.75
dominion over the animals.
00:06:28.75\00:06:30.25
That is the story of
the Garden of Eden, you see.
00:06:30.25\00:06:33.12
So God, even when He makes a
dream, a vision, is shaping it
00:06:33.12\00:06:38.03
in the form of the
person who is receiving it.
00:06:38.03\00:06:42.36
So I think we see God,
like Paul, meeting people
00:06:42.36\00:06:46.67
where they are, has that
ever happened with your kids?
00:06:46.67\00:06:50.14
Oh yeah, I have a boy and
I have a girl 10 and 12 years
00:06:50.14\00:06:53.58
old, so they are
already different.
00:06:53.58\00:06:55.31
You have to talk to them
different, and interact with
00:06:55.31\00:06:57.15
them differently, and you
share that same message of
00:06:57.15\00:06:58.95
your love to
them but differently.
00:06:58.95\00:07:00.62
My son is much more,
when you show affection,
00:07:00.62\00:07:03.45
it's more let's
wrestle, let's play hard.
00:07:03.45\00:07:06.19
But with my daughter, it's
more like let's snuggle dad.
00:07:06.19\00:07:09.16
Same affection but just
expressed in a different way.
00:07:09.16\00:07:12.36
Umm, that's right. People
often wonder why teenage boys
00:07:12.36\00:07:15.06
are hard to deal with,
well you probably just need to
00:07:15.06\00:07:17.43
punch them in the shoulder
or something and they will
00:07:17.43\00:07:19.77
say, ah, I'm loved now.
00:07:19.77\00:07:21.24
But with the girl she
would be mad at you for weeks.
00:07:21.24\00:07:24.14
- yes, yes absolutely.
00:07:24.14\00:07:25.67
Missionaries call
this the point of contact.
00:07:25.67\00:07:28.78
It's that place where people
are hungry for the Gospel.
00:07:28.78\00:07:33.18
They may not know it,
they don't think they need the
00:07:33.18\00:07:37.89
Gospel, but there is a point
where they feel a need, and
00:07:37.89\00:07:42.26
when you touch that point
of need with the Gospel then
00:07:42.26\00:07:46.09
they are more likely to be
open to the larger picture.
00:07:46.09\00:07:49.86
Where do you see people
meeting the Gospel today?
00:07:49.86\00:07:55.74
In the secular world
is hard to reach them.
00:07:55.74\00:07:58.54
It is, but you know there
are still those times in life,
00:07:58.54\00:08:01.81
Times of change when people
are really open to the Gospel.
00:08:01.81\00:08:05.08
Times when a child is
being born, or someone dies, or
00:08:05.08\00:08:09.62
someone is going
through a crisis.
00:08:09.62\00:08:10.95
You don't have the answers
because it is outside of the
00:08:10.95\00:08:14.16
norm, and I can think of a
story of a neighbor of mine
00:08:14.16\00:08:17.13
that I had when I was living
in San Diego and at that time
00:08:17.13\00:08:20.06
was doing a lot of surfing.
00:08:20.06\00:08:21.40
We would surf together,
but he was not a believer.
00:08:21.40\00:08:24.17
- You surf? - I know
it's hard to believe but!
00:08:24.17\00:08:26.87
He would never want to
talk about religious things.
00:08:29.00\00:08:31.14
He knew I was a Pastor, but
one day I get a call from him
00:08:31.14\00:08:34.74
out of the blue and someone
at work died suddenly that day
00:08:34.74\00:08:37.91
and he left work and I get
this phone on my cell phone
00:08:37.91\00:08:41.08
saying, hey, can you go surfing?
00:08:41.08\00:08:43.25
I dropped everything and went.
00:08:43.25\00:08:45.35
Then he was open to
spiritual things, he was open to
00:08:45.35\00:08:48.22
what happens when people
die? What happens? Where is
00:08:48.22\00:08:50.66
God in this? And we was
able to talk about those things.
00:08:50.66\00:08:53.03
But it is those key
moments, the felt needs,
00:08:53.03\00:08:55.20
when we need that.
00:08:55.20\00:08:56.67
Alright, well we're going
to get to Thessalonica and some
00:08:58.07\00:09:01.54
of the unique backgrounds
that really unpacks where
00:09:01.54\00:09:05.21
Paul's letters are going,
but first I would like you to
00:09:05.21\00:09:08.58
read a text out of the Gospel
of John because I think in
00:09:08.58\00:09:12.18
Jerusalem people were
experiencing life much as the
00:09:12.18\00:09:15.78
Thessalonians did, would
you read that text for us?
00:09:15.78\00:09:19.32
Sure, John 11:48-50.
00:09:19.32\00:09:22.99
Umhumm! So you see here in
Jerusalem they are dealing with
00:09:44.11\00:09:48.45
occupation, the Roman empires
occupied the city, occupying
00:09:48.45\00:09:52.72
the territory and
they are struggling.
00:09:52.72\00:09:55.19
What do you do with Jesus?
00:09:55.19\00:09:57.43
If it hadn't been for the
occupation may be Jesus wouldn't
00:09:57.43\00:10:00.00
have bothered them that
much, but because of the
00:10:00.00\00:10:02.16
occupation they were
afraid something was going to go
00:10:02.16\00:10:05.07
wrong and the Romans
would clamp down on us.
00:10:05.07\00:10:08.60
We can't afford this
kind of things going on.
00:10:08.60\00:10:12.87
When Rome came to
Jerusalem there were four basic
00:10:12.87\00:10:17.08
reactions, one group
was the accommodators.
00:10:17.08\00:10:21.65
We called them Sadducees,
these were people that said,
00:10:21.65\00:10:24.35
well this is what it
is, so let's deal with it.
00:10:24.35\00:10:26.96
Let's get along and maybe
one day when they are gone
00:10:26.96\00:10:30.29
we can do what we want to do.
00:10:30.29\00:10:31.59
So the Sadducees were
trying to make peace, and if
00:10:31.59\00:10:35.03
everything goes
smoothly and so on.
00:10:35.03\00:10:36.70
Then you had the passive
resisters, the Pharisees.
00:10:36.70\00:10:40.64
They would smile at the
Romans and make nice and the
00:10:40.64\00:10:44.51
minute the Romans were out
of sight they would be plotting
00:10:44.51\00:10:47.18
how can we do it the
way we want to do it?
00:10:47.18\00:10:50.28
How can we encourage them to
get out of here and so forth.
00:10:50.28\00:10:53.98
They wouldn't fight or any-
thing, but they were resisting
00:10:53.98\00:10:57.65
in a passive way.
00:10:57.65\00:10:59.39
Then you would have the
rebels, the zealots, and they
00:10:59.39\00:11:03.63
were doing terrorism and stuff,
acts of terrorism trying to mess
00:11:03.63\00:11:10.30
up the Romans and discourage
them from hanging around.
00:11:10.30\00:11:13.94
Then you had the withdrawers,
the Essenes, the people who
00:11:13.94\00:11:17.51
kept the Dead Sea Scrolls
and they just checked out.
00:11:17.51\00:11:20.91
Life here is too much for
us and we are going out in the
00:11:20.91\00:11:24.28
desert and
everybody leave us alone.
00:11:24.28\00:11:27.02
Yeah, so similar things
happened in Thessalonica.
00:11:27.02\00:11:31.25
Thessalonica was a free city,
but they invited the Romans
00:11:31.25\00:11:35.59
in about 200
years before Paul comes.
00:11:35.59\00:11:37.76
Why? Because they were
having fights with their
00:11:37.76\00:11:40.33
neighboring cities
and they saw Rome kind of
00:11:40.33\00:11:42.56
as the big brother
who would take care of the
00:11:42.56\00:11:44.80
bullies in the neighborhood.
00:11:44.80\00:11:46.37
So the Thessalonians invited
Rome in, there was no war
00:11:46.37\00:11:50.71
to conquer the Thessalonica,
and you say alright,
00:11:50.71\00:11:52.97
they are a free
city under Roman rule
00:11:52.97\00:11:54.88
what could be
better? - Good deal!
00:11:54.88\00:11:56.75
Occupation is still
occupation, you know?
00:11:56.75\00:12:00.52
When you're occupied you
don't really make your own
00:12:00.52\00:12:03.28
decisions in a real sense.
00:12:03.28\00:12:05.35
They will come and
say well 20% of the crops.
00:12:05.35\00:12:08.06
Ship them to Rome, those
are taxes, but you didn't
00:12:08.06\00:12:11.43
get consulted about those taxes,
somebody else decides that.
00:12:11.43\00:12:14.76
So occupation, no matter
how friendly it is, is never
00:12:14.76\00:12:18.87
particularly a happy thing.
00:12:18.87\00:12:21.34
It brings along with it
the sense of powerlessness, and
00:12:21.34\00:12:26.34
hopelessness and it divided
the people in Thessalonica.
00:12:26.34\00:12:30.48
The rich people were
good with the Romans, like the
00:12:30.48\00:12:34.28
Sadducees, hey this is
alright, they left us in power.
00:12:34.28\00:12:37.29
We still have our wealth,
we still have our mansions
00:12:37.29\00:12:40.22
so let's make the most of this.
00:12:40.22\00:12:42.29
So the rich were happy,
the poor people they were
00:12:42.29\00:12:45.36
the ones that suffered
from the heavy taxes and from
00:12:45.36\00:12:48.60
the oppression, forced
marches and all kinds of things
00:12:48.60\00:12:51.87
the Romans were doing.
00:12:51.87\00:12:53.07
So Thessalonica was divided
over the Romans just like
00:12:53.07\00:12:58.34
Jerusalem was divided.
00:12:58.34\00:13:00.04
Paul walks into that
situation of the city that is
00:13:00.04\00:13:03.88
struggling, you know?
00:13:03.88\00:13:05.48
- It's tough, especially being
Christians is sometimes politics
00:13:05.48\00:13:09.92
in the world, and sometimes
at the local level with the
00:13:09.92\00:13:12.62
city or the county sometimes.
00:13:12.62\00:13:15.69
I've been in a
building program myself and it
00:13:15.69\00:13:17.23
can be challenging, trying
to do what God has called you
00:13:17.23\00:13:20.06
to do but then there are
restrictions that you feel
00:13:20.06\00:13:22.80
sometimes are not
always fair, you know?
00:13:22.80\00:13:24.43
There's benefits, but there
is that tension, the tension
00:13:24.43\00:13:26.97
that you live with.
00:13:26.97\00:13:28.10
So in a sense being a Pastor
of a church is almost like
00:13:28.10\00:13:30.11
being in occupied territories
sometimes? - Sometimes!
00:13:30.11\00:13:33.68
Sometimes it is. - Yeah,
well, alright that is beginning
00:13:33.68\00:13:36.88
to set a foundation for
Thessalonica and the stuff that
00:13:36.88\00:13:40.05
was going on back then.
00:13:40.05\00:13:41.22
There is a very interesting
religious movement going on
00:13:41.22\00:13:46.55
in Thessalonica at the
time Paul came. It made all the
00:13:46.55\00:13:49.49
difference when you
understand it, after the break.
00:13:49.49\00:13:52.36