2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 (NLT)

6 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. 7 For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. 8 We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. 10 Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”

11 Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. 12 We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. 13 As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.

14 Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. 15 Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 (NLT)

General Context Questions

• Who wrote this? Who is or which groups of people are involved?
• Was this written before, during, or after Jesus’ lifetime?
• Is this a narrative, a parable, a praise, a suggestion, a command, an instruction, or something else?
• Is there anything that stands out to you?
• Did anything confuse you? Were there words or phrases that didn’t make sense?

Specific Questions

• The author of this passage says that he’s giving a “command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Does this command apply to everyone everywhere or is it just the intended recipient of the letter?
• The author explains how he set an example for how to behave so that others could follow it? Have you ever chosen a more difficult path because you wanted to set an example for someone?
• What do you think it means to be “living idle lives”? What is the opposite of an “idle” life?
• If people who refuse to follow this command are still to be treated as “a brother or sister” rather than an enemy, which commands, when refused, would cause someone to be treated as an enemy?