“forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost” (1 Thessalonians 2:16).
The Gospel of Matthew records an incident from Jesus’ life that relates to this portion of Scripture from 1 Thessalonians 2:16…
“Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’ And He laid His hands on them and departed from there” (Matthew 19:13-15).
While the context of this passage involves young children (or perhaps infants), there is a larger principle at work. The principle behind this vignette from Jesus’ ministry is that we shouldn’t prevent others from coming to Christ. Yet much like those who sought to prevent these children from approaching Jesus, there were some within the first-century Jewish community who were working to thwart Paul the Apostle’s evangelistic outreach to the Gentiles.
One source offers a list of motives that may help to explain that response…
“Why were so many Jews opposed to Christianity?
(1) Although the Jewish religion had been declared legal by the Roman government, it still had a tenuous relationship with the government. At this time, Christianity was viewed as a sect of Judaism. The Jews were afraid that reprisals leveled against the Christians might be expanded to include them.
(2) The Jewish leaders thought Jesus was a false prophet, and they didn’t want his teachings to spread.
(3) The leaders feared that if many Jews were drawn away, their own political position might be weakened.
(4) Jews were proud of their special status as God’s chosen people and resented the fact that Gentiles could be full members within the Christian church.” (1)
While Jesus overrode this seemingly well-intentioned (but misguided) attempt to prevent others from bringing their children to Him, Paul issued a much more serious condemnation. There were grave consequences associated with the effort to hinder others from coming to Christ and Paul concluded his rebuke with an ominous reference: “And now God’s anger has at last come down on them!” (GW).
This may refer to an unidentified sentence that had already been imposed upon those who were obstructing Paul. However, it might also refer to a devastating event that was just beyond the horizon at the time of this letter to the Thessalonian church. We’ll look at that latter possibility next.
(1) Life Application Study Bible, 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16 Copyright © 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc., all rights reserved. Life Application® is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.