“So, when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. ² We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith” 1 Thessalonians 3:1-2

“We sent Timothy”, such a simple comment that seems only to serve the purpose of conveying what Paul did to learn about the condition of deeply beloved brothers and sisters he had only recently met, had imparted the good news of the kingdom and had seen many who had “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God,”  1 Thessalonians 1:9

Paul further lays the backdrop to his anxiety and affection concerning them as he opens his first thoughts and pours out his heart to them, especially as Timothy has returned with news joyfully overwhelming. Paul shares with his friends his and their remembrances, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope” 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3.

“We proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.” 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8. “You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers;”  1 Thessalonians 2:10

“You know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children,”  1 Thessalonians 2:11. And then Paul closes his outpouring of affection and reminders, “For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.”  1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

When Paul recounts the story of what he endured for the gospel and as a “man under obligation” he ends his list of persecutions and sufferings with “besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.” 2 Corinthians 11:28. This is what Paul means in the anxiety and the relief of his daily concern for the saints, in this case the saints in Thessalonica.

Paul confesses, “When we could stand it no longer, we sent Timothy”. Paul and the others had to know how they were doing. Especially as they had to flee under the threat of further persecution.

Paul’s command or exhortation, to Timothy and Timothy’s acceptance, his willingness and submission to Paul’s request for relief did not happen in a benign, or mildly inconvenient personal overreach. The recent historical context behind Paul sending Timothy back to Thessalonica comes from the story Luke records in Acts 16-17.

Paul had received the Macedonian call and along with Silas and Timothy answered it heading first into Phillipi where after some success, “Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them secure. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.” Acts 16:22-24,

Paul and his companions are released (miraculously and then officially) and headed south towards Thessalonica, which is about a hundred-mile journey after being beaten with rods and having received many stripes.

Luke picks up the story of the three evangelists in Acts 17 when they first arrive, beaten and tired but wasting no time Paul began preaching to the Jews in the synagogues in the city. Not only did Paul waste no time but he reminds the Thessalonian saints, “even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Phillipi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.” 1 Thessalonians 2:2

Things did not get better for Paul and Silas in Thessalonica. Soon after early successes, “some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.” Acts 17:4 “But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.”Acts 17:5

In probably less than a month or two, having born the trauma, physically and psychologically, of beatings, imprisonment and the anger of mob mentality, Paul and Silas faced it all again.

This is the recent and relevant context to the simple statement, “we sent Timothy”. Where? Back to the city, the mob and the threat of harm, imprisonment, or death. This is the hard thing Paul needed Timothy to do, and Timothy did.

Sometimes…Leaders must ask people to do hard things, risky things, uncertain things, inconvenient things and things we would not normally do unless we are asked and unless we understand the importance, the significance and the urgency of the need.

Sometimes, whether by command, example, or necessary submission, when asked we need to be ready to do HARD THINGS for a greater cause, for the kingdom, for someone in need or in the practice of pure religion.

We have seen so many families for the sake of a child do incredibly hard things, taking great emotional risks, dropping everything on the schedule in a moment’s notice, driving across the country, heading into storms (literally flying into a hurricane), waiting patiently for months by the beside of a newborn, standing by the side of a mother about to deliver a still born baby, knowing they would not return with the “bundle of joy” but going simply to hold the hand of a woman they’d never met so she would not bear the loss alone.

Families who have received an unexpected call, “Can you adopt my [another] child, so the two can be raised together?” Couples who have had their adoption hopes dashed several times over and somehow manage to overcome their grief, heal, and regain their hope, faith and love to try again.

Jesus told us, “In this world you will have tribulation.” Paul reminds Timothy, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ”. 2 Timothy 2:3

Whether it is receiving a child in His name, helping those who have set a place at their table, answering the call to take a meal, visit the sick, hold the hand of the dying, standing for what is right, speaking truth to power, offering forgiveness when wronged, extending grace and mercy to the “undeserving” or the least of these we need to be prepared, ready, and willing to answer calls, and to do hard or inconvenient things.

Sometimes it is even harder to send someone, like Paul did to Timothy, and put them in harm’s way, taking personal or financial or emotional risks for good work, to bear another’s burden or other opportunities to spread the gospel.

The book of Genesis is full of examples of how not to handle interpersonal relationships. Envy, rivalry, bitterness, hatred, lying, and many more atrocities saturate the pages of the first book of the Hebrew Bible. One story tucked into the fourth chapter of Genesis is that of a boastful, violent womanizer named Lamech who pronounced a curse upon any who might cross him. We don't know much else about this evil man; his curse, however, became the seed from which a deep, fundamental truth would grow centuries later.

But first, a little backstory is in order.

Lamech was a descendent of Cain, who was guilty of the first recorded murder in human history, seen earlier in Genesis 4. As a result of Cain's evil deed, God told him he was cursed from the ground, that the ground would therefore no longer yield its strength to him, and that he would be a wanderer and a fugitive upon the earth. Cain feared that his actions would cause God to hide his face from him and also lead others to kill him if they found him. In a sign of mercy toward Cain, God put a mark on him and proclaimed that if anyone murdered Cain, vengeance would be taken on that person sevenfold.

Now, fast-forward to Lamech. Apparently wanting to be a trailblazer for sin like his forefather, Lamech was the first person recorded as being a polygamist, taking multiple wives for himself. And the only words of his we have recorded are an arrogant announcement to his wives that he had killed a young man for striking him, and that if Cain's revenge was sevenfold, his revenge would be seventy-sevenfold (Gen 4.23-24 ESV). 

The implication behind that curse reveals just how arrogant Lamech was. Remember that God placed the mark on Cain and declared that vengeance would be taken on him sevenfold. The underlying sentiment there is that God would be the one to exact that revenge on any person who wronged Cain. But now Lamech was declaring that not only would he (Lamech) be the one to exact revenge on anyone who wronged him, but also that he would exact that revenge even more completely than God would, implying that Lamech's strength and power surpassed God's.

This idea of holding onto grudges and of total revenge toward one's enemies was the prevailing worldview for most humans (even many Jews) by the time the period of the Old Testament came to a close. And so when Jesus entered the scene and started to teach about loving one's enemies and turning the other cheek when wronged, it was probably (ahem) a slap in the face to most of his followers. Why would a person allow another person to wrong them without exacting revenge or retaliating? But the starkest contrast of Jesus' thoughts on grudge-holding and revenge-seeking compared to the world's thoughts can most easily be seen in an exchange with his disciple Peter.

In Matthew 18, we read of Jesus teaching his disciples about how they should react when a brother wrongs them (address it privately first, then take a couple of witnesses to establish the charges, and then bring it to the church's attention before taking any action against the brother). In reaction to this teaching, Peter asks, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” (Mt 18.21) Peter must have thought he was being exceedingly generous in forgiving his brother seven times. Or perhaps there was even a bit of exasperation in his voice as he asked this, thinking to himself, "Surely he doesn't expect me to be that forgiving of someone!" But Jesus had a different perspective: "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times." (Mt 18.22)

The numbers 7 and 77 are referenced in the same passage... just like back in Genesis 4. In point of fact, these two accounts are the only times in the entire Bible where the number 77 is used.** Jesus' use of that number here is more than mere coincidence or use of a common idiom. It is almost assuredly a peek into Jesus' knowledge not only of the text of Hebrew Bible, but also the profound wisdom it contained.

Lamech invoked use of the number 77 to display his pride and power through his willingness to **completely destroy** someone who wronged him. Jesus, on the other hand, used that same number to teach his disciples how to do the exact opposite--to display their humility and meekness through their willingness to **completely forgive** and restore someone who had wronged them. By using the number 77, Jesus deftly pulled up Lamech's words in the minds of his disciples and juxtaposed it against his own words. In doing so, he was able to masterfully demonstrate the dramatic contrast between complete revenge and complete forgiveness: 

• In seeking revenge, we put ourselves in the place of God by defining what's right based on our own self-centered wisdom and by dictating punishment on those who don't walk in step with that definition. 
• In offering forgiveness, we maintain our proper positions below God and others by leaving to God the responsibilities of defining what's right based on His wisdom and allowing Him to be the one to exact justice on those who don't walk in step with that definition.

Thus, the question for us when we are wronged is whether we will walk in the footsteps of Lamech and allow our pride to drive us to seek total revenge, or whether we'll walk in the path of Jesus and allow our humility to point us toward total forgiveness instead.

** (There are questions about whether the original languages should be translated as "seventy times seven" (i.e., 490), or "seventy-seven times". Regardless of where you land on that, the Septuagint uses the same Greek phrase for the number in Gen. 4 as what Jesus uses in Matt 18, so the connection between those two texts remains.)