Anyone Unwilling to Work Should Not Eat

Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother or sister living irresponsibly and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not irresponsible when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right but in order to give you an example to imitate.  For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living irresponsibly, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.
(2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition)

Well, this reading comes at a rather awkward moment.

I began this message the first week of November. As a consequence of the United States government’s shutdown, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ran out of funding. That means nearly 42 million low-income Americans might have lost benefits that help them buy groceries for themselves and their families. 

I say might have because, at the end of October, two courts ordered the Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, to use a $4.65 billion contingency fund to keep the program running. Four days later, however, Donald Trump took to social media to insist he’d only release the benefits “when those Radical Left Democrats open up the government… and not before!” The White House quickly contradicted Trump, acknowledging the administration would distribute “as much as we can and as quickly as we can,” but soon after that, one of the judges insisted upon immediate and full payouts. (Trump asked the Supreme Court to negate that order, and even tried to claw back money that had already been released.) 

As these events unfolded, most people worried about, say, 16 million children going without meals. A few, though, including the president, took the opportunity to attack SNAP, claiming that, under the previous administration, benefits “were haphazardly ‘handed’ to anyone for the asking.” They portrayed many recipients as scammers and freeloaders, stealing resources from Americans who really need the help.

Now, some folks have used Paul’s advice to the Thessalonians to attack programs like SNAP—along with assistance programs in general. People can’t expect handouts, they tell us, often with a particular racial category in mind. Yes, even in Christian congregations, they say such things—and, yes, even in Quaker meetings.

So, like I say, for this reading to show up at this moment? That should make some folks squirm next Sunday.

But what did Paul really mean to tell the Thessalonians here?

He certainly wouldn’t have encouraged them to let their neighbors go hungry. When he spoke about an argument with the first apostles, for example, he recalled that it ended with them making one sole request, “that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do.” (Galatians 2:10) When he wanted to suggest we reap no spiritual reward for even the most profound charitable acts when performed without love, he imagined giving away all he owned to feed the poor. (1 Corinthians 13:3) 

Many people suggest Paul wasn’t encouraging the Thessalonians to turn anyone in need of a meal away; according to them, he wasn’t talking to the people with the food at all. Instead, they say, he was advising members of the primitive Christian communities not to take advantage of their shared resources if they hadn’t done their bit to chip in.

Let me frame this in a way just about any Quaker should understand: Imagine your meeting organizes a potluck. If anyone in the meeting was going through hard times, you wouldn’t deny them your food. Heck, if somebody you’ve never met before wandered into the meetinghouse, and asked if they could join you, you probably wouldn’t turn them away—especially if you could tell they really needed a good meal.

Now let’s say you could have made something for the potluck, but you decided you had better things to do yesterday. You could even have stopped by a convenience store on the way to meeting and picked up a big bottle or two of iced tea, but you didn’t feel like going out of your way. In that case, Paul says, don’t take so much—maybe don’t take anything.

How do people get from that to withholding aid from those in need?

A society organized around wealth and power will always lead to some people trying to acquire more for themselves by taking from everybody else. Jesus wanted to liberate us from that sort of scarcity mentality. “Do not worry about your life,” he urged his disciples:

“…what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear… Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:25,32-33)

When people forget that promise, and try to assert dominance over their God-given resources, how we live as Friends can provide an unambiguous reminder of the blessed community that awaits. If you and your meeting are providing for neighbors who need assistance, in ways large or small, great! If not, how can you begin?