“Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:”
My Notes
What Does 1 Thessalonians 2:15 Mean?
Paul recounts the persecution the Thessalonians received from their countrymen — the same kind of persecution the Judean churches received from those who killed Jesus and the prophets. The pattern is consistent: God's messengers are opposed by those closest to them.
Paul identifies the persecutors as those who killed Jesus, killed their own prophets, and persecuted the apostles. The accusation is severe: they please not God and are contrary to all men — opposing the gospel being preached to Gentiles.
The phrase "forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved" identifies the specific sin: obstructing salvation. Not just rejecting the gospel themselves but preventing others from hearing it.
"To fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost" — the accumulation of sin has reached its limit. The wrath that arrives is proportional to the opposition. The obstruction of the gospel is the final measure.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does the pattern of God's people opposing God's messengers continue today?
- 2.What does 'forbidding others to hear the gospel' look like in modern contexts?
- 3.Where might complacency or silence function as a form of obstruction?
- 4.How does preventing salvation differ from merely rejecting it — and why is it more severe?
Devotional
Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets. The pattern is ancient: the messengers of God are opposed by the people of God. The prophets were killed by Israel. Jesus was killed by Israel's leaders. The apostles are persecuted by the same community.
Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved. The sin Paul identifies is not just unbelief. It is obstruction — preventing others from hearing the gospel. Not content to reject it themselves, they block those who would receive it.
That is a particular kind of evil: standing at the door of salvation and refusing to let others through. Not just declining the invitation but tearing up other people's invitations.
Are contrary to all men. The opposition to the gospel is not just anti-God. It is anti-human. Preventing people from hearing the message that could save them is hostile to humanity itself.
The wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. The accumulation reaches a limit. The obstruction of salvation is not a minor infraction. It is the sin that fills the cup to overflowing.
Where are you inadvertently blocking others from encountering God? Not through dramatic opposition — but through silence, indifference, or comfortable religion that does not extend beyond your own circle?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Who both killed the Lord Jesus,.... For though Pilate condemned him to death, and the Roman soldiers executed the…
Who both killed the Lord Jesus - see the notes on Act 2:23. The meaning here is, that it was characteristic of the Jews…
Who hath killed the Lord Jesus, etc. - What a finished but just character is this of the Jews!
1. They slew the Lord…
Here observe, I. The apostle makes mention of the success of his ministry among these Thessalonians (Th1 2:13), which is…
who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets Revised reading, simply the prophets.
Christ represented His…
Cross References
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