But we, brothers, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in spirit, were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.
Truth to Learn
Persecution of Christians occurs world-wide today.
Behind the Words
The words “having been taken away” are translated from the Greek verb aporphanidzō. This word is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and orphanos (from which we get our English word orphan). Orphanos means “obscure” or “dark,” like an orphan who, without parents, was often forced to wander in obscurity and darkness. Thus, aporphanidzō means to be made alone and helpless, without parents.
“For a short time” is from the Greek words kairon horas. Kairon refers to a period of time or “a season,” and horas means “an hour.” Therefore, kairon horas literally means “a season of an hour.” Metaphorically, it means “for a short time.”
The word “more” is translated from perissōs, which means “abundantly” or “exceedingly.” It implies a much greater amount than just “more.”
“Eager” is from spoudadzō, which is based on spoudē, meaning “speed, haste, or diligence.” Spoudadzō, therefore, means “to be eager, diligent, or earnest.”
Both of the words “presence” and “face” are translated from prosōpon, which literally means “before your eyes.” It is the word that refers to a person’s face, but it also means “in someone’s presence” (just as we might refer to close proximity as “being in your face”).
Meaning Explained
In the last few verses Paul has been telling the Christians in Thessalonica how he, and they, have been persecuted by their fellow countrymen. They were hindered from witnessing the Gospel truth because of it. Paul and his companions even suffered physical persecution. In fact, the opposition was so great that Paul and Silas had to be scurried out of town at night:
Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. (Acts 17:10a)
Paul has used the personal family metaphors of a nursing mother and a father to describe his relationship with, and love for, the Thessalonians. Now he uses even more emotional words to describe his separation from these dear people. He says, “having been taken away from you,” that is, “having been orphaned from you.” This is very descriptive of the heart wrenching pain of their sudden separation from each other.
However, Paul informs his children in the Lord that this separation is only for a short time. We don’t know for sure how long he had been gone from Thessalonica when he wrote this letter; it may have only been a few months. And we will learn in this verse and the next verse that Paul had already tried to return to Thessalonica, but he wasn’t able to. He tells his readers that he had tried very hard to return to them so that he could at least see their faces again.
Application
In some countries of the world today Christians are under heavy persecution, being imprisoned or even killed because of their desire to be obedient to God. Let’s all take a few minutes right now to pray to our Heavenly Father for protection and comfort for Christians everywhere who suffer for their faith.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved