Pursue Goodness

Scripture — 1 Thessalonians 5:15

See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.

Devotion

1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 contains a series of pithy exhortations. I count 17 of them, including the “don’ts,” like “Do not quench the Spirit” (5:19). In verse 15, after the “don’t” that reads “See that none of you repays evil for evil,” there’s the flip side positive, “but always seek to do good to one another and to all.”

If this pair of imperatives seems familiar, it may be because they echo the teachings of Jesus himself. Though Paul and his co-writers do not specifically mention Jesus in verse 15, their instruction sounds a lot like what the Lord himself had taught. In the Sermon on the Mount, for example, Jesus said “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also” (Matthew 5:38–39). Later in that sermon, Jesus gave the Golden Rule: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).

In another section of Matthew, Jesus also said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matt 22:37-39). But Jesus did not limit love only to the neighbor. In fact, he stretched our conception of love by saying, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:43-44). So, when you add up these various teachings of Jesus, you get something that sounds a lot like 1 Thessalonians 5:15, “See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.”

As Paul and his colleagues repackaged the teachings of Jesus for the Thessalonians, they chose a distinctive word that deserves our attention. We can easily miss it in English translations, however. The NRSV, for example, reads “Always seek to do good to one another into all. “Seek” is a possible translation of the Greek verb diōkō, but “seek” doesn’t convey a strong sense of urgency or activity. Diōkō meant something like “seek energetically” or “chase after.” In some contexts it could even mean “persecute,” which gives you a sense of the strength of the word. “Seek” doesn’t convey this very well. The Common English Bible, on the contrary, gets closer to the sense of the original with this translation: “Always pursue the good for each other and everyone else.” In other words, we are not to seek to do good to others in a comfortable way, only when it’s convenient for us or only with minimal effort. Rather, doing good to others is something we should chase after with focus, enthusiasm, and strength.

In reflecting on verse 15, I am also struck by the reminder that we are “to do good to one another and to all.” In this context “one another “means “brothers and sisters in the Christian family.” We are to do good to the other members of the community of Christ. But that’s not all. We are also to pursue goodness for all people.

Sometimes we Christians can be so focused on loving each other that we have little love left over for their neighbors. Churches can work hard on the quality of community they have in their church yet pay little attention to the broader community in which their church is located. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 reminds us that love is not just for our fellow Christians. Rather, following the teaching of Jesus, we are to love our neighbor and even those we consider our enemy. Talk about seeking good for all! That’s a very inclusive “all,” don’t you think?

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Do to Others as You Would Have Them Do to You: The Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12).

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