‘And that you are ambitious to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you. That you may walk honestly towards those who are without, and may have need of nothing.'
The general impression here is of some who were going about in an excited way, creating a great stir, criticising, chattering, gossiping, constantly passing on unrequested spiritual advice, avoiding normal work and living off others ‘by faith', presumably in view of the near return of Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:11). This is not to condemn those who are truly called of God to a particular ministry and trust God to supply their needs through the ‘hospitality' of faithful Christians, but it does warn about taking up such a position too lightly on one's own initiative. All the Apostles journeyed ‘by faith'. But their call was sure and approved by the whole church.
‘Be ambitious to be still (quiet in the sense of at rest).' A deliberate paradox. He was warning them against being frustrating ‘busy-bodies' (2 Thessalonians 3:11 compare 1 Timothy 5:13) at other people's expense. This would suggest that in view of what they saw as Christ's near return some thought that working was futile, and that rather they should meet with fellow-Christians all the time, talking excitedly about their own opinion on Christian things, looking constantly into other people's lives in order to advise them or put them right, advising them in accordance with their own wrong ideas, discussing other Christians behind their backs with a view to ‘helping' them while only upsetting them, regularly backbiting, claiming to stir everyone to faithfulness, while only being annoying, and so on (this is taking the best view of them). It is a caricature of what a real pastor should be. Rather, says Paul, they should be ambitious to settle down and support themselves, and do physical or mental work and not be so ‘spiritually' active on their own cognisance. They will do the church far more good.
‘And to do (practise, carry out) your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you.'
Rather these people should spend more time looking to their own affairs and the affairs of their families, should attend to their work and business, and should get down to some honest day's work, just as Paul had previously told them to do. Unlike the Jews (all Rabbis were expected to have a trade), the Gentiles did not look favourably on physical work. But Paul points out to them that it is not spiritual to be idle. These important words are a remedy for when we begin to worry that in the light of the Lord's return we are spending too much time on mundane things.
It is, of course, as so often, a matter of balance. There can be no doubt that some Christians are too taken up with their own affairs, and could do to give more assistance to the church and to evangelism in their ‘leisure time'. But our efforts should be prayerfully determined and not over-hectic.
‘That you may walk honestly towards those who are without, and may have need of nothing.' His advice is so that they might treat fairly and honestly and decently ‘those who are outside'. This may mean outside their own circle, or outside their own families, or outside the church. Those who live off others on their own cognisance cheat everybody. Those who are busybodies cause harm to others. Those who are seen as parasites are a bad witness to the world.
‘And may have need of nothing.' By working as others do, and have to, they will then be able to provide for their own needs and not be in a state where they have to receive help from others to meet their basic physical needs.