“But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing” (2 Thess. 3:1313But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. (2 Thessalonians 3:13)); but—for there were some in Thessalonica who were busy enough, unwearied too, and yet idle people—they were busybodies. How often is it the case that, as it was in Thessalonica, so it is here. Paul objected to such characters. “They learn to be idle,” he says, and a sorrowful schooling this was. The idleness they had learned brought a more mischievous accomplishment with it, namely, that of wandering about from house to house, and not only were they idle but “tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not” (1 Tim. 5:1313And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. (1 Timothy 5:13)).
Christian mischief makers are a great hindrance in the church and to Christian work. The “sister,” who sits at her window watching her neighbors is an idle soul and her idleness usually ends in the exercise of wandering from house to house mischief-making. But, however troublesome a woman busybody is, a man busybody is worse. And really there are some whose main business in life seems to be to collect as much of the scraps of tattle as they can and, supplied with these old rags and refuse, they go about from house to house.
Can their friends not help to find these brethren another less objectionable occupation? There is one way of curing these people and that is by shutting the door upon them and the ear to their conversation. We never yet knew of a busybody carrying on his or her business of collecting the rags and refuse of the lives of others without an audience. Where there is no demand the supplies will not be kept up; therefore let us have nothing to do with these collectors of refuse and so starve them out of their business.
The Spirit of God most clearly places before us, in the chapter where our exhortation occurs, this duty: the true soul is to withdraw himself from the idlers and the tattlers. If we cannot remedy them, let us beware lest they spoil us. It is an infectious disease from which they suffer, and they should be isolated. Do not find fault with them or quarrel with them, certainly do not say a word behind their backs, simply leave them alone. The busybody has chosen to walk on the dirty side of the road, let those otherwise minded walk on the clean side. The idler has chosen the street corner; let those otherwise minded go quietly on in their work, without so much as wasting one word on the group at the idle corner.
“But,” says the Apostle in contrast with these most painful people and their idleness in good and activity in evil—“But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing,” for it is strange that in evil work persons do not get tired, while in holy Christian work the heart and the hands will grow weary. How many a Christian grows sore of heart and foot in well doing! He becomes discouraged and downcast, and the life spring of his soul’s activity seems inclined to dry up. Even the growth of evil tends to render some saints indifferent to their duty of well doing. The very things which should stir up the soul to greater energy of zeal for God, become those which weary the heart and deter the believer from well doing.