¹¹ We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 

우리가 들은즉 너희 가운데 규모 없이 행하여 도무지 일하지 아니하고 일만 만드는 자들이 있다 하니

Here comes the reason for which Paul is writing about the labour rule: because of the news of some ‘idle and disruptive’ people. Literally who walk, i.e. live, disorderly, responsively. They seem to be ones who do not taking part in the function of the organic inter-relationship of sustaining each other, like that between Paul’ crew and the Thessalonians or between the Thessalonian believers. These ones could be native Thessalonians or some visiting (false) teachers. From the fact Paul makes an extensive comparison between these ‘busybodies’ and themselves (vv.7-9), there is a chance that these people who are not working but busybody-ing, i.e. acting boundaryless and interfering,[1] could be people who visited Thessalonica and claimed themselves as teachers after Paul’s departure.     

¹² Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. 

이런 자들에게 우리가 명하고 주 예수 그리스도 안에서 권하기를 종용히 일하여 자기 양식을 먹으라 하노라

The visiting teachers might have excuses that they do not work – that because they would be leaving soon to preach and teach in other places, that they were not in Thessalonica for good. But Paul commands and pleads with them that they should live as if they are there for good, become like Thessalonians, become one of them, in order to make sense of the gospel they are teaching. Just as how our God worked with us, becoming like one of us.

¹³ And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

형제들아 너희는 선을 행하다가 낙심치 말라

Turning the attention to the Thessalonian believers, ‘as for you’, ‘no matter who comes and goes’, ‘what bad or good examples they might show to you’. The verb for ‘to do what is good’ is only used here in NT.[2] So, it seems to have been used to refer particularly to the point Paul has just mentioned: to keep practising sustaining each other’s Christian life.

Lord we tire so easily in the middle of doing what we were convinced to be right. If an opportunity comes along and we see someone else not sticking to the good that we do, we are quick to give up and say we are fed up. We complain, why only me? why am I the one who has to do it, when he or she, somebody does not have to? Because you know our changing, easily provoked  nature so well, you speak to us through Paul’s voice today, ‘as for you, you just keep to what is good’. Let us stick to what is good in your eyes Lord. Let us in that way stay stuck to you, sustained by you so that we may not grow weary, stingy, or edgy, but, like you, be one of our brothers and sisters, make your body complete where I am today. Lord have mercy.   

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[1] 4020 periergázomai (from 4012 /perí, “all-around” and 2038 /ergázomai, “to work”) – properly, work all-around, i.e. to meddle, going beyond proper boundaries (where a person doesn’t belong); to fixate on what others are doing, instead of doing what the person himself is supposed to do (used only in 2 thes 3:11).

[2] 2569 kalopoiéō (from 2570 /kalós, “winsomely good” and 4160 /poiéō, “do, make”) – properly, doing good that inspires others to rise up and also do what is noble (admirable), i.e provoking others to “act with holy affections.” 2569 /kalopoiéō (“doing good that inspires”) can only happen through faith (“God’s inworked persuasion”). Only occurs in 2 Thes 3:13.