1 Thessalonians 2:17 – In Face, Not in Heart

17 Now we, brethren, being bereaved of you for the period of an hour, in face, not in heart, endeavor the more exceedingly to see your face, with much yearning,

Paul uses a remarkable word for his forced separation from the Thessalonians: “bereaved.” The Greek aporphanizō is related to our word “orphan.” Earlier, Paul compared his care to that of a nursing mother and spoke of his dealings with them as a father with his children (1 Thess. 2:7, 11). Now he reverses the image, as it were. Being separated from them, he felt bereaved himself. That is how dear they had become to his heart. But this bereavement was only for a short time and only “in face.”

Not in heart. They could no longer see one another, but inwardly there was no distance. And it was precisely their faces that Paul longed to see again. He missed their visible presence, but the distance had changed nothing about their bond.

Even more, Paul endeavored “the more exceedingly” to see them again, “with much yearning.” The distance did not cool the love; it made the need to meet all the greater. So it did not remain merely a longing; he actively exerted himself to see them again. The very distance made all the clearer how deeply they had entered his heart!

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