Breaking Formation

November 17, 2019

Last Sunday and this morning, I had the privilege of preaching again. My retirement is actually kicking in, with a six week off and two week on schedule. It’s a good pattern for me. I have a hard time reading the Bible devotionally; it feels like I’m skimming the surface of the Scriptures, and I often don’t get much out of it. But when I read for sermon preparation, I’m digging into a specific text, looking for patterns and sequence to help me unlock the meaning and message. For two weeks now, I’ve been examining 2 Thessalonians, and have been fascinated by what I’ve found.

In the third chapter, Paul tells us that if someone is unwilling to work, he shouldn’t eat, a rather provocative statement that seems to cut against the Christian command to love one another and care for the poor. But in this same chapter he speaks of people who are “disorderly.” (Verses 6, 7, and 11). This is a specific military term that meant “keeping formation.” Roman fighting strategy made heavy use of the “Testudo,” or “Turtle.” In Ephesians 6, we read the command to take up the shield of faith. The Roman soldier had 2 different shields. One was the “Clipseus” or “Parma,” a small, round shield used in hand-to-hand fighting. More common was the Scutus, a large curved rectangular shield. In formation, the soldier covered 2/3 of his body, and 1/3 of the soldier next to him, with spears jutting from between them. The most common assault formation was the “Testudo,” or Tortoise, which used the shields to protect the men from front, side, and above. It was essentially, a human tank. If a soldier in the Testudo broke rank, the entire formation was endangered. That’s what Paul is speaking about here.

When he says some are busybodies and disorderly, he is saying, “They are breaking formation and endangering us all.” His “if anyone doesn’t work, neither should he eat” isn’t about being heartless to the poor, but of the survival of the Church in a hostile world. The Church was the Vanguard of care for the poor. But it couldn’t afford to tolerate those who were lazy, with nothing better to do than stir up trouble. To survive, Christians need to stick together.

Haven’t you had someone who you trusted who “broke formation” & abandoned you? Who betrayed you? When Chelsea Manning broke formation and went AWOL, it cost the lives of soldiers who went to the rescue. When in a church someone goes off on their own, it can be devastating. That’s why heresy is so bad—it’s a defection that hurts others, and is why Paul says to separate yourself from those people. Heresy is not merely goofy beliefs; Christians can believe a lot of strange things and still be genuine Christians. But when we get it wrong about Jesus—who he is, and what he did—we strike at the heart of the Gospel and endanger the salvation of those who listen to us. False teaching is not just a defection; it’s an infection!

We live in a world hostile to the Gospel, so it is essential to stick together, everyone doing his or her part. This isn’t just about laziness, but faithfulness. We are in this together; Paul says, “Don’t break formation. There is work for everyone, we can’t afford an attitude of privilege and self-aggrandizement.” There are people depending on your faithfulness, your witness, your support. 

I am grateful tonight for this message from the Scripture. It’s a reminder of how much I need my brothers and sisters, and how much they need me. There are no Lone Ranger Christians; when I am tempted to strike out on my own without considering those around me, I will likely do just that—strike out. But when I faithfully keep in formation, I become part of a nearly invincible force—the Church of Jesus Christ against whom even the gates of hell cannot stand.