There was a doctrinal issue in the church at Thessalonica - many believed that the day of the Lord had already arrived. After clarifying that this was not the case, they thanked those who believed in the truth of Jesus Christ.

There were others who did not teach the traditional faith and had been misleading the Thessalonians. The believers were encouraged to stand firm in their faith in the traditions they had been taught. This is important for us to remember as well, for many false teachings can be misleading.

Jesus was pointing out that the scribes and Pharisees tended to follow the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law. They tithed very carefully but didn't act justly or with mercy, and were not people of faith. Jesus accused them of making sure that they appeared very spiritual outwardly, but in reality, they were greedy and self-indulgent. In this manner, they were no different from many Christians. Instead, they should have been tending to their inner beings so that both inwardly and outwardly, they would be pure. What we are inside will be evident in the way we act.