1 Thessalonians 2:15

1 Thessalonians 2:15. Who killed both the Lord Jesus. As the unbelieving Thessalonians had persecuted their Christian townsmen, so had the Jews persecuted Jesus, and the prophets and the apostles. They had ‘driven out' the apostles, and endeavoured to prevent them from preaching salvation to the Gentiles. Various reasons have been assigned to account for this outburst against the Jews: as, that the Jews were the real instigators of the Thessalonian persecution; or, that some persons were seeking to persuade the Thessalonians that the Gospel was wholly a Jewish affair; or, that the converts might be thinking it strange that if this new religion were true, it should be so ill received by the Jews, God's people. But the slight digressive outburst seems to have been occasioned simply by Paul's desire to show how the Judæan Christians had suffered at the hands of the Jews.

Contrary to all men jealous that salvation should be for the world and not for themselves only. Comp. Tacitus, Hist. v. 5, ‘adversus omnes alios hostile odium.'