Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Thessalonians 3:13

"But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing." — 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (ASV)

But you, brethren, be not weary in well-doing. The marginal reading is, faint not. The Greek word means, properly, to turn out a coward; then to be faint-hearted, to despond. The idea is that they were not to be discouraged from doing good to the truly worthy and deserving by the idleness and improper conduct of some who asked for their assistance.

They were, indeed, shiftless and worthless. They would not labour; they spent their time meddling in the concerns of their neighbours, and they depended for their support on the charity of others. The tendency of this behaviour, as anyone who has ever been approached by such people for aid knows, is to make us unwilling to do good to any.

We almost unconsciously feel that all who ask for aid are of the same character; or, not being able to distinguish, we close our hands to everyone alike. The apostle would guard us against this. He says that even though there may be many such people, and though we may find it difficult to distinguish the worthy from the unworthy, we should not become so disheartened as to not give at all.

Nor should we be weary though the applications for assistance are frequent. They are indeed frequent. God designs that they should be. But the effect should not be to dishearten us, or to make us weary in well-doing, but to fill us with gratitude—for it is a privilege to be permitted to do good.

It is the great distinguishing characteristic of God that He always does good. It was what marked the character of the Redeemer, that He went about doing good; and whenever God gives us the opportunity and the means of doing good, it should be an occasion of special thanksgiving for us. A person ought to become weary of everything else sooner than of showing benevolence. .