Actually, it says that only once, in 2 Thessalonians 3:10. Interestingly, Lenin also liked to quote it during the Russian Revolution as an aphorism for communism.
But in context:
2 Thessalonians 3:6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.
2 Thessalonians 3:7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you,
2 Thessalonians 3:8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."
2 Thessalonians 3:11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies.
What both the political right and political left love to forget is that none of this concerns the world at large or the actions of government. It all has to do with relations between believers in the Body of Christ, including working.
Paul did not give a fig about what Caesar was doing (and, btw, the Roman empire did have a free bread program for indigent Roman citizens). None of this has anything to do with what Caesar is doing, good or bad, or what taxes Caesar levies, for good or bad purposes. Jesus was not talking about that; Paul was not talking about that; Peter was not talking about that; James was not talking about that. This is all about the management of resources within the Body of Christ, and the point of that is for resources to flow through the Body so that every member of the Body has his needs met.
If my needs are met today--especially if I have good reason to believe I'll get paid again by the end of the week--then I should be checking whether everyone in my congregation is having his needs met. The congregation should have a mechanism to determine that.
If the needs of everyone in my congregation are being met, we should be looking at the next congregation; then the next state; then the next nation. Every Christian on earth should be having his needs met through the flow of resources within the Body of Christ.
It is not that there may be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality— at the present time your surplus is available for their need, so their abundance may also become available for our need, so there may be equality. As it has been written:
The person who gathered much
did not have too much,
and the person who gathered little
did not have too little. -- 2 Corinthians 8
A person might have had a excellent 9-5 job--but that's not what Paul is talking about. Paul is talking about working in and for the Body of Christ. As one of my former pastors has said: "Everyone in this congregation has a resource, everyone in this congregation has a need." It might not be about money: The congregation may pay the rent of the member who is an unemployed carpenter...but that carpenter will be expected to fix the porch of the member who is a widow on a small, fixed budget.
