Onesimus with the letter to Philemon
When we left off in the introduction to Philemon, things were a bit awkward. We had a slave, Onesimus, who had ran away from his master, possibly stealing something valuable to fund his escape[1]. We had Philemon, the leader of a church that met in his home, being asked to not only forgive Onesimus, but free him to return and serve with Paul in his ministry[2]. And we have the apostle Paul, who is sending Onesimus back into a situation where he could potentially be punished severely, and who could, by his authority in the church, demand Philemon do what he asks but is praying and believing both men will do the right thing.
When we see the tension in this early congregation, we understand that one of the themes in Philemon is how we interact with others in the church- particularly in situations where there is friction. All of us have heard Pastor Ben say “There’s no hurt like church hurt”. We expect FCC Grayson to be a place of love and, to use a phrase that has been co-opted and really twisted, a “safe space”. And it is a place of love and safety. But it is also a collection of broken and sinful people who are going through struggles that we may not know about and may not even understand. We are going to step on one another’s toes and run into things that may rub us wrong. This letter gives us a few ideas for what to do when that happens.
1. We need to make things right when we do something wrong[3] (v 12)
If we have hurt someone, it is up to us to swallow our pride and take the first step towards repairing the damage we caused. Onesimus had certainly hurt Philemon and the whole movement of this letter is Paul sending him back to his master[4] to accept the consequences of his action and to atone for his actions. It is interesting that atonement not only conveys the idea of righting things if we have wronged someone, but of even righting perceived wrongs.
2. We need to appeal to another with love (v 9)
No one likes to be called to the principal’s office or taken outside the woodshed. And it seems like we all have a bit of a tendency to, like Paul, “kick against the goads”[5] of authority. When we make requests of others, or are in a position where we have to “discipline” someone/asset our position, it should always be done in and with love[6].
3. We should be generous to one another (v 14)[7]
Paul is asking a lot of Philemon here. But he knows that Philemon has a generous heart; in both 4&7 he mentions Philemon’s love for others. To me what is most interesting are the effects of generosity. Paul says Philemon’s treatment of others brings him great joy and encouragement and has “refreshed the hearts of God’s people”. That is the type of church I want to be part of- full of generous people and full of joy, encouragement and refreshment.
Short as the letter is, what we see in the letter to Philemon is Paul discussing the practical application of faith within human relationships. He is saying that the way we treat one another- with love, loyalty, generosity and making our wrongs right- is our way of visibly demonstrating our love towards God. When we view our relationships to others in this light, it should radically change our thoughts, words and actions towards not only our fellow Christians, but everyone we meet.
FCC Grayson hopes you are having a wonderful week. Please let us know if there is anything you need prayer for or help with. Homecoming Sunday is right around the corner and we hope that we not only see you there, but that you invite someone to come along with you.
Don't leave things between you and another member of the church be awkward
Make an effort this week to repair any damaged relationships you may have
[1] v 10&11
[2] v 13&17
[3] See Numbers 5.6-7
[4] This blog isn’t a discussion of slavery in the Bible, but if you missed the first part of this study and are interested in how Paul was approaching the issue within the context of the time he was living, see 1 Corinthians 7.20-24 then read Colossians chap 3.
[5] Acts 9.5 and he was actually Saul at the time. This was a common saying in Greek and Roman cultures and could be interpreted as being hopelessly prideful and had the implication that the person would come to ruin through their disobedience, a great statement to what can eventually happen to us if we don’t follow Jesus. In the context of our discussion today, see the story of Jephthah in Judges chap 11. Not only does he use a goad at one point, but one of the themes of his story is that the sinful actions of others can have profound effects on our own lives.
[6] See the progression in Matt 18.15-17
[7] Cf 2 Corinthians 9.7 and Proverbs 22.8
Wonderful!