An Old Man's Appeal
Philemon
Not until the 19th century was the
canonicity of this book challenged - and only on the grounds
that it seems to be a personal letter, with no spiritual
application to the church. The letter speaks better of itself:
(Phile NIV) Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus,
and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow
worker, {2} to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow
soldier and to the church that meets in your home: {3} Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. {4}
I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, {5}
because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love
for all the saints. {6} I pray that you may be active in sharing
your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every
good thing we have in Christ. {7} Your love has given me great
joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the
hearts of the saints. {8} Therefore, although in Christ I could
be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, {9} yet I
appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul--an old man
and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus-- {10} I appeal to you
for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.
{11} Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become
useful both to you and to me. {12} I am sending him--who is my
very heart--back to you. {13} I would have liked to keep him
with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I
am in chains for the gospel. {14} But I did not want to do
anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be
spontaneous and not forced. {15} Perhaps the reason he was
separated from you for a little while was that you might have
him back for good-- {16} no longer as a slave, but better than a
slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer
to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord. {17} So if
you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.
{18} If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge
it to me. {19} I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will
pay it back--not to mention that you owe me your very self. {20}
I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the
Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. {21} Confident of your
obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more
than I ask. {22} And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for
me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your
prayers. {23} Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus,
sends you greetings. {24} And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and
Luke, my fellow workers. {25} The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
be with your spirit.
The letter is clearly from Paul, not just
from the statements in it. The Greek is very characteristic of
his other writings; it is his style of writing. The early church
- both those who were orthodox and the heretics - universally
listed it as sacred Scripture. By the internal evidence - the
fact that Paul was in prison for Christ, and the list of those
who were with him - we know that it was most likely written by
Paul about A. D. 61-63, most probably while he was under house
arrest in Rome. It concerns itself with a runaway slave named
Onesimus - the name means "profitable" or "helpful", and Paul
makes a pun on it in the Greek - and his return to his master,
Philemon. We must review the cast of characters to understand
it.
Dramatis Personae
What do we know about this list of
characters? A fair amount is left to us in the records of the
early church. Philemon lived in Colosse, a city in what is now
Turkey. By traditional accounts he became the Bishop of Colosse.
Appia, mentioned in the salutation, is most likely his wife.
Archippus is believed to be his son, probably a grown one.
We also know that Onesimus eventually became
the Bishop of Berea - a town noted for its Biblical scholarship.
One other thing: all four of these people were martyred under
Nero. Each one died for the faith - which tells us something
about how strongly they believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The character of Philemon
We know little of Philemon in this letter
(except that he was likely enough to be wealthy), but some
comments can be made about his character
All of his household were Christians.
From this we may conclude that he was a fine example of
Christian character to all around him, and most likely he
spoke frequently for the faith.
He was generous to the saints; he
therefore was a model of the Christian rich man.
Paul asks him to prepare a lodging for
him, hoping to be released and return to them. From this we
can conclude that Philemon was a man given to hospitality.
We can also conclude from that remark
that Philemon was a man of prayer, for Paul was hoping he
would be released in answer to their prayers.
Paul pays him a great compliment: he
calls Philemon his "fellow worker." The word in the Greek is
synergos, from which we get our word "synergy."
The character of Onesimus
Onesimus is a character quite foreign to us,
for we live in a time which does not really know slavery. The
attitude of the Romans towards slavery was quite different from
our own. We see slavery in terms of black slavery in America; we
see Simon Legree chasing Little Liza. They did not view it that
way.
Onesimus is, by the common consent of the
time (slave and free) a man who is of awful character. Their
view would have been that he was a traitor to his master
(who was responsible for his food, clothing and housing); a
thief who had stolen from his benefactor.
How serious the crime was can be seen
from the punishment that would be inflicted upon a runaway
slave who was returned to his master:
He would most certainly have been
branded on the forehead with a mark that would tell all
who saw him, for the rest of his life, that this man was
a runaway, a thief and a traitor. Other slaves would
despise him. (Remember Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter?)
In almost all instances he would have
been immediately castrated - to prevent him from having
children of like rebellious attitude.
It is also likely that he would have
been forced to fight a wild animal - a bear or lion,
perhaps - to prove that he was still worthy to live.
All this would have been seen as justice - by
slave and free alike. This would have been emphasized by the
character of Philemon; to run away and steal from such a noble
man would have been a despicable act.
The reaction of Paul
All that evil surrounding the character of
Onesimus and the nobility of Philemon might have weighed heavily
upon most men. Paul saw Onesimus and Philemon in the light of
the Gospel of Christ:
The fact that Onesimus was by common
consent a criminal scumbag mattered not at all to Paul (who
had persecuted the church). Social status should be no
barrier to the faith.
Your current economic or social status is
irrelevant to the faith. Paul in his other writings tells
slaves to be content where they are and serve their masters
wholeheartedly. The issue is not one of slavery; the issue
is one of what you will do for Christ with what you have.
There is another point in here: no human
being is so low or evil that he or she is insignificant to
God. Christ died for all.
Great Themes
This is a drama, and a dramatic work must
have its themes. This one has three:
Courtesy
Christian love
The Power of Conversion.
Courtesy
By any standard of the time, Paul had the
right to command Philemon in this matter. He is, after all, the
man who has brought Philemon to know Jesus Christ, the greatest
gift that can be given. Philemon is under deep obligation to
Paul. But Paul's appeal is not based upon that obligation. He
does not command; he asks. Does he ask on the basis of this
obligation? No; he raises three points for his request:
Christian love between brothers
Paul's age
Paul's imprisonment.
You see the point? Instead of Philemon's
obligation, Paul bases his appeal upon the love of Christ and
Paul's own needs.
Remember too that Onesimus has become a
different person after his conversion- and become very valuable
to Paul. The temptation is to hang on to the man. Paul could,
after all, have just sent the letter - but he didn't. He parted
with someone he loved and needed so that his friend would not
feel in any way forced to oblige him. He wanted his
"whole-hearted" cooperation; thus he gave Philemon every chance
to say no. He sent Onesimus back with the letter.
Even in the letter we see the tact of Paul.
In verse 10, in the Greek, the word "Onesimus" is at the end of
the sentence. Paul is writing in a very tactful style in the
original, which does not come over very well into the English.
But in the original the subject is brought up very gracefully
and tactfully.
Christian Love
Christian love is, by definition, the love
that Christ showed for us (at the Cross) as we exemplify it in
our lives. Look at how Paul models that love for us:
He asks Philemon to receive Onesimus back
- not as slave, but as brother. Philemon has every right to
be extremely angry and judgmental. Paul says, take him back
as a brother.
Does Onesimus owe Philemon anything?
Certainly. He stole from him before he ran away. Can
Onesimus pay? Probably not. So Paul says "Charge it to me."
Just like Christ took upon himself the penalty for our sins,
Paul models that behavior here and puts the debts of
Onesimus on his own credit card. It is a very pragmatic
display of Christian love.
It is a particular display of what Paul
has elsewhere commanded of the rich: to be generous. It is
not for the poor to presume upon the generosity of the
Christian rich; it is for the minister of God to admonish
the rich to be generous, as God was generous and merciful to
us at the Cross.
The Power of Conversion
The Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives -
radically. There is great evidence for this in the letter:
First, Onesimus went back. My own
reaction is that I'd take the letter and head for parts
unknown rather than trust to Christian love. But Onesimus
had met the Master, and now he understood. Whatever fate
awaited him, he must do what is right - in obedience to his
Lord. Stand still, Onesimus, and see the power of God.
From the practical Roman's point of view,
the power of conversion was greatly displayed. Onesimus -
remember the meaning of his name? - is now indeed
"profitable." God has taken an evil thing and turned it into
good, by the power of the Cross.
Consider too Paul's confidence in
Philemon! Would you send a man back to branding and
castration? But Paul knows this man, and knows that he is
strong in the faith of Jesus Christ. He has seen this power
of the Gospel at work in him, and he is confident of a good
reply.
We see at work here the power of the
reconciliation of God. Jesus Christ reconciled us to God at the
Cross, at his own expense. Paul has reconciled Onesimus to
Philemon, at his own expense - losing a dearly beloved helper
and comfort while he is in chains. Reconciliation is always
costly - to the reconciler. The challenge to us is this: are we
willing to pay the price to reconcile others - to God and to
each other?
