Introduction to the Text
This morning, we turn to the
shortest book of our Bible, St. Paul’s letter to Philemon. Philemon was a wealthy man who lived in
Colossae. Colossae was one of the earliest places to have an established Christian
community. The Christians met in Philemon’s home. As a wealthy man during Roman
times, Philemon owned slaves. Paul’s
letter to Philemon was sent from Paul along with a slave who either had a
disagreement with Philemon or ran away from Philemon. Hear in the words of this
letter how Paul pled for compassion for Onesimus the Slave.
Proclamation of the Scripture Philemon 1:1-21
Paul, a
prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon
our dear friend and fellow worker—
also to Apphia
our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets
in your home:
Grace and
peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I always thank
my God as I remember you in my prayers,
because I hear
about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord
Jesus.
I pray that
your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your
understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.
Your love has
given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have
refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
Therefore,
although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to
do,
yet I prefer
to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than
Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—
that I appeal
to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in
chains.
Formerly he
was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
I am sending
him—who is my very heart—back to you.
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.
But I did not
want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not
seem forced but would be voluntary.
Perhaps the
reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him
back forever—
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
fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.
So if you
consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.
If he has done
you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.
I, Paul, am
writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you
owe me your very self.
I do wish,
brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my
heart in Christ.
Confident of
your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
And one thing
more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in
answer to your prayers.
Epaphras, my
fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings.
And so do
Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.
The grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Here ends this reading of the word of Christ for the
people of Christ. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Message A
New Identity
Slavery in Roman times was
harsh. Slavery is harsh, period. Many of the slaves were formerly free people
who were captured by armies after a battle was lost. Or, they were kidnapped by
pirates and then forced into a life of servitude. Or, they were born into
slavery. There was little chance of slaves gaining their freedom….most were
slaves for their entire lives. Slaves who attempted to escape were branded on
their foreheads with the initials “F-U-G” which stood for “fugitive.” Many
slaves also wore permanent metal collars – they couldn’t be removed and slaves
were even buried with them.
Enter the Christians into the mix. After Jesus’ Ascension to Heaven, the Apostles
and Evangelists of Christianity started spreading the word about Jesus far and
wide. Jesus had told them to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey all that I (Jesus) have commanded.” The Apostles told
Jewish people about Jesus and they told Gentile people about Jesus. And, groups
of Christians began to gather in each other’s homes to worship, to study, and
to practice our faith together.
When the heads of households became
followers of Christ, typically the entire family embraced Christianity.
Conversion was more of a group process than an individual choice. So, if the
head of the household became Christian, their spouse, and their children, and
their servants, and their slaves became Christian. The whole family became
Christians.
And, this is where things got a
little strange. In Roman Society, Slaves were denied “personhood.” They were
considered to have no personality, no bodily autonomy, no ancestors, no
property. They were considered “less than” people.
But, in Christianity, all people are
considered Children of God. Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Galatia:
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through
faith,
for all of you who were baptized into Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor
free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus.
If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise.
In the eyes of
God, and under the law of God, all believers are children of God. There is
neither Jew nor Gentile. There is neither slave nor free. We are all one in
Christ Jesus.
This is Good News for Slaves. But,
it may have been difficult news for slave holders. Paul’s words may have been threatening
to slave owners, because once their slaves became Christians, they could not
deny their “personhood.”
In the letter we read this morning,
Paul worked to “butter up” Philemon so that he would welcome back his wayward
slave, Onesimus. Onesimus’ name means Useful in Greek, so Paul makes several
remarks like “Onesimus was not useful to you when he was away, but I am sending
him back to you so that he will be useful once again.” Paul emphasized that Onesimus was now a
Christian, so Philemon should welcome him back like a brother, not a slave. In
the Roman world, run-away slaves were sometimes executed when they were
recaptured, so Paul was possibly pleading for Onesimus’ life. We don’t know the circumstances of how
Onesimus came to be away from his master – he may have been a fugitive for a
long time before he approached Paul and asked Paul to pave the way for his
return.
In addition to not knowing how
Onesimus came to be separated from Philemon, we also don’t know what happened
after his return. But, we have a few clues. This letter from Paul to Philemon
was preserved. If Philemon was angry at Paul for intervening, and wanted to
severely punish Onesimus, he probably would not have saved and shared the
letter. He would have crumpled it up and
tossed it in a fire. Yet, this letter was preserved and copied and shared with
other churches. Paul’s words were
considered wise and important. Paul’s
words were considered to be guidance for all Christians.
In addition to the preservation of
this letter, the names of Philemon and Onesimus come down to us through the
ages as leaders in the early churh.
Philemon is considered a saint by
several Christian churches. His wife Apphia is also considered a saint. And,
Onesimus is also considered a saint – first a slave, then a brother in Christ,
then a saint.
The liturgical book used by the Greek
Orthodox Church is called the Menaia. In
it, Philemon is listed as a Holy Apostle. During the first general persecution
of Christians during the Reign of the Roman Emperor Nero, Philemon, Apphia his
wife, and Onesimus were martyred. So,
Philemon, his wife, and Onesimus were killed together for being
Christians. They became part of the
family of God, embraced the Christian message and faith, served God faithfully
as leaders in the early church, and they died because they stayed loyal and
dedicated to their faith.
What a testimony this story is. In
Christianity, we are all Children of God. In Christianity, we all become
brothers and sisters. We are no longer male or female, we are no longer Jew or
Gentile, and we are no longer slave or free-person. We are all the same and we
are united as Children of God.
For us, 21st century
people, we still live in a world with inequalities. People are not all treated
the same legally. People are not all treated the same by each other. We still
are treated differently by our government depending on whether or not we are
citizens. We are still treated differently by our government if we have a
criminal background. We are still treated differently by our government if we
are under 18. Equality is not codified by
our laws.
And, we don’t treat each other with
equality. We can all recall the awkwardness of the cliques that people were
divided into in our high schools – the jocks and the nerds and the stoners and
the band members – the groups that excluded people who weren’t just like them.
Many of us had the experience of waiting in line a nightclub, hoping to gain
entry, and watching a high roller or celebrity walk right through the
doors. All of us have encountered people
begging on a sidewalk and wondered how to respond. Our society is still divided
by the have and the have nots, the cool people and the not-cool people, the
welcome and the ones we hesitate to welcome.
As Christians, we are called to act
differently than the way of our world. In the letter of Philemon, we read
Paul’s request to Philemon that he welcome Onesimus as a brother, not as a
slave. Christians can’t see other people as lesser people. Christians can’t
treat other people as lesser people.
Our work is treat each other as
peers, as brothers and sisters in Christ and to remember that we are all
beloved to God. We must strive to
include and welcome new people into our church. We must strive to treat all
people with kindness and respect. We must strive to embody the teachings of
Jesus by being welcoming and generous towards all other people.
Just as we are blessed by our
relationship with God, we must work to be a blessing for others. May we do so
in love. Amen.
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