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September 16, 2007
C-Pentecost 16
Philemon 1, 10-21
Pastor Robert Raasch

Paul’s Letter to Philemon

1. Its Setting
2. Its Message
3. Its Application for Our Lives

Tell me, have you ever caught yourself reading someone else’s mail?  Maybe you were kind of methodically opening all the letters in your stack of mail and reading through them before you realized, “Wait a minute.  This letter is not for me.  It’s addressed to someone else.  I opened it by accident.”  Or, maybe your perusal of someone else’s mail was not exactly an accident.  Maybe you found your sister’s love letters stuffed in a box under her bed and you got caught reading them while you thought no one was looking.  Or maybe your Mom does what my Mom does and puts all her Christmas cards in a basket on the kitchen table.  And so, when the boys come home for the holidays, we read through them to catch up on all the things happening with the extended circle of friends, and family—which is all well and good—until of course, someone includes a personal note for Mom and suddenly you’re thinking, “Am I supposed to be reading this?  I mean, this is somebody else’s mail.”

Paul’s Letter to Philemon

We’ll consider:

1. Its Setting
2. Its Message
3. Its Application for Our Lives

First the setting, that is, the circumstances surrounding this letter.  At the time that Paul penned this letter, he was under house arrest in the city of Rome.  During the time of his imprisonment, Paul wrote a number of letters, including this one to a man by the name of Philemon.  Philemon was a leader among the Christians in the city of Colossae.  In fact, Paul says that the church met in Philemon’s home.  This letter, as well as the letters to the Colossians and Ephesians were all hand delivered by two men:  Tychicus and Onesimus.  As it turns out, it is Onesimus who happens to be the subject of Paul’s letter to Philemon. 

You see, Onesimus was once a slave of Philemon.  But he had run away from his master.  In fact, Paul speaks as though Onesimus had first stolen from his master and then run away from him.  And as part of his escape, Onesimus had fled to the city of Rome.  You’ve maybe heard the expression, “All roads lead to Rome.”  Well, back in Paul’s day the expression was actually, “All sewers lead to Rome”—a reference to the fact that runaway slaves sooner or later ended up on the streets of Rome.

Well, apparently, while Onesimus was in Rome, he came into contact with the Apostle Paul.  Maybe he had heard about Paul when he was still working in the house of Philemon.  Or maybe his connection with Paul was just a chance, random meeting.  Actually, we know it wasn’t just blind luck that brought Paul and Onesimus together.  It was the hand of God.  For through Onesimus’ contact with Paul, and more importantly, through his contact with the saving gospel that Paul proclaimed, Onesimus became a believer in Jesus Christ.  Paul refers to Onesimus as his “son” and as “a dear brother in the Lord.”  God the Holy Spirit had worked a miracle in the heart of Onesimus—and Paul was thrilled by the change he saw in this man.

But Paul was faced with a bit of a dilemma.  You see, Paul knew that Onesimus was a runaway slave.  Under Roman law, Onesimus legally belonged to Philemon.  He was a part of Philemon's property.  For Paul to keep Onesimus as his own would be wrong—not to mention it would make Paul a fellow lawbreaker, for he would be aiding and abetting a criminal.  So Paul was bound by his conscience and the law of the land to send Onesimus back to his rightful owner.

The trouble is—Paul knew that if Onesimus were to go back to his master, Onesimus would face some dire consequences.  Do you know what the typical punishment for running away from your master was?  First offense:  you were branded on your forehead and placed in an iron collar with instructions offering a reward for anyone who returned you to your owner.  (Kind of like a collar we might put on one of our pets, “if found, please return to…”). Oh, and the penalty for running away a second time?  Death by crucifixion!  That’s the dilemma Paul faced.  Do I keep Onesimus and become a lawbreaker myself or do I send him back and lose a good friend, co-worker, not to mention put his life in jeopardy? 

So which path does Paul take?  Paul chose to obey the law of the land and send this slave back to his master.  But he does so with a message for the master, a message which is contained in this letter that bears Philemon’s name.  Let’s take a closer look at: II. The Message of this letter

In the note that accompanies Onesimus, Paul basically says, “Philemon, I’m sending back your slave.”  But I’m asking you to treat him in a way that goes contrary to how the world would expect you to treat him.  I’m asking you to treat him as a brother.  And then Paul gives three reasons why he’s asking Philemon to do this.  First, because Onesimus had become useful to Paul.  Paul knew that Onesimus hadn’t been much good to Philemon.  I mean, he stole from him, ran away from him.  But while Onesimus had been useless to Philemon, God had made him useful to Paul.  He had become an important helper in Paul’s ministry.  What does Paul say about his slave?  He says, “Formerly, he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.”  Actually, Paul is offering a play on words there, for the name Onesimus literally means “useful, or beneficial.”  By God’s grace, this slave was finally living up this his name.  He had become useful.

But not only was Onesimus useful to Paul, he was also dearly loved by the Apostle.  Paul refers to Onesimus as his very “heart.”  You sense this emotional connection between Paul and Onesimus.  And yet, even more important than this emotional connection is their spiritual connection.  The fact is, Onesimus had become a fellow believer—not only a fellow believer with Paul but a fellow believer with Philemon, who was also a Christian.  In this letter, Paul pleads with Philemon to see his slave in a whole new light, to see him and accept him as a fellow Christian.  As a fellow co-worker in the gospel, as fellow brother in Christ.  The bottom line message?  Paul says to Philemon, verse 17, “Welcome him as you would welcome me.”

My friends, do you see, can you appreciate the pastoral tact that Paul weaves into this letter?  Nowhere does he says, “This is what you must do, Philemon.  I command you to take him back.”  No rather, it’s “I appeal to you on the basis of love.”  And, “if you consider me a partner, welcome him.”  Paul is leaving room for a sanctified Christian response on Philemon’s part.    

Does that mean that Paul is sticking his head in the sand?  No, he realizes that there may still be some unresolved issues—for example, the fact that Onesimus stole from his boss.  But Paul takes responsibility for that.  How does he put it?  “If (Onesimus) has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me…I will pay it back.”  In other words, Paul promises to do what he can do—but ultimately he puts his trust in the power of the Gospel.  He trusts that just as God’s love had warmed the heart of a runaway slave and made him a co-worker with Paul, so that same love in Christ would warm the heart of the slave’s master to enable him to welcome Onesimus as a brother in Christ.  Paul trusted that Philemon would not only forgive his runaway slave, but that he would allow that slave to continue to labor for the Lord, even if it meant sending him back to Rome, to continue to help Paul.

Now did Philemon take Paul’s advice?  Did he welcome back his slave as a brother in Christ?  The Bible doesn’t tell us.  It is interesting to note, however, that history has preserved for us a letter that was written by the Church Father Ignatius very early in the second century A.D.  It’s addressed to the pastor of the congregation in Ephesus.  The pastor’s name:  Onesimus.  Could it be that a runaway slave ultimately became the pastor of one of the most prominent congregations in the early Christian church?  Hmm.  That certainly wouldn’t be beyond the power of God’s amazing grace, would it?

So now, is there anything we can learn from this letter written to someone else?  Does it have any application for our lives today?  You bet it does.   Paul’s letter to Philemon teaches us something about how Christians are to deal with some ugly issues in society.  I mean, here Paul comes face to face with slavery.  How’s he going to handle it?  What’s he going to do about it?  Does he organize a march on Rome with people carrying signs that say, “Free the slaves” or “Down with Slavery”?  No.  Does he try to cover up this runaway slave?  Does he encourage Onesimus to become a lawbreaker?  No, rather than promoting civil disobedience, rather than try to change the world with a bullhorn and a campaign slogan, St. Paul puts his trust in the Holy Spirit.  He trusts that through the power of gospel, the Holy Spirit can change human hearts one at a time.  He trusts that only the Holy Spirit can lead people truly love and respect each other—even at their different stations in life.  In fact, rather than encouraging slaves to throw off their shackles and revolt from their masters, what did Paul tell slaves?  Ephesians 6:5, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters…with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.”

Isn’t the same thing still true today?  In our society, we have a number of different stations in life.  There are employers and employees.  There are parents and children.  There are those with a lot of money and those with not so much money.  There are those in positions of authority and those who are not.  In his Word, God never says that everyone must be the same—equal authority, equal responsibility, equal income.”  No rather, God says, whatever your station in life, treat others with kindness and respect.  Love one another as Christ has loved you.  How does Paul put it in Ephesians 4:32?  “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  

That’s what Paul asked Philemon to do for Onesimus.  And it’s what God asks us to do for our fellowman.  In fact, do you see the parallels between you and me and Onesimus?  Spiritually speaking, we’re all slaves; we’re all guilty of stealing from our heavenly Father.  We deserved to be punished.  But then what happened?  Someone else stepped in and interceded for us.  Someone offered to pay the Master whatever we owed.  And that someone was, of course, Jesus Christ.  And for Jesus’ sake, God the Father has treated us not as his slaves but as his precious sons and daughters.  He’s opened the doors of heaven and invited us in, made us heirs of his kingdom.