Tweets from God: Philemon
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 5/22/2016
Last Sunday I began a series I’m calling Tweets from God. Like I said last week, with over 200 million users, Twitter is the most popular social network besides Facebook. But what makes Twitter unique is that it only allows you to create posts up to 140 characters longs (about a sentence or two)—no longwinded diatribes, no soapbox lectures. Your posts or tweets have to be short and to the point.
When we read lengthy books of the Bible like Jeremiah or Genesis, we might get the impression that God is a bit too long-winded for Twitter. But the truth is—some books of the Bible are actually quite short. Five of them, in particular, are only one chapter long and can be read in less than three minutes each. While they’re technically too long for a tweet, these five books are short personal messages from God to his followers.
Last week we looked at the first of these short messages, the book of Obadiah, which can be summed up: God always sticks up for his followers. The next one of these one-chapter books is Philemon. It’s found in the New Testament, nestled between Titus and Hebrews. So if you have a Bible, go ahead and open to it Philemon.
This short letter was written by Paul to, you guessed it, Philemon. Philemon is a good guy. He loves Jesus and the other believers. His kindness refreshed the hearts of those who knew him. He’s a church leader in Colossae. Paul even considers him a beloved brother and a fellow worker.
But he’s about to find himself in a very awkward situation.
Philemon owned a slave named Onesimus. But Onesimus ran away from Philemon, and apparently took some of Philemon’s stuff with him when he left. Onesimus fled to Rome, where I guess he expected to get lost in the crowd.
Roman society was built on the backs of slaves. Slavery was the accepted way of life. Estimates suggest that there were some 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire, men and women who were treated like pieces of property to buy and sell. The average slave sold for 500 denarii (roughly $22,500 by modern American pay scales). Highly educated and skilled slaves could go for ten times that. Slaves could buy their own freedom if they could raise enough money, but that didn’t happen often.
If the slave ran away, the owner would register the name and description with the Roman authorities and the slave would be put on the “wanted” list. A slave who stole from his master and ran away could be put to death according to Roman law. So Onesimus probably never planned on returning to Colossae and Philemon probably never expected to see his slave again. So you can imagine the look on Philemon’s face when Onesimus shows up on his doorstep with a note from the Apostle Paul.
Imagine that! In a city of over a million people, this runaway slave ran into the Apostle Paul! And wouldn’t you know it—Paul just happened to be personal friends with Philemon! I think this was more than just a chance encounter. I think God had a plan for Onesimus and He used Paul to totally transform his life.
As I read this letter I see four things Paul gave Onesimus that eventually led to his freedom. First, Paul gave Onesimus a message.
• PAUL GAVE A MESSAGE
Not just a message, but THE message—the Good News of Jesus Christ. Paul starts off this letter by identifying himself as “a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus” (vs. 1 NLT). Latter he says again, “I am in these chains for preaching the Good News” (vs. 13 NLT).
If you remember Paul’s story… He traveled to Jerusalem to preach openly about Jesus. Of course, the Jews in Jerusalem didn’t take to kindly to that name so a riot broke out and the whole city was in an uproar. Soon a Roman regiment showed up and arrested Paul for inciting a riot. Eventually, he was transported to Caesarea where he stood trial before the Roman Govern Festus. There, he appeals to Caesar and is sent to Rome to await trial there. In the meantime, Paul is kept on house arrest. For 24 hours a day Paul is chained to Roman soldiers, each serving a 6 hour shift. So every 6 hours a new soldier comes in and chains himself to Paul, ensuring the prisoner couldn’t escape.
That didn’t prevent Paul from continuing to preach the gospel, though. Paul saw this as a wonderful opportunity to tell the soldiers about Jesus. There was no way that the soldier could escape. And some of these guys actually ended up accepting Jesus and changing their whole lives. So long as he remained chained to a soldier, Paul could attend church and even preach in the market place.
It must have been there that Paul’s preaching tickled the ears of a young runaway slave. Onesimus heard Paul preaching the message of Jesus and it touched his heart. Onesimus accepted Jesus and became a child of God. Paul says, “I became his father in the faith while here in prison” (vs. 10 NLT).
Onesimus was a slave and a fugitive, but then he heard the Gospel of Jesus and discovered true freedom. The message of Christ can change anyone’s life.
Several years ago, a very peculiar sight could be seen at a large downtown church in England. On the first Sunday of the New Year, an ex-convict knelt to receive communion beside the judge who had sentenced him to seven years in prison. After being sentenced, the young convict was lead to Christ through the church’s prison ministry. After his release he became an active member of the church. After church, the judge was walking home alongside the pastor and said to him, “What a miracle of grace.”
“You mean the former thief who knelt beside you today?” the pastor asked.
“No. I was thinking of myself,” the judge said. “That young man had nothing but a history of crime behind him, and when he saw Jesus as his Savior he knew there was salvation and hope and joy for him. And he knew how much he needed that help. But look at me. I was taught from earliest infancy to live as a gentleman; that my word was to be my bond; that I was to say my prayers, go to church, take communion and so on. I went to Oxford, earned my degrees, was called to the bar and eventually became a judge. Pastor, nothing but the grace of God could have caused me to admit that I was a sinner in need of a Savior.”
What’s true that judge is true for each one of us. Most of us don’t have a dramatic testimony like Onesimus. You probably weren’t a fugitive or a drug dealer or a hitman for the mob before you heard the Good News about Jesus. But regardless of who you are, where you come from or what you’ve done… we all need Jesus. Thanks to Paul sharing the message of Christ, Onesimus believed and was born again.
But that’s not all. Further, Paul also gave Onesimus meaning.
• PAUL GAVE MEANING
Paul says something very telling in the following verses. He writes, “In the past he was useless to you, but now he has become useful for both you and me… I wanted to keep him with me so that in your place he might help me while I am in prison” (vs. 11-13 NCV).
Now, why would Paul say that Onesimus was useless in the past? My guess is—he didn’t want to be a slave! That’s why he ran away, isn’t it? If you’re forced to work for someone against your will, are you going to do a good job? Not likely. Onesimus probably didn’t take orders very well. He was hard to work with. He probably couldn’t be trusted alone in the house. His life must have felt futile. He knew he was meant for more. But he couldn’t find meaning and fulfillment when he felt like a piece of property.
After encountering Paul, however, Onesimus discovered new meaning. The ironic thing is—he became a servant. As a slave, he didn’t want to serve others. But as a sinner saved by grace, he served and helped Paul of his own free will. As a prisoner, Paul had a lot of limitations. So Onesimus became his student and assistant—helping Paul with whatever needed to be done. Only after receiving Jesus, did Onesimus discover meaning in serving others.
Likewise, you and I can find meaning and purpose through serving others.
Jesus once said, “Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 TLB).
I’m reminded of a first grade teacher who asked her students, "What do you do to help at home?" One little girl said, "I dry the dishes." One of the boys said, "I sweep the floor." Another one said, "I feed and water the dog." Every student in the class had something to contribute except for one boy sitting in the back. The teacher looked at him asked, "What do you do to help out at home?" He said, "I just stay out of the way."
That's a problem in the church. Too many church members just stay out of the way. A Gallup poll discovered that only 10% of church members are active in any kind of personal ministry in their church. 50% said that they have no desire or interest in serving in any ministry.
You were put on this earth to make a contribution. You weren’t created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take space. Jesus came to serve and to give—and those two verbs ought to define your life on earth too. Thanks to Paul, Onesimus discovered value and meaning in a life of service and so can we.
Furthermore, Paul gave Onesimus mediation.
• PAUL GAVE MEDIATION
Paul knew that Onesimus had a problem that he simply couldn’t handle on his own. So Paul stepped in and mediated for him. I love how Paul starts off his appeal for Onesimus. He writes, “I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do. But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you… I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced” (vs. 8-9, 14 NLT).
Paul became an advocate for Onesimus, pleading his case and urging Philemon to do the right thing. But I love that Paul doesn’t demand it. He gives Philemon the opportunity to make the right choice on his own.
By the way, this book has been cited through the centuries as a biblical argument against slavery. Paul does not make any direct attacks on the notion of slavery, but he does hold Philemon to a standard higher than that of the surrounding culture. Punishment for runaways was severe, but Paul told Philemon not only to withhold punishment, but to embrace Onesimus as an equal. He writes, “It seems you lost Onesimus for a little while so that you could have him back forever. He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother” (vs. 15-16 NLT).
Paul could have kept Onesimus with him, but instead Paul lets Philemon do the right thing on his own. Onesimus could have run away again to start fresh, but instead faithfully brings Paul’s letter to Philemon. Philemon could have made Onesimus a slave again (or worse), but I think it’s safe to assume he does as Paul requests.
It’s nice to have a mediator, isn’t it? An advocate; someone to speak up on our behalf. I’m reminded of little eight-year-old Diane, who prayed: “Dear God; I am saying my prayers for me and my brother, Billy, because Billy is only six months old and he can’t do anything but sleep and wet his diapers.”
We all need someone to stick up and speak for us at times. On the other hand, there may be someone who needs you to stick up and speak up for them. The Bible says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice” (Proverbs 31:8-9 NLT). Let’s follow Paul’s example here, and mediate on behalf of those in need. Finally, in addition to giving Onesimus a message, meaning, and mediation, Paul also gave money!
• PAUL GAVE MONEY
As we come near the end of this bite-sized book, Paul writes, “If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, PAUL, WRITE THIS WITH MY OWN HAND: I WILL REPAY IT. AND I WON’T MENTION THAT YOU OWE ME YOUR VERY SOUL!” (vs. 18-19 NLT).
Paul almost always used a secretary when writing Scripture, especially in his old age when his eyesight began failing him. He would simply say, “Now write this down,” and a scribe would copy down everything he said. But when it came to this sentence, Paul had to pick up the pen and paper himself and write “I will repay it” in order to make it a binding contract. Having written that sentence with his own hand, Paul was now legally responsible for paying Onesimus’s debt. And Onesimus was debt free!
Paul knew that Onesimus could never repay his debt. The cost of his freedom alone would have run upwards of $20,000 and who knows what he stole before he left. So Paul offered to pay the debt that he could never pay. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
A lifetime of sin is enough to rack up some major debt in heaven.
Initially, we might try to repay what we owe. We figure our account balances as long as our good deeds outnumber our bad. But that isn’t the way it works. The Bible tells us: “The payment for sin is death” (Romans 6:23 NCV). Simply put, the cost of your sins is more than you can pay.
But then Jesus stepped in. After six hours of agony upon the cross, Jesus whispered “It is finished!” (John 19:30). What makes these words so meaningful is that the Greek word translated “it is finished” is tetelestai, an accounting term that means “paid in full.” When Jesus uttered those words, he wiped away all the debt racked up by your sins and mine. He paid the debt that we could never pay.
Conclusion
The reality is—we have so much in common with Onesimus. We were slaves to sin, in debt far beyond what we could pay, and facing the death penalty for our crimes. But then Jesus did for us, what Paul did for Onesimus. He spoke a life-changing message into our lives, gave us meaning, became our mediator, and paid our debt.
Here’s the real question—if Jesus can do all that for us, couldn’t we do that for someone else. Paul did. Maybe there’s someone in your life who has never really heard the message of Jesus. You just might be in the right place at the right time to share that message and change their life. Maybe you’ve got a servant’s heart and you know someone searching for meaning and purpose. You can show them the significance of serving God by serving others. Maybe you know someone who’s in trouble and they just need a friend to step in and speak up on their behalf.
I think if God summed up the book of Philemon one tweetable statement, it would be this: Faith in Jesus leads to true freedom!
Invitation
Next week, we’ll examine another bite-sized book of the Bible. In the meantime, if you haven’t experienced the freedom found in Jesus, I want to invite you to do that today. Let Jesus do for you what Paul did for Onesimus. If I can help you with that, then please come talk with me as we stand and sing.
