Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost September 9th, 2001
Heavenly Father empower each of us to be a true follower of Christ by submitting all to his service. Amen.
Title: “Forgoing one’s legal rights in the name of Christ.”
Text: Philemon 1-21
This, the shortest of Paul’s letters, 335 words; II John has 245 words and III John 219, fitting the pattern of ordinary personal letters of the time, is addressed to Philemon, our “brother,” his wife Apphia, called Paul’s “sister in Christ” and Archippus, called “our fellow soldier” and to the “church at your house.” Christians of that time met in a person’s home, there being no church buildings as such. Philemon may have been the recognized leader of that church, although not specifically designated as such by Paul here. This is not merely a person-to-person letter. It is addressed to a church, if only a very small church, and, so, is typical of Paul’s other authentic letters. Where that church is located is not clear. It is somewhere in the Lycus Valley, possibly Colossae or near there. When it was written is also not clear. If written from Ephesus, a date around 55AD would be a good guess; if from Rome 61-63AD would fit well. There is nothing in the interpretation of the letter that is seriously affected by either date.
Roman society was highly stratified, even in the provinces. At the upper level were the Romans, commissioned by the Senate or emperor, who administered the provinces. Then came the local elite, those who by virtue of heredity or money, often self-designated, who are prominent in any town, then or now. After that came the small landowners, shop owners, and craftspeople. Below them would be the freedmen and freedwomen, freed by their masters voluntarily or because paid off by the slave. At bottom were the largest number- those enslaved as prisoners of war, kidnapped by slave hunters, debtors, and children of slaves. There were slaves and there were slaves. Some had it hard- mine workers, construction workers, trireme rowers, etc. Others had it better- household servants, estate administrators, business managers, educators. These latter were frequently paid money, which, if and when saved, could purchase their freedom.
Paul does not try to change the system of slavery, the engine of Roman economy. He applies Christian principles to but one situation, one resulting from the equality and dignity which being a Christian brings and which overrides this world’s social strata.
In verse seven, I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love: Paul is now addressing Philemon, personally. He recognizes that he is a genuine and effective Christian, leader even. He is also flattering Philemon somewhat in order to dispose him to listen to his request to welcome back the runaway slave, Onesimus, as a brother, and equal, in Christ, even though he is still his “slave” according to the “flesh,” the standards of this world.
In verse eight, although I have the full right in Christ to order you: Paul prefers to persuade. Paul is the number one Christian in the area, having worked and suffered long and hard, establishing many “churches.” No one has more authority in the region than he. Yet he remains consistent with the teaching of Christ in the way he exercises his authority see Matthew 18: 15-18. He practices what he will preach to Philemon. He wants Philemon to show both mercy and Christian love toward the slave Onesimus. If Paul does not exercise his authority with all the rights given by virtue of his position in the Church vis-à-vis Philemon, Philemon should not exercise his authority over Onesimus by virtue of his position of master and owner in the Hellenistic world. Paul is more interested in doing what is right than in his own rights, as a church leader.
In verse nine, I urge you out of love: It would not have been enough for Philemon to take Onesimus back grudgingly, resenting the order but obedient to it. His motivation for doing so is more important that the mere doing of it.
In verse ten, I urge you on behalf of my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become: Such language reveals that Paul has instructed Onesimus in the faith, perhaps baptized him himself, and grown fond of him.
In my imprisonment: Since we do not know for sure the origin of this letter, Paul could mean he was confined, locked up, “in chains.” This would mean he was in Ephesus. Or he could be under house arrest, free to have visitors. This would square with his “imprisonment” in Rome.
In verse eleven, who was once useless to you…now useful to both you and me: “Onesimus” means “useful” in Greek. Paul is playing on its meaning. Onesimus was a rather common name for a slave. Onesimus, having become a Christian, now has a “usefulness” he did not have as a pagan. He seems to have been helpful to Paul in his missionary work.
In verse twelve, I am sending him…back to you: Why Onesimus ran away in the first place is not stated. There are many possibilities. He might have stolen something from his master and, panicking, ran to Paul or someone who referred him to Paul because Paul knew his master. He might have wanted freedom, which Paul talked him out of. There is no way of knowing. In any event, it is not important to the story or outcome. With emotional regret, Paul really wanted him to stay with him, he does what is legally required. Runaway slaves must be returned, as property, to their masters.
In verse fourteen, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary: No doubt Philemon accepted Onesimus both as a returned slave in law and a brother, co-equal in Christ, a delicate balancing act, to be sure, one other Christian slave owners could learn from. The letter would not have been preserved had he not. He may well have returned him to Paul after meeting the legal requirements. More importantly, what Philemon did was done out of love. He forewent his legal rights in the name of Christ.
In verse fifteen, have him back forever: Paul applies a basic Christian truth to the situation. Philemon suffered the loss and absence or lack of work of and from Onesimus, in order to experience greater gain, the cross and resurrection coming alive in his personal life. Having Onesimus back “forever” obviously refers to their mutual union in Christ, an eternal one.
In verse sixteen, a brother…as a man and in the Lord: Paul points out that Onesimus is a fellow Christian. This overrides any and all earthly relationships. “As a man” translates “in the flesh” in the Greek and connotes all Paul means elsewhere by it. “In the Lord” connotes all he means by “in Christ.” No doubt this duality- social status in the world and spiritual status in the Lord- posed great challenges for slaves and masters who were also fellow-Christians.
In verse seventeen, if you regard me as a partner: Paul does not invoke his position of authority and he wants to encourage Philemon to willingly not invoke his. If they are fellow Christians, co-equals in the Lord, so is Onesimus.
Welcome him as you would me: The Lord himself frequently invoked this parallel. “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me and him who sent me.”
In verse eighteen, if he owes you anything, charge it to me: Some think this means that Onesimus stole something. Perhaps, but it need not be so. The law required repayment to a master for work not done while the slave was in the custody of or being harbored by another. Paul could merely be offering to do justice by Philemon financially in return for the mercy he would show Onesimus. One doubts Philemon took him up on his offer.
Sermon
All Christians must come to terms with the two dimensions of reality in which Christians live. There is the earthly dimension, what Paul means by “in the flesh.” Then, there is the heavenly dimension, what Paul means by “in the Lord” or “in the Spirit.” One is time-bound, temporal; the other is time-free, eternal. Until the Lord comes, which for us most probably means until we physically die, we remain “in the flesh,” even though we have entered the realm of God, “in the Spirit.” It comes as no surprise that these two dimensions, when lived simultaneously, cause problems for Christians. We do not always know how to behave “in the flash” from the perspective of “in the Lord.” It is not always obvious what the Lord wants us to do and when or how he wants us to do it. So, we look for principles, rules of thumb, to apply in as many situations as possible. In the eternal dimension, these Christian principles do not conflict. However, in the time dimension they sometimes do. We honestly do not know what the Lord wants us to do. So, we look for examples, examples of those principles in action, the example of giants in the faith, like Paul and the other saints, for guidance.
We look to Paul. In the flesh, in the world, Paul had little authority in the political sense. In the Spirit, he was a person of immense authority in the moral sense. His moral life gave him moral authority. If political authority is powerful because it is legal, moral authority is powerful because it is persuasive. It is clear from this short letter that there was already, at this early stage in the history of the church, a parallel form of “political” or “legal” authority emerging. Paul says to Philemon, “I could order you to take back Onesimus without punishing him. I have the “political’ ecclesiastical authority to do so. But I will not. I would rather persuade you to do so voluntarily. I prefer to use my moral authority, the same moral authority you also have by virtue of your moral life in the Lord.” No one had more stature in the church of the Gentiles than did Paul. Yet, he followed the example of Jesus and refused to use it in a ”fleshly” way, in the way the Gentiles lorded it over their subjects. He wanted Philemon to exercise his “political,” earthly authority, that of master over slave, with an even larger dose of moral authority. In doing what he did and the way he did it, Paul has given us all an example of how a Christian reconciles the two dimensions of reality we all still live in.
We all have moral authority and we all have some measure of “political” authority. A parent, for example, has “political” authority over his or her children until a certain age, varying depending upon the culture. A parent can say to a child, “I can force you to obey because I have the legal standing in the culture to do so.” Christian parents would prefer to say, “Let me reason with you and explain why it is in everyone’s best interests for you to behave in such-and-such a way.” Most times that will work. However, there are times when a parent must exercise “political” authority and forbid a child’s action on purely legal grounds. Let us say a fifteen year-old insists on driving the family car and will not listen to reason. Even though a parent would prefer the child’s voluntary compliance, as Paul, in this epistle, prefers Philemon’s voluntary compliance, there are worldly, legal, not to mention the rights of others to NOT have fifteen year-olds driving, responsibilities that cannot be ignored. Christian parents do find themselves in situations where they must put their foot down or they themselves would violate earthly laws. We might wonder why Paul did not come out and condemn the worldly institution of slavery and order Philemon to free Onesimus instead of merely taking him back without reprisals for fleeing. We can presume that Roman law did not allow for so simple a solution. Whatever the fine print of the law might have been in this case, that option does not seem to have been open to Paul. Likewise, parents are not free to let their children drive a car at fifteen. If a child does so, the parents are legally liable. In such cases, that is, when their moral authority fails, they must exercise “political” authority, for the greater good. However, and this is the point, if all a Christian does, be he or she a parent, teacher, pastor, bishop, is exercise “political” authority, then something serious is missing in his or her relationship with the Lord. Paul’s example challenges us to review how we exercise our own authority and make sure that in the vast majority of cases it is exercised morally rather than politically. If we never take the time to reason with a person, to persuade, and yes, to show by our own example, that moral authority is the preferable and, indeed, the more powerful, then we may be living much more in the earthly dimension than a person with a lively relationship with the Lord warrants.
“Moral authority” is the power to persuade by virtue of example and reason.
“Political authority” forces compliance by virtue of some worldly power.
Christians prefer moral authority, but will obey political authorities for the sake of good order and the common good.
What is done voluntarily because it is good is more valuable than what is done in mere compliance to law and order.
Christians regard one another as equals, as siblings, regardless of worldly status.
Justifying Slavery: Evil is clever and cunning. It has used this epistle to actually justify slavery in Christ’s name! The argument used to go, especially among certain Bible readers, that if slavery were intrinsically evil, Paul would have condemned it outright. There is a certain logic to that, but the “theo-logic” is distorted. It just goes to show that evil can justify anything, even by quoting the Bible, as did Satan in tempting Jesus, if it is so inclined. Paul knew slavery was wrong, dead wrong, seriously wrong, but he chose to use the “leaven of love” as the motivation and the way to correct it. It would take longer but it would happen. He solved the problem in this specific case by recommending love and mercy, knowing that, in the long run, that would be more effective than law. It seems that time has proven him right after all.
Condemning Slavery: Paul knew that in eternity and in the Lord’s eyes the social standing of a person was inconsequential. In 1Cor 7: 21-24 he even counseled the married, happily or otherwise, and the unmarried as well as slaves to remain in whatever status they were, the time was so short. That does not mean an acceptance of injustice or abuse, in the case of a spouse, for instance. It does mean a sense of proportion about injustice, a belief that God will correct any and all injustices in his own way and time. We need not spend our energies on trying to clean up the earth today or tomorrow. At the same time we never capitulate to the world’s values. Paul challenged Philemon to buck the tide, to defy convention, and behave toward Onesimus as a brother rather than as an avenger, exacting just payment for what he was deprived of. While it is true that hidden in that seemingly personal challenge was a challenge to the entire institution of slavery, it would take centuries before Christians would realize that they did, indeed, have time to correct this injustice after all, all the while realizing that when that one was corrected another would pop up. It, injustice, will never end. The world will end and the injustices will be remedied then. We have to wait.
Involvement in the World: Some Christians behave as though we have a responsibility to establish the Kingdom of Earth instead of cooperating with the Lord in bringing about the Kingdom of Heaven. They become immersed in “issues,” issues in the world and even issues in the church. They tend to look down on other Christians who keep a sense of proportion about the world and do not join every cause simply because it appears righteous. Some Christians think it their primary duty to infiltrate governments and force Christian principles and laws based on them upon the general populace. It is true that Jesus wants us to become involved in changing human conditions like poverty, injustice, disease and prejudice. However, it is the human condition, not simply conditions, that he came to change. The Kingdom of Heaven will begin to happen here on earth for every person who accepts Christ, but it will not end here. It is one thing to know something to be wrong like slavery, it is quite another to think that being freed from political slavery is a requirement for being truly free. The example of black slaves in the United States makes it clear that many more of them were truly free, despite being slaves, truly Christian, than their so-called Christian masters. Christians are not required by Christ to take political action to fight every good cause. Christians are required to take moral action, frequently personal rather than political and more powerful and effective in the long run. Amen.
