15th Sunday after Pentecost
Philemon
9/9/2007
Rev. Philip A. Bouknight
There are many great men and women in the Bible. I read from our children’s bible every night. Story after story shows how God did extraordinary things through ordinary people. Like me, our kids have their favorites. We skip around. We may read about Esther tonight. Then tomorrow night it might be the four friends who lowered their buddy through the roof so that Jesus would heal him. I never know which story they will pick, but we keep coming back to some of their favorites; Jonah and the big fish or David and Goliath. We are no different than my children. I would bet that each of you has your favorite and today I want to spend a moment talking about mine.
I absolutely love Paul. I study Paul so that I might gain deeper insights into the grace of God. I turn to Paul when I want to learn about true freedom. Paul was bold, brilliant and tremendously effective at spreading the Gospel. Many of the letters that we have from Paul he wrote to churches that he had founded. Then there is the great book of Romans which outlines Paul’s Theology in such a way that it has become one of the cornerstones of Christian faith. Paul generally wrote to churches to bring them back into line. They were straying from the path or entering into practices that Paul thought were contrary to the Gospel. He dealt with many difficult topics, each one as uniquely different as the church he addressed, but today, we have a different letter; this one addressed to a friend, a disciple and a leader of the church in Colossae.
Now I must admit to you that for a long time, I misread Paul in this letter to be overbearing and manipulative. I now believe that Paul had no hidden agenda and meant exactly what he said. Paul didn’t tend to mince words. He didn’t waste precious time saying things in such a way that you would have to read between the lines to understand his agenda. He would have made a terrible southerner. So when Paul says in regards to freeing Onesimus,
For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love. Philemon 1:8-9a
he literally is laying aside his ability to command Philemon to free Onesimus. There is no coercion. It is simply a plea from one Christian to another to do what is right. When Paul speaks of becoming Onesimus’ father; meaning that through Paul, Onesimus became a Christian, he also speaks of repaying any debt that Onesimus might owe saying to Philemon…
I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Philemon 1: 19b
Paul is not reminding Philemon that he owes him. He is simply saying that Onesimus has received new life just as Philemon did when he became a follower of Christ. What we have here is a letter that deals with relationships as they are redefined through Christ. Onesimus was once Philemon’s slave. He ran away for some reason and found Paul, who was under house arrest, probably in Rome. It really doesn’t matter why he ran away. What matters is that he became a Christian and now Paul is sending him back to his owner in the hopes that Philemon might grant him his freedom. Not only is he an advocate for Onesimus, he seeks to redefine how Onesimus is seen in light of his conversion. He is now a brother in Christ; a fellow worker in the kingdom of God. This new identity in Christ trumps the relationship that the two had as slave and salve owner. Paul seeks to set these two men on a path of reconciliation and then invite them to work together as brothers in Christ.
What I want you to glean from this brief letter to Philemon is the manner in which one child of God embarks upon the difficult endeavor of speaking to another child of God about incorrect behavior. This is a great lesson for us when we seek to approach another Christian with the difficult task of bringing them to faithfulness. Paul is gentle. He reminds Philemon that he loves him. Philemon is close to his heart and has trusted Paul with his life. Now Paul asks him to trust him with Onesimus’ life. Paul lays out the biblical foundation for his argument, appealing to Philemon to use biblical principles in considering Onesimus’ freedom rather than worldly principles that would say Onesimus is property and no one has the right to interfere. Paul reminds him of his authority, but chooses to set aside this authority so that Philemon could come to a Godly conclusion on his own. Then Paul states that he is certain that Philemon will do the right thing not because he has to, but because he is a devout man of God.
This is a difficult letter. If Paul would not have been in prison, then we probably would have never had this letter. He would have been done this face to face. He had no choice, but to write out his thoughts and then tell Philemon of his hopes to see him, even to stay in his home when he is released from confinement. Paul is an ambassador of Christ seeking to bring about reconciliation.
We are called to be ambassadors. We too are called to embark upon the difficult task of being agents of reconciliation, but I am afraid that many of us lack the fortitude to do it. Often people come to me with a concern for another brother or sister and when I invite them to talk the issue over so that reconciliation might be granted, often the response is, “I don’t want to.” They would like me to do it. The truth of the matter is that there would be a far greater chance for reconciliation if the member would take the difficult path and talk the matter over with this brother or sister. I generally do not step in and take the matter into my hands and unfortunately, the one who came to me for help rarely confronts the other person that they are concerned about.
I received a call this week from someone outside of the parish who had a deep concern for another brother who had embarked upon a lifestyle that could ultimately harm their ability to be friends with anyone. They are living in a way that is contrary to the gospel and this person was afraid that this way of living would ultimately cost their friend a serious relationship that is heading toward marriage. As a result of our talk, they are going to enter into a conversation very much like Paul and Philemon. Difficult matters will be discussed and their friendship may be on the line when this discussion is held. I will ask you what is better; to embark upon a difficult discussion on faithful living that may cost you a friendship or to refrain and sit by as someone you love continues to hurt themselves and everyone around them? That is the cost of inaction.
If you love your brother or sister and if they are doing something that could cause harm to themselves or others, please have the fortitude to choose the difficult path. You may not be Paul. You may not be bold or consider yourself to be incredibly intelligent. You may not see yourself as a great man or woman of God. That does not matter. You are a child of God and you have the responsibility to act as his ambassador. By all means, come to me if you want help in being that ambassador of Christ, but know that I will encourage you to do what is right; to go to your brother and sister out of love and help them walk in the light of their faith. I will pray for you and I will pray for the person you are seeking to help. Take a lesson from Paul. Be gentle with them. Remind them that you love them. Remind them of the relationship that you have with them through Christ. Let them know that you come simply to help. Ground your conversation on biblical principles and help them to see why you may have authority to speak to this matter. You may tell them of a struggle that you have faced that is similar or simply let them know that your love for them compels you to speak to the matter. Then help them see that you are confident that they will do the right thing. Let them know that you will be with them as they meet this challenge.
I cannot make you embark upon these difficult conversations. I can only encourage you to do so asking you to remember that it is your Christian duty. There are great consequences to be had if we choose not to act upon this Godly urge to help. For Onesimus, it would have been a life of slavery. For that caller this week, it would be their friend’s life with a loved one. It is a difficult task and it has the possibility of straining relationships with your friend or loved one. God didn’t tell us that living our life for him would be easy, but he did promise that he would be with us. Great men and women did not cease to exist when the cannon of scripture was set. They are right here in this church. You are ordinary people that God uses to do extraordinary things.
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