April 21, 2023 | Be On Mission
Treating a Runaway Slave as a Brother
Scripture: Philemon (NIV)
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— 2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6 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. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 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— 10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
12 I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13 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. 14 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. 15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 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.
17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
22 And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Devotional
We have seen how the Roman culture sanctioned one-sided power in most relationships. This included complete authority of masters over slaves. Philemon was a wealthy member of the Colossian church. He had a slave named Onesimus who stole from him then ran away, escaping well over 1000 miles to Rome. While there, he met Paul the prisoner, who won Onesimus to Christ. The conversion was so deep that Paul convinced Onesimus to return to his former master Philemon carrying this very letter.
Paul had hopes for the former slave. He wanted Onesimus to help him with his work of spreading the gospel from his prison in Rome. Paul even thought of Onesimus as his spiritual son, his very heart. Paul longed for him to be free to do great things for Christ.
Paul had even higher (or harder) hopes for Philemon. He wanted the slave owner to welcome back Onesimus not as a slave, “but better than a slave, as a dear brother.” He challenged Philemon to treat Onesimus as if he were welcoming Paul himself, regarding his runaway slave like he would the most influential man in Christianity.
It is true: Christ levels the playing field when it comes to relationships. Over the next few weeks we will study Paul’s letter to the nearby Galatians, where he continued his exploration of the themes of slavery and freedom. There he wrote, “26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28).
And to Philemon’s own people, Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians, probably also carried there by Onesimus. There he wrote, “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all” (Colossians 3:11).
Yes, as the great evangelist Billy Graham said, “The ground is level at the foot of the cross!”
Poem
Who Is Your Master
Who is your master?
Whom do you enslave?
How do you see each one?
How will you behave?
The clerk at the groc’ry
The boss behind desk
Does one hold more honor;
Who’s presence is blessed?
Your speech, is it different?
Eye contact, your time?
Who’s last on your guest list?
Who’s first in the line?
Beloved of Jesus
The treatment you deal
The value of others
May your love be real
No matter the station
No matter the dress
Treat each one as precious
Christ’s grace to attest
