The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
Philemon 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, 2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; 6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. 7 For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother. 8 Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, 11 who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. 12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, 13 whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will. 15 For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17 If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me. 18 But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). 20 Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say. (NASB)
It was my second year here in Peoria as Immanuel’s pastor. I was golfing with three of the officers of the congregation at Kellogg golf course. One of those officers and former members made a rather common mistake. He decided to give his new young pastor preaching advice. He said, “Pastor we know that Jesus died for our sins. We need practical sermons?” I asked, “What do you consider a ‘practical’ sermon? He answered, “One that tells us how to live and what we are suppose to do?” “So you want me to be a preacher of the law. Ok. Obey the Commandments as they are explained in the Small and Large Catechisms.” End of conversation.
Well this morning we have before us perhaps the most unique, that is practical epistle in the New Testament. The Epistle to Philemon. Now all that is written in the Gospels and all that is written in the epistles is practical Christianity, if you have been taught to rightly understand and hear the Word of God. As St. John wrote at the end of his Gospel, “many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (20:31)
St. Paul said it this way. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
The Bible consists of two fundamental themes. The Law and the Gospel and as such is pre-eminently practical for the Christian life. While the other epistles instruct us in the law and Gospel and in what we are to believe and do in light of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus, the Epistle of Philemon is the Gospel in action. It is a manifestation of the Gospel being lived out in the Christian and vocational lives of three men; St. Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus.
The Epistle itself is packed with concrete, real life stuff that involves three Christian men and one of the congregations in Collossae. As described and handled by St. Paul, we have a situation and a dynamic going on between three Christian men, which is analogous to what Christ has done for us in our relationship to God the Father.
Onesimus was slave owned by Philemon. Philemon was a wealthy convert to the Christian Faith in Colossae. Philemon had become a leader in the congregation in every way, including opened up his home to be used as a church. It is highly likely that when Paul was in Collossae as a missionary that he and Onesimus came to know each other.
Onesimus ran away and ended up in Rome. For the record that is about a 1,400 mile journey. In order to make such a journey, Onesimus likely stole money from Philemon. Once in Rome he found Paul, who had been arrested and was awaiting trial. While visiting with Paul, Onesimus was converted to the Christian faith. We know that because Paul calls Onesimus “my child . . . whom I have begotten in my imprisonment.”
Onesimus’s escape and theft were both sinful and criminal deeds that robbed Philemon of his property. Having now been converted to the Christian faith, Onesimus had been forgiven all his sins. In the eyes of God the Father his sin was no more. This is the proper jurisdiction of the church. It remits sins and stays the righteous judgment of God. The state operates under different rules. It is to operate under natural law and reason. In this particular case, Roman law is the operating system.
Onesimus had committed crimes and needed to be returned or surrender himself back to Philemon. Onesimus was to submit himself to whatever punishment Philemon thought appropriate given the crimes.
The Epistle itself is a wealth of theological material: the office of ministry, doctrine of vocation, doctrine of election, the doctrine of the old and new natures, Christian love, Christian brotherhood and fellowship, the law, and the Gospel are all in play in the New Testament’s shortest epistle. They all helped shape what it is that Paul has written and what it is Philemon ought to do out of love.
Philemon had the legal right to punish his run away slave in any manner he saw fit. A slap on the hand, scourge him, and even execute him. Paul understood that according to the laws of this world, Onesimus was a slave and a theft and had to face the justice of his master. Onesimus was now a Christian and as such had received forgiveness of sins and had a new relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This meant that he also had a new relationship Paul, Philemon who was his master, and the whole congregation.
Paul sends Onesimus back with a letter. The letter begins with a customary greeting, but as one read his or her way through the epistle, we hear several phrases and statements that are strangely analogous to what has been and can be said of Jesus Christ and His relationship to Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus (as well as to us).
Consider the following phrases, which constitute the climax of Paul’s letter: “if he [Onesimus] has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account . . . I will repay it” “Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord” (v 20a), “to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.” (vv 19–20)
At first this might sound like one of those things a parent might say to his adult children to guilt them into showing up for Thanksgiving dinner. But Paul stands in the stead of Christ and what he is doing here is modeling the behavior of Christ in the present circumstance. Or to put it another way, Paul is engaging in practical Christianity. He is cutting a path that is faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the teachings of the Christian Faith.
In St. Paul we are seeing the two natures coming together in one person: Paul himself (the old nature, the “aged” and “prisoner”); yet, Paul is also projecting the attitude of Christ. In this drama, we have a party of three; Philemon the master, Onesimus the slave, and Paul the one who stands between to other two and offers to pay the debt to bring about a new relationship between the master and the slave. Just think about all those parables based on the Master and the servant/slaves.
Just as Jesus has paid the debt we owe to the Master, God the Father in order to establish a debt free and new relationship, so also Paul is doing here.
Think that is a stretch? Here’s Luther:
What Christ has done for us with God the Father, that St. Paul does also for Onesimus with Philemon. For Christ emptied Himself of His rights … and overcame the Father with love and humility, so that the Father had to put away His wrath and rights, and receive us into favor for the sake of Christ, who so earnestly advocates our cause and so heartily takes our part. For we are all His Onesimus[es] if we believe. (AE 35:390)
Some read the Epistle of Philemon and conclude that this epistle is “gospelless,” that it is, doesn’t have an explicit proclamation of Christ’s atoning sacrifice for our sins. But what they fail to see is that Paul is modeling, living out, putting into practice the Gospel. One could call this epistle “the Gospel to Onesimus and Philemon.”
Paul had taught Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, Onesimus, and all the others in Collossae the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They knew what the word “atonement” meant. It meant “payment.” They knew that they had a debt of sin toward God. They knew they were formerly slaves to sin and now in Christ, they were free sons and daughters, brothers and sister, and as such servants/slaves of Christ Jesus.
Paul’s payment of Onesimus’s debts and a fugitive from Roman justice, corresponds in a smaller way to our Lord Jesus Christ’s payment for the world’s sins. So also, as our Lord intercedes for us sinners before the our heavenly Father, Paul intercedes with Philemon for the repentant and returning Onesimus. This is the parable of the Prodical Son in real time.
When St. Paul wrote to Philemon saying “To say nothing of your owing me even your own self, Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord” he was invoking the same divine principle Jesus was teaching when He told Christians that on one can be His disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. Luke 14:34-35 “Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out.”
Though St. Paul had the authority to demand that Philemon do as Paul instructed, Paul appeals to love as the reason Philemon ought to forgive, restore, and treat Onesimus for the person is has now been made to be; a fellow redeemed and brother in Christ.
The fact that Philemon is a partner in the work of the church makes it all the more necessary for Philemon to forgive Onesimus and welcome him back as a full partner in salvation. Philemon ought to welcome Onesimus back as the father welcomed the prodical son home. It’s the same thing.
St. Paul also raises the possibility that this whole situation came about according to God’s will. All that had transpired, transpired according to God’s plan for their individual and collective lives. 15 “For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17 If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me. ” For a slave in this life is temporary, but a Christian brother or sister is forever.
We see in this epistle that Paul is simply emulating his Lord and Savior, who willingly paid—in full—for each and every one of Paul’s terrible sins. Paul was loved and forgiven much by Christ, in spite of how foul and sinful he had been before he found himself in the presence of the Christ on the road to Damascus.
In turning a worthless sinful slave into a forgiven saint and a new creation, Paul was pointing to the work of Christ in the church. Christ redeemed us out of our slavery and worse than slavery. As runaway fugitives who rebelled against our Master and His Commandments, we deserved death. Yet Christ took the debt we owed and paid it. As Paul wrote, “Receive Onesimus as you would me,” so Christ points to you and tells the Father, “Receive this one as you would Me.”
Jesus ends the Gospel lesson with these words, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” St. Paul says the same sort of thing here: 21 “Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.”
Christians do what they do because that’s who they are. It is their nature—their repentant, redeemed, justified, loved and loving nature in Christ. Christians serve and bear crosses in their daily lives as a “reflex/response” to God for all that He has done for them in Christ Jesus.
That’s why and what Paul was manifesting and doing in the lives of Philemon and Onesimus. For it He has forgiven and freed us, so also we forgive and free one other and that folks is practical Christianity.
AMEN.
May the peace that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.