The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.
We have a saying, “Put your money where your mouth is,” and I’m sure you’re all acquainted with it. I’m also sure that you’ve been on one side or the other of that challenge, which is what it really is. It’s a challenge. It’s a challenge to, in another phrase, to put up or shut up. That is, to walk — not only talk the talk, but to walk the walk. That, in essence, is what the epistle of Philemon is doing. It’s an epistle in a nutshell: walk the walk. Put your money where your mouth is. Do the thing that Christian faith and Christian love lead you to do.
The epistle of Philemon is written as advertised. That is, it’s written by Paul — says so, right in the opening phrase of the epistle itself. And it’s written from prison, which means it was written someplace between 60 and 62 A.D., when Paul was being held in prison in Rome under Nero the emperor. And it’s personal. It’s different than all the other epistles that we have in the canon. It’s a personal letter written by an apostle, a missionary — Paul, the most well-known of all of them, the most productive of all of them — who writes to a leading layman in one of the Christian congregations in the city of Colossae.
Now, Paul never actually went — or we don’t have a record, anyway, of Paul going to Colossae. But he went to Ephesus and spent a total — between his first and, excuse me, his first and third missionary journey — Paul spent probably combined about three years in Ephesus. And Colossae is right to the north of it; it’s the neighboring city. So it’s hard to imagine that that gospel hadn’t reached the city of Colossae and the ears of a man by the name of Philemon. In fact, Acts 19:10 tells us that while Paul was in Ephesus, the gospel spread to the surrounding areas. The area, by the way, was called Asia, as a province of Rome: “All the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord,” the book of Acts tells us in Acts 19. And we don’t know if Paul ever made it, but it seems that some of his converts and some of his co-workers did, and they planted a church in Colossae, which thrived — a good, sound, orthodox, healthy, active congregation.
And Philemon was a citizen of the city of Colossae and a convert to Christianity. Colossae, by the way, was a Gentile city, so Philemon was probably a citizen of Rome as well. But he also became an influential member of the group of people who formed a congregation. As for the epistle, it is a letter written for the purpose of reconciling. It’s an epistle packed also with practical things. Christianity, Christian theology — they like practical, up until they hear that somehow faith and love have something to do with how you govern Monday through Saturday: how you govern your life as a neighbor, as a husband or wife, how you govern your life as a citizen of a country, or as an employer or employee. They don’t like it so much when they hear what faith and love require of them in such a situation. But it’s an epistle packed with this kind of practical theology, which aims to bring about ultimately a different kind of relationship between three men, all referred to in the epistle, involving four sets of relationships.
So first of all, there’s Paul’s relationship to Philemon, a Christian leader of a Christian congregation in Colossae, and the owner of a slave who has run away. Two, there’s Paul’s relationship to the slave who’s run away: Onesimus, the slave — a man he calls a son by faith, and a man that he makes clear has become a servant to him and to the church in Rome. Three, there’s a relationship between Philemon and Onesimus, the runaway slave now, Philemon’s brother and a repentant and forgiven sinner. Finally, there’s a relationship that underlies all the other previous relationships, and that’s the relationship between Christ Jesus, his Word, and the three men, each possessing Christian faith and each having now a relationship with the congregation or the church in Colossae.
And as I said, there’s a lot of practical theology in this epistle. There is present in it, though not stated directly, the doctrine of vocation. There’s Paul’s appeal to his office — office as an apostle, as a missionary, as an evangelist, as a pastor. It’s a reference to the office of ministry, that he holds a certain rank and position in the church. There’s the two kingdoms doctrine: you have the laws of Rome governing, and you have the church, side by side, now in each of these people’s lives. There’s a doctrine of faith and good works embedded in that: what does faith and love require or bring about in the one who is faithful? And the whole situation itself is analogous to what Christ has done for all three of those men in his earthly ministry and in the life of the church.
So as for Philemon himself, he was a wealthy man of a very good reputation, seemingly both inside and outside the church. He opened up his house so that the local church could hold church services there, more than one time a week, by the way, and to host other churchly activities which are good and appropriate for a healthy and growing congregation — which is what Colossae was. Paul addresses him as “Philemon, our beloved brother and fellow worker,” and he praises Philemon: “I thank God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of your faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints.” Which, by the way — and this has now become the means by which Philemon owned at least one slave, likely born in the house in this case: Onesimus.
One day, Onesimus decided he didn’t want to be a slave anymore, and he ran away. He ended up in Rome. Let me give you an idea of proportion: Colossae to Rome is a trip of about 1,300 miles. Such a trip would take a significant amount of money, resources, time, and effort to complete. And given what Paul wrote concerning debt and money, Onesimus was not only a runaway slave, he had become a thief in Philemon’s house. That means he was trusted. He was in the house. He had access to the monies of Philemon. And in order to escape, he took the money and made his way to Rome.
Now we don’t know how Paul and Onesimus met. We don’t know if Paul was free and tied to the churches of Rome and going about his business when Onesimus walked in, or if Onesimus sought out and found him in prison. We do know that Paul was awaiting trial under Nero when he wrote the epistle — said so himself. While in Rome, Onesimus was converted to Christianity under the teaching of Paul. Paul wrote in verse 10: “I appeal to you for my child, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment.” Paul uses the word here “begotten,” and it’s to be best understood as father. Yet, father had a part in giving birth, in the new birth, in the water and the Word, of Onesimus. It’s, by the way, like some church traditions refer to the office of pastor as father. It’s entirely appropriate. Paul uses it two or three times in his various epistles. Onesimus has been given a new birth through the teaching of Paul, and Paul sees himself now as the spiritual father responsible for the spiritual well-being of Onesimus. In verse 12 he talks to, and he tells them, that he’s sending back his very heart — sending away his son, his very love, to Philemon.
Onesimus became Paul’s servant, and as such, he was a servant of Christ’s church. But — excuse me, Onesimus — and Onesimus’s conversion then changed his relationship to God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. It changed his relationship to St. Paul, to the church universal, and to the church in Colossae. And like it or not, it changed the relationship to Philemon. But the question remained: would Philemon recognize this new relationship and act accordingly, or not? Would Philemon put up or shut up? Would he walk the walk as well as talk the talk? Would his love and his faith have limits on them — especially financial limits — on the money that had been stolen? Onesimus left Philemon as an unbeliever, a runaway slave, a thief, and perhaps worst of all a betrayer who betrayed his trust. Paul is sending back now a repentant brother in Christ, a brother to Philemon.
What did not change was Roman law and Onesimus’s station in life under that law. Under Roman law, Onesimus still belongs. He was property of Philemon. Philemon was still his master, and he was still a slave. He would remain so unless Philemon released him, gave him the papers he needed for freedom. That was the law of the land, and Christians — Christians are supposed to be law-abiding citizens, who are to be about the business of protecting their neighbors’ property and encouraging their neighbors’ servants to remain loyal. Christians are to be obedient to the laws of the land unless the laws of the land compel them to do something contrary to the Word of God. Onesimus’s duties and his obligations to Philemon remain the same, even now. In Rome, by law, he was required to return or be sent back to Philemon, and to put himself before Philemon and under the yoke of slavery. So Paul sends him back, as is good and right, and does so with this letter. He wants Philemon to know that Onesimus left as a slave but is returning to him voluntarily as a Christian brother.
Under the mercy of Philemon, Paul sends Onesimus back, saying, “No longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother” — especially to me, but how much more to you, both in flesh — that is, he’s physically there — and in the Lord — that is, he is now a spiritual brother. Philemon had the right to punish his slave in any way he thought necessary. He could punish the slave for running away, the thief for stealing a significant amount of money. He could do it any way he saw fit: slap on the wrist, extra hard labor, a scourging, or even execution. Thus Paul intercedes on his behalf. The letter begins with a customary formal greeting. Paul greets Philemon as a brother by their shared faith and invokes his office as a pastor. The greeting is longer than most greetings in all the other epistles, because it’s a bit more detailed. It’s personal, and Paul is making a personal appeal to an individual man. He is making sure that Philemon understands that both Philemon and Onesimus are in the exact same boat. They both began as sinners, slaves to sin, who could not free themselves. And now all three men were made Christians: Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus. Thus Philemon was Paul’s brother by faith and a fellow worker in the church, and now Onesimus, a brother to Paul and Philemon, who is also a fellow worker now in the church.
Paul wants both men to understand that he is the ranking member and fellow worker in the church. He is an apostle, and they are the beneficiaries of his missionary and pastoral work. Paul taught them the difference between the law and gospel. They were both claimed by the gospel through the preaching and teaching of Paul, even if in Philemon’s case it was indirectly at first. Paul requires of his son of faith to go back to Philemon where he belongs. By virtue of all, and by virtue of his station in life, he is to trust in Christ and to place himself before the mercy seat of Philemon. Even though Paul wanted Onesimus to stay and work for him, Onesimus’s labor belonged to Philemon. And Paul wrote, “Without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not, in effect, be by compulsion, but of your own free will.” To take Onesimus from Philemon without Philemon’s consent would be tantamount to a form of stealing and a violation of Roman law — something a Christian simply could not and should not do.
Paul requires of Philemon, on the other hand, his response to Onesimus’s return be shaped purely by Christian faith and Christian love, and that his response be akin to the response of Christ in the gospel which had been preached and applied to Philemon and himself, and wherein Philemon found forgiveness of sin, his life and salvation. Paul sees in the whole situation a higher purpose in all that happens, and he encourages Philemon to see the same. Verse 15: “For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a little while, that you would have him back forever” — no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a brother. That the whole situation unfolded in such a way that God redeemed Onesimus to send him back as a brother to Philemon. Paul has the right to order a church servant to do whatever is good and right and proper in his Word. But Paul would rather not order people about. He’d rather let faith and love run their course. “I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what’s proper, yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you.” Paul has the option of pulling rank, but instead he seeks a higher payment: one of love.
Paul is dealing in things eternal, spiritual: the forgiveness of sins, faith, love, the brotherhood and sisterhood of all Christian believers. And that’s what he seeks from Philemon. He doesn’t want Philemon to get hung up on the money that has been stolen or on temporal things, but rather keep his eyes on eternal things, on the things that really count. Onesimus’s return is an opportunity for faith and love to do what faith and love do: namely, forgive and welcome home. Just as the father in the parable of the prodigal son welcomed home his son after he squandered all of the inheritance. Paul wrote to the Christians in Galatia: “While we have opportunities, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are members of the household of faith.”
When it comes to going out, good works, to helping people: members of the church, your brothers and sisters in Christ, are to be first in line, and the neighbors second. Christians are supposed to put our money — in our works — where our mouths are. We’re not just to talk the talk; we’re to walk the walk. That’s something that we aren’t very good at, especially Monday through Saturday, when we actually have to think and act and process and respond as Christians, out of faith and love, to people that are constantly doing things that annoy us or that are just simply wrong and harmful. Church on Sunday is one thing, but the rest of the week, well — let’s not let the Christian faith go too far. Let it not affect how we live and where we live and how we live our lives.
If Philemon won’t forgive Onesimus’s debt, Paul will make Onesimus’s debt his own. He tells Philemon, “If he has wronged you or owes you anything, put that on my account. I will repay.” If Philemon won’t forgive Onesimus, Paul will assume it as his debt. In Paul’s very call, he’s copying the works of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ — Jesus, who took on human flesh to atone for the sins of the whole world, and for Paul’s sins personally. By the way, the word “atonement” means to make a payment of blood. It’s a debt that has to be paid, and can only be satisfied by the shedding of blood. Jesus willingly paid in full for each and every one of Paul’s terrible sins — including persecuting and stoning Christians. He paid for each and every one of Philemon’s sins, and each and every one of Onesimus’s sins, and for each and every one of your sins. He assumed your debt and paid it with his life and his blood. Paul, Onesimus, Philemon — all began in the same place. They were all sinners and under the judgment of law. All owed a debt they could not pay. All three were slaves to sin and death. But Christ redeemed them, and us, out of slavery, and worse than slavery. Christ repaid all with his innocent suffering and death.
Paul told Philemon, “Receive Onesimus as you would me.” So also Jesus Christ the Lord intercedes for you before the Father who is in heaven, and he says to his Father, “Receive [put your name in it], as you would me.” So he does. The Father receives you in Christ as a brother to his Son, and a son or daughter to him. He received you as if you were Jesus Christ himself, for you are wrapped in the righteous robe of Christ.
Martin Luther used to say, “A man shows love to another with a hug or a kiss or a kind word or deed” — and I will add that this usually is done selectively, for people we deem worthy of it. But God showed his love by nailing his own Son in the flesh to the cross. You and I started off in this world as sinners. We were baptized into the church, adopted and sealed as sons and daughters of the heavenly Father, made brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit. You have been freed by the faithful preaching and teaching of pastors over your life, and like St. Paul, I and many other pastors have been a part of your faith and your life. You are a people in a congregation that has put money, not just words, to work in this place, so that the Word and sacrament ministry can continue. You put your offerings into the offering plate; you labor frequently on the weekends, making sure that the Word and sacrament ministry of this church continues in this place among us.
We don’t know what happened when Onesimus returned and stood before his master and gave him Paul’s letter. Given the fact that we have the epistle in the New Testament canon, I think it’s safe to say Philemon didn’t burn it or throw it away. He likely read the letter, understood, did what the father of the prodigal son did when the son returned: forgave him and received him back as a brother, a fellow worker of the church, as a saint whom he loved. This is what God does and did for you. God, the heavenly Father, has made you a son or daughter. He has made you a brother and sister to Christ. He has made you a temple of the Holy Spirit. He has granted you into the body of Christ called the church. He has sanctified your work in this world and your service in this church. And all this because Christ paid — assumed your debt — and died for your sins. For they are forgiven, and you are a saint in Christ. Amen.
May the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.