Philemon; September 4-10, Year C:

This letter was written by Paul to Philemon, a native of Colossae. It was not ecclesiastical or doctrinal in nature, but simply a letter to a friend--thereby making it a unique treasure among the epistles. Paul sends greetings to Philemon's wife and family, even referring to the slaves. This is a rare look into the private lives and correspondence of Paul and the early Christian church. Paul expresses his love and thanksgiving for Philemon. Paul expects soon to be set free from prison and to visit Colossae. We do not know whether these expectations were actually realized. Paul finds himself in the role of a gentleman respecting a friend. He could have commanded that certain things be done by virtue of his apostolic authority; but he did not do that. Paul could even have acted to keep Onesimus, the runaway slave who is the primary subject of this letter; but he did not do that. Onesimus could have been of great use and comfort to Paul during his imprisonment; but Paul respected the situation of his friend, Onesimus. He chooses to make an appeal to Onesimus, based on love. He respects the legal rights of Onesimus, his friend and fellow Christian. This is a request from one dedicated Christian to another. The position of the latter was quite vulnerable at the moment. This was not an apostolic command, but an appeal, based on Christian service. Paul is a Christian gentleman who respects the laws of his day. He seeks action by Philemon in harmony with the Christian position on slavery. Onesimus, the runaway slave, is now a changed man. He too has become a Christian. So Philemon is urged to receive Onesimus not as a slave--even less as a runaway slave--but as a brother in the Lord. This gives us some great insight into the basis of our relationships with other Christians. We need to be careful how we try to make our influence for Christ felt in our communities, churches, and the world at large. The gospel is Christ-centered. It's more than just theoretical ideas about the rights of man. It is also based on Scripture, not just the authority of our own opinions. Paul makes no request that Philemon set Onesimus free. He does make an appeal to Philemon, based on the transformation and conversion of one who had broken the law. Based on his friendships with Philemon and now with Onesimus, Paul indicates clearly what he expects and hopes will happen. This is not a protest letter; but it is an appeal to Christian integrity. We don't know how all this turned out. Certainly, we have no warrant from this letter to think that Paul or the church of his day approved or ignored the wrongs of that culture. We should, however, ponder several meaningful insights as to how Paul and the early church dealt most effectively with the institutions of their day. We can learn a lot from studying the context out of which the early church sought to bear its witness. In our day, Christians can come together as individuals and are free to make their views known. As we do this, however, we must realize that even among Christians, viewpoints will differ. We must speak our truth and express our understanding of Scripture with integrity, but also in love and patience and forbearance, genuinely seeking to show respect and appreciation of other Christians who have opposing views. We also have to try to discern when it is helpful or necessary to respect the institutions of our day and when it is necessary to reject and even confront those institutions and certain elements of our culture. These are not issues that can always be easily resolved. It is vital that we consider these issues with a balanced perspective, remembering that Paul was a true gentleman as he worked his way through the mine field of conflict with the culture of his day.