This exhortation will start in the little book of Philemon and explore some of the important principles that come out of it. This letter is an example of how Paul used the principles of the Gospel to resolve a complex and hard personal problem between brethren. While the precise scenario is foreign to us, the problem and how the Apostle Paul set out to find a solution is helpful to us, and brings us to examine our relationship to Christ and each other.
The scenario at the core of this letter is that of a slave named Onesimus who ran away from his owner named Philemon to Paul. He sought to stay with Paul and serve him, and not be sent back. All three men are brethren in Christ, apparently from the ecclesia in Colossae. There were expectations that they could have of each other. There were also the laws of the land in which ownership of people was the norm, in which a runaway slave, if caught by his owner, could be beaten or worse. Therefore all three people involved could make a reasonable case based upon their common religion and the legal status of the people involved that certain actions should be taken. This scenario can teach us about how to manage personal problems when there are conflicts between the laws of the land and the laws of Christ, or more generally how to manage complicated personal conflicts.
Onesimus’ perspective
Let’s think about this from Onesimus’ perspective, the runaway slave who is the least powerful of the three. His life is dependent on the mercy of Paul and his owner Philemon. Paul commented that Onesimus was not a profitable slave to his owner, yet he became profitable to Paul. In other words, it seems, Onesimus was not a very useful slave either in the type of work he was doing for his owner, or that his temperament was not good. After he ran away and joined with Paul, it seems he was an effective worker with Paul for the preaching of the Gospel. Therefore Onesimus could hope that he would be allowed to stay with Paul, for as a fellow believer, isn’t the best place for him to be a place he could work for the Lord? He may have been no good at what he did before, but he could see that he could be useful with Paul.
The owner’s perspective
The owner, Philemon’s perspective of this would likely have been based upon legal right and ownership. Even as an “unprofitable” servant, Philemon was hurt economically and socially by his slave running away. While there is no evidence that Philemon would take Paul to a magistrate to appeal to law to sort this matter out, it seems that he would have been able to. By Paul’s greeting of him, calling him a beloved friend and fellow laborer, Philemon is declared to be a faithful believer and someone with whom Paul could agree and find common cause. Philemon may have felt taken advantage of, or cheated by Paul. Paul may have spent time in Philemon’s house, or at least met both Philemon and his household together, and he may have felt that Paul urged his slave to run away. Due to Paul’s spiritual authority, Philemon may have felt he could do nothing against this preacher who could be seen to have stolen from him.
Deuteronomy 24, and other parts of the Law of Moses, has things to say to those who employ others to do work. The overarching principle is of fairness and mercy to those who do not have as much, or are of a lower status, yet are fellow Israelites. The Law would lead people to understand that all others who worship God are their brothers and sisters, and it would be completely unacceptable and sinful indeed to oppress another. Thus it would be awkward, at least, to be an owner of a fellow believer in Christ or fellow spiritual Israelite. In New Testament times, the law of the land, Roman law, not only allowed exploitation and enslavement but upheld the rights of masters as paramount to the foundation of society. Despite this, a Christian should have some conscience and understand that their position was different.
“When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee. The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow’s raiment to pledge: But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing. When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing” (Deut 24:10-22).
The Law of Moses goes far beyond simply paying one’s employees promptly instead of beating them into submission. However, the discussion of pledges indicates that a righteous God-fearing person ought not assert his rights, but be merciful to one whose ability to give is small. If one lent some money or items to someone who was poor, it would be custom to ask for a pledge, collateral, an object of some value to be held until the debt is paid. In the story of Tamar and Judah in Genesis we can see this custom playing out, in a very bad set of circumstances. In the passage above, the law states the owner of the pledge can’t go into the other’s house, he must respect his neighbor, the one who has borrowed from him, and wait outside until the pledge is returned. The next verses extend the principle even further, for the pledge, if it were some poor person’s only coat, must be returned before night so he can sleep and be warm. This means the one who received the pledge would have to forfeit his right to keep the pledge and give it back, even before the debt has been paid. Also, the law declares one can’t take a widow’s garment as a pledge, for a widow is someone, it is assumed, who would have nothing else. This is a law requiring grace, because the holder of a debt would have to give up potentially what is allowed to him because the one he lent to is so poor he has nothing. Other passages make it clear that an Israelite is to give with an open hand, even to such desperately poor people, the implication being that they may not be able to pay back the gift.
The condition of a slave is even worse than this picture of extreme poverty, for a slave does not receive pay for his labor. The spirit of open handed generosity extended to not taking one’s entire crop, but leaving bits of it for the poor to come and collect. This is so far from the culture of business and making money that we are used to in our capitalist age, that it is perhaps hard to imagine that making as much money as possible would not be the principle aim of people. This is the way of thinking taught in the Law of Moses. For Christians in the first century AD or the 21st century AD, while we are not under the Law of Moses, the principles of it are clear enough to one who has ears to hear. We are called to conduct ourselves accordingly to our brothers and sisters, especially if we find ourselves in a position of wealth and power. These are the principles that would affect Philemon, the man with the runaway slave.
Paul’s perspective and solution
Paul seeks in his solution to do right and keep the unity and integrity of the faith, so he sends Onesimus back to his owner with words of encouragement and guidance for his owner. It would be very easy in a case like this for Paul to show respect of persons, to favor the person he liked the most, or to honor the rich man because he is an important person, or to favor the poor slave in a desire to look good. A righteous judgement is not about the relative position or status of the people involved, it is about making a decision based on principle. This is the same lesson from the Law of Moses: “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour” (Lev 19:15).
The same principles of rightness and equity should prevail for whenever any one of us has to judge between brothers and sisters. We can’t use partiality and emotion, but principle. As we would expect, the Apostle Paul gives us a great example to learn from.
This dispute between a slave owner and his slave, if not handled well, had the potential to divide the early Christian church along social class, or alienate one social class against another and set a destructive precedent for the Colossian church and others to come. Just as the dispute in Jerusalem over the distribution for the widows had the potential to divide the early ecclesia there along lines of ethnic and cultural origin, this dispute in Colossae could have divided the Gentile ecclesias along class lines.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16).
Christ here tells us we are to be the Light of the World, easily recognizable as distinct and different than all other people. Most people, if they were a slave, would feel justified to take from their owner and escape if they could. A disciple of Christ is not to think like this, for an overarching principle is that of honoring commitments. Christ continued in the context of oaths, to teach his disciples to let your yes be yes and your no mean no. In other words be honest and sincere in all you do. A disciple of Christ is to be not only doing the right things but to be known by all around to be doing good, even to patiently accept injustice and hardship, not running away from it through deception.
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matt 5:38-42).
Here, Christ exhorts his disciples to do the seemingly absurd thing of loving one’s enemies and doing good to one’s oppressors. We are maybe too accustomed to hearing this phrase to realize how radical it really is; how much this commandment is contrary to normal human thinking. Onesimus is being commanded to live this. Later on in the Sermon on the Mount Christ exhorts his disciples not to be anxious but trust in God’s kingdom. No one could have had more anxiety for the future than a runaway slave being sent back to his owner. These are the fundamental teachings of Christ that Paul builds upon, and gives explicit teaching for masters and servants, as well as the other key relationships people can be in at various times in their lives.
The parts of Paul’s letters where he expounds how a Christian should behave if they are a servant, and for believing masters, are found in a few different places, and the basic ideas are repeated. Paul also instructs believers how to conduct themselves in Christ in their other relationships, including how we need to serve our human masters in faithfulness and sincerity, doing all as if to Christ.
“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him” (Eph 6:5-9).
“Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven” (Col 3:22-4:1).
The call of a Christian is to be a servant. Therefore this little book has a deeper message for us. As if to highlight this principle, when Paul addressed Philemon at the beginning of the letter, it is as dear friend and fellow worker. Likewise, in the chapter of salutations at the end of Colossians, Paul referred to a brother Tychicus as a faithful minister and fellow slave in the lord and Onesimus, a faithful and dear brother who came from Colossae. It seems this is indeed the same Onesimus that is the subject of the letter to Philemon, and Paul is sending these two as messengers to tell them of the preaching work they have been engaged with. It seems possible then that this letter to the Colossians was written at the time Onesimus was with Paul. If we can accept a further speculation, this may be the circumstance in which Paul sent the once unprofitable slave back to his owner, though now he is a faithful brother and living up to the meaning of his name, Profitable, at least in Paul’s estimation.
Conclusion
As we begin to bring this exhortation to its focus on Christ, we need to consider one more passage.
“Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men” (1 Cor 7:21-23).
This teaches that if we were called while free we are Christ’s slave, yet those called while slaves are a special case, for they have the honored position of being the Lord’s Freemen if they were able to attain freedom through legal means, by either buying it or being freed. Slaves were a significant part of the population and probably many in the early Christian churches were slaves, so Paul gives instructions to slaves to seek to be free if they could and use that freedom in Christ’s service, but for most who could not hope for that, they were not to be troubled. However, this is a parable for us, who have opportunities and immense privileges by virtue of living in the place we live. We are called to use what we have in Christ’s service, for we are to see ourselves as Christ’s servants. Furthermore, by nature we are all slaves to sin, and have been bought for a price. Our former slave master was sin, the most cruel of slave owners who will rule us and lead us only to death if we are not freed from him. Christ has redeemed us with his blood, the sacrifice of his life, to show us the way we must go. Therefore, we are asked, in exchange to voluntarily serve him, not out of fear of punishment, but out of love and gratitude.
“Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever” (Exod 21:1-6).
This principle of voluntary service as the highest form of service is taught also back in the Law of Moses. Exodus 20 is the Ten Commandments, so this principle of owners and their Israelite servants is one of the first things the Law puts forward. The servant who would not leave his master when he was allowed to, but chose to stay out of love for his family and his master’s house could be struck through the ear, permanently marking him as a servant forever (Exod 21:6). This would be a scar they would carry, but would be a sign of honor, commitment and love. For us, this striking through was done at the cross of Christ, and is effected in our lives by our voluntary accepting of it and carrying it out in our lives.
We must not be like the disciples the night in which Jesus was arrested who fled from their lord; behavior more like that of runaway Onesimus than faithful servants and disciples believing in the Messiah and his message.
We have considered the short book of Philemon and the scenario in it where Christian love is tested, where a difficult decision must be made to resolve a painful dispute between brothers. From this we examine the principles from the Old and New Testaments about serving human masters, and ultimately about our service to Christ, and by doing so being made free from slavery to sin. The highest form of service in the Bible is not servitude by fear and force, but by voluntary service out of love, which the runaway slave Onesimus and ourselves are all called to.
The ritual sharing of bread and wine is the symbol appointed to us of our relationship to Christ. By taking bread, the symbol of his body, we associate ourselves with our master and declare our wish to carry out, in some small way, his life in our life. To take on the name of Christ is, by definition, to be a servant of a servant, but it is this service that is paradoxically freedom from serving sin.
Wine is the symbol appointed to us of his life sacrificed to defeat the power of sin. By taking this wine, and sharing it from hand to hand among those of our shared faith, we declare that we will sacrifice our lives to find life in his service.
We are called to examine ourselves, to take heed of our walk before him, for we are warned that “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12). We are not to be complacent or confident in ourselves in any way, for everything we have has been given to us by grace.
Let us remember the slave in Exodus, thinking of ourselves as this servant who loves our master, our master’s house, and would not want to go anywhere else. Let us serve our Lord forever.
“And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him forever” (Exod 21:5-6).
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