“This Faith We Hold in Common”

a sermon by the Rev. Dr. Hilary J. Barrett

Preached at Pleasantville United Church of Christ, August 7, 2011

Philemon

“I keep hearing of the love and faith you have for the Master Jesus, which brims over to other believers. And I keep praying that this faith we hold in common keeps showing up in the good things we do, and that people recognize Christ in all of it.”
(Philemon 1:5-6, The Message)

            If this morning’s epistle text were made into a movie it would be a real nail biter.  Philemon is the briefest of Paul’s writings but it is packed with restrained drama.  In just over three hundred Greek words, the situation unfolds and the details are these:

A slave named Onesimus had run away from his owner Philemon, who was a Christian living at Colossae.  Somehow the runaway slave had come into contact with Paul in Rome -- either as a fellow prisoner or because he had sought refuge in Paul’s company.  During the course of his time with Paul, Onesimus is converted to Christianity.  And on the strength of his relationship with the Apostle, Paul does the unthinkable: Paul sends the slave back to his master, along with the letter we read here this morning.

Our scriptures are filled with complicated and contradictory texts. Those who know Paul’s writings may find it surprising that Paul would be willing to return a fellow Christian to slavery.  It is startling to imagine that Paul would be willing to take a chance with Onesimus’ life; this same Paul who, in his letter to the Galatians argued that in the Christian community “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28).  Paul even says that Onesimus has become like a child to Paul, and Paul like a father to him.

In our own nation’s history, Paul’s letter to the Christian slaveholder, Philemon, became a central feature in arguments between Christians on both sides of the slavery issue.  Those who held slaves and were in favor of slavery pointed to this epistle, taking strength from the fact that the Apostle had sent the runaway slave back to his master.  Clearly the Bible offered a mandate for slavery, they argued.  But the letter was important to abolitionists also because they saw it in a different light.  While Paul did send his child-in-Christ, Onesimus, back to his master, the letter he sent with him held a powerful and revolutionary message.

I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment…I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. ¹³I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; ¹⁴but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. ¹⁵Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever,¹⁶no 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. ¹⁷So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.[1]

In the Roman Empire during the first century, captured runaway slaves were routinely imprisoned and beaten.  Their masters could even have them crucified.[2]  But, Paul’s letter to the Christian slaveholder, Philemon, recommends not only that Onesimus should be treated with forgiveness but that he should be given a welcome into the Christian family as a cherished family member.[3]

I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus…welcome him as you would welcome me.

Paul’s letter to Philemon, is unique in that it carries with it all the marks of a personal note addressed to a friend – one to whom Paul speaks in terms of endearment and affection.  No other such communication exists in the New Testament, so it begs the question as to why the church would consider it important enough to incorporate this simple appeal into its library of what was later regarded as sacred Scripture.  But this brief epistle is really more than a private letter; it is a letter within a letter and like Paul’s other letters, one meant to be read aloud in the Christian community (as we have done today). It is a letter addressed to Philemon, but directed to the church and its purpose it to teach the church how the Christian life is to be lived in the social context; to teach how the members of Christ’s church are to relate to one another and treat one another. [4]  And in that way it has timeless significance.

Paul builds his argument around the theme of indebtedness, reminding Philemon that the slave is in no greater debt to his master than Philemon himself is to Paul, and that all of them are indebted to Christ for their salvation:

If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. ¹⁹I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. ²⁰Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. ²¹Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.[5]

A slave escapes from his master, befriends a Christian who teaches him about the gospel, and as a test of faith, the Christian asks the slave to return to his master who has the right to kill him on the spot for running away. It’s a pretty powerful story. 

Paul loved Onesimus like a child.  Onesimus loved Paul like a father.  Paul loved Philemon like a brother.  Bound together as kindred in Christ, these three men had to make a decision: whether their faith in Christ would make any different at all in the way they lived out their lives in the social arena.

I keep hearing of the love and faith you have for the Master Jesus, which brims over to other believers. And I keep praying that this faith we hold in common keeps showing up in the good things we do, and that people recognize Christ in all of it. Friend, you have no idea how good your love makes me feel, doubly so when I see your hospitality to fellow believers.[6]

The culture of the day made slavery entirely acceptable.  Roman citizens of every ilk had slaves – only those who were most poor could not afford them.  Slaves performed many of the same functions that electricity and modern conveniences now afford us.  But Christianity complicated this convenient arrangement.  Paul had successfully converted the slaveholder Philemon.  Now that he was a Christian, how was he to deal with other Christians – even if they were his own slaves?  Would it change the very nature of their relationship? Would there be a fundamental shift that reflected the good news of the gospel?  These were the issues that Paul was addressing when he wrote to Philemon. The laws of the Empire gave Philemon every right to exact vengeance upon his runaway slave or to demand financial recompense for lost time from the one who had harbored the fugitive slave – in this case, Paul.  But Paul appeals to a different reality than imperial law.  Appealing to him on the basis of love, Paul urges Philemon to receive Onesimus not as his slave but as his brother.

The action would have a significant impact.  Philemon would lose the investment he had already made in Onesimus and the future labor he could expect from the slave.  He would lose what was owed to him in lost labor during the time that the slave had run off.  And who knows how it would impact the rest of his household.  What if every one of his slaves expected the same treatment? How would that impact the bottom line in Philemon’s household?  This Christianity thing, with its revolutionary values of equality, could really cost Philemon a lot of money; it could really be an immense inconvenience and burden.

And I keep praying that this faith we hold in common
keeps showing up in the good things we do….

We don’t know for certain how Philemon responded to Paul’s request. But historical documents show that the Bishop of the church at Ephesus was named Onesimus and that fact has allowed many Christian scholars to conclude that Philemon did, in fact, release Onesimus from bondage, freeing him to become the Christian leader God intended him to be.

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). This is the saving work of Christ that changes all our realities and relationships.  It levels the playing field, so to speak.  By Christ’s saving work, we are all set free.  By Christ’s saving work, we are all equally in debt.  It is a radical notion that changes how we live in the world, what we value, and how we value others.  Philemon was called to set his slave free because of it.  He was called to take a financial loss because of it. What are you called to let go of? What risk do you need to take for the gospel?  Who do you need to ‘set free’ because of this faith we hold in common?

So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister^* has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go;
first be reconciled to your brother or sister,^* and then come and offer your gift.
(Matthew 5:23-24)

Whenever we come to the table of blessing God invites us to lay our burdens down, to set our resentments and our grievances aside.  God invites to be reconciled.  Come to this table of blessings.  I keep praying that this faith we hold in common keeps showing up in the good things we do.  This table is a very good place to begin.

Amen.
The next reading is of a complete Epistle. Whereas, in other letters, Paul is writing to a group (church), here he writes to a single individual, whom he has known well, and who became a Christian through him,.   One of Philemon's slaves had escaped, had fallen under Paul's influence, and accepted Christ.  But he was still an escaped slave, at terrible risk if he were caught, though he was now a trusted co-worker with Paul!   If he had stolen something, he would be expected to return it and make restitution in some way.  So, since he had stolen his service from Philemon, his master, he returns, but with a touchingly personal letter from Paul.

We do not know the outcome, but can imagine the astonishment when the slave returns, not in custody, but on his own.  (Paul plays on the name of the slave.  "Onesimus" is " Useful!")

Let's listen, and picture the scene, as Philemon receives this letter: